Waste. Shrink-wrapped vegies, disposable coffee cups, clothes and electronics designed to be upgraded every year: the community is surrounded by stuff that is often used once and then thrown away. Each year Australian households produce enough rubbish to fill a three bedroom home, including thousands of dollars worth of food and an ever-increasing amount of plastic, which takes hundreds of years to break down and often ends up in oceans or in the food chain. But what to do about such a huge problem? Is it just the price paid for the conveniences of modern life? What if it were possible to have it both ways – to live a modern life with less waste?
That is where Erin Rhoads, AKA The Rogue Ginger, comes in. Erin went from eating plastic-packaged takeaway while shopping online for fast fashion, to becoming one of Australia’s most popular eco-bloggers. Erin knows that small changes can have a big impact and in her newest book Waste Not she shares everything she has learnt from her own funny, inspiring – and far-from-perfect – journey to living with less waste.
Waste Not teaches readers to switch out the disposable plastics from their shopping trolley, make simple cleaning solutions free from harmful chemicals, find favourite beauty products without all the packaging, give a baby shower present that will not end up in the charity shop bag, plan a zero-waste wedding (and what ‘zero waste’ even means!), and much more.
Waste Not is not just for those who label themselves zero waste; it is for anyone and everyone who would like to make simple changes where they can to reduce their individual impact and carbon footprint. It does not matter whether you are at the beginning of your journey or further along, Waste Not is about joining a growing group of concerned citizens who want a new system, and remembering that our choices can help to shift and mould the world we want for future generations.
Readers also enjoyed this story about urban agriculture.
