Waste Services

Renting in Tasmania

Waste-wise renting

Are you a renter who wants to reduce your environmental impact and live more sustainably? You’re in the right place! When it comes to waste management, renters can often feel like they don’t have control over their living situation. However, there are plenty of small but impactful steps that you can take to make a positive difference.

In this article, we’ll be sharing some tips and tricks for waste-wise renting that you can easily implement in your day-to-day life.

 

What to do when moving into a new home:

  1. Check that your kerbside bins are present and in good order. Talk to your Local Council if you need to arrange a replacement or talk to your landlord if you need to organise a different sized bin (where this service exists).
  2. Contact your local Council to get a copy of the kerbside bin collection calendar.
  3. If you are outside of a kerbside collection area, contact your local Council and/or landlord to find out what vouchers, tip tickets or other waste drop-off services are available to you.
  4. Find out what special waste collection services exist in your local area, such as annual hard waste collections or green waste collections.
    Read about waste services for bulky items in Tasmania
  5. Visit your local Waste Transfer Station or Resource Recovery Centre to see what free recycling and waste services are on offer. These may include household batteries, light globes, paint, oil, mobile phones and other electronic waste such as TVs, computers and cables.
  6. Find out what other non-kerbside recycling services exist near you, there may be collection points for all kinds of things including toothbrushes, eye-glasses, toys, cosmetics packaging, and bread bag tags.
    Check out this handy guide to non-kerbside recycling services in Tasmania

 

Top tip:
Visit your nearest Tip Shop and second hand stores for any household items that you may need before buying new. Consider borrowing or hiring equipment if only needed for a short time.
Check out Tasmania’s Tip Shop Trail here.

 

  • Take a look at what makes up the biggest volume of your bin contents. Is there a different product you could choose with less packaging waste or a different way of getting the same goods (e.g. soda stream instead of single use soft drink bottles or cans)?
  • See if you can follow the waste hierarchy by changing what you buy and where you shop to avoid packaging.  Choose re-usable items instead of single-use items. Before discarding anything, consider if it can be reused, sold or given away? Try and make recycling and landfill the last resort.
    Here are 40 ways to start reducing waste at home
  • Take excess waste to your Waste Transfer Station (note – it is usually free to drop off excess recycling).
  • If space permits, start a home compost bin or worm farm for your food scraps, or get involved in a ShareWaste community service.
    Here’s a handy guide to home composting in Tasmania
  • Talk to your neighbour to see if they have spare bin space and could help by taking your extra waste, until you get sorted.
  • Talk to your Local Council to identify other forms of assistance, including if you can upgrade your bin size, for a fee (if this service exists in your area and is authorised by your landlord).