50 caravanworld.com.au
plasticbagsstillinuseinAustralia.
Using cloth bags is a no brainer when we
shop, but what do we use as rubbish bags
now? Buying a box of plastic bags to throw
away with our rubbish seemed like a big
step backwards to me, so when I eventually
ran out of my old plastic supermarket bags,
I started stowing my rubbish in cardboard
boxes, which could be emptied into a bin
and the box reused or recycled.
I grab them from Bunnings, liquor stores
and local supermarkets, and on big outback
trips, I use foldable, washable bins. If your
camping setup doesn’t have the luxury of
permanent bins under a sink, you mightlike to try this simple alternative: grab two
PVC pop-up bins ($20 from BCF) that can
be stowed during travel. When you arrive
in camp, simply hang them on the outside
of your rig or on the rear tyre of your 4WD.
Fill one with recyclables and the other with
non-recyclables, and empty them when you
get into town. When dirty, simply rinse and
upend them to dry.
If you love to bushwalk, paddle or cycle,
you’re going to need a new way to organise
and waterproof your food, clothes and
gear inside rucksacks or kayak hulls now
that plastic bags are history. Head to your
favourite camping store and invest in a set
of lightweight, waterproof dry bags or stuff
sacks to protect your valuables from all
kinds of weather.DITCH:SINGLE-USECOFFEECUPS
OneofthemostEarth-friendlythings
thatcaravannersdoataround10.30am
everymorningistopulloverandbrewa
cuppa.Brewingourowncoffeekeepsnon-
recyclablecupsoutoflandfill,buthowmany
isa figurethatmightstaggeryou.
Ifallthecoffeecupsmanufacturedlast
yearwerelinedupend-to-end,theywould
stretcharoundtheglobe 1360 times(that’s
500,000,000,000cups).
Aussiesalonethrowback(andthenthrow
away)upwardsofthreebillioncoffeessold
insingle-usecupseveryyear,andwhile
thepaperinmost‘papercups’eventually
breaksdown,it leavesbehinda waterproof,
polyurethaneliningthatwilloutlastusall.
Thechallengeforusvannerswhenwe
fancya coffeewhenweareoutistoalways
orderit ina ceramiccupormugandsit
downtoenjoyit.Ifyouneedtotakeyour
coffeeaway,handthebaristayourown
reusabletravelmugandyou’llmostlikely
scorea 50-centdiscountanda bigsmilefor
doingso.Ifyoudohavetotakeawayand
forgetyourownmug,refusethelidthat
reallydoeslasta lifetimeinlandfill.DITCH:PLASTICSTRAWS
Everystrawyouhaveeversippedonisstill
on the planet today. They will never go away
and they are accumulating. Last year, the
ABC’s War on Wa ste team estimated that
Australians use 10 million straws a day. It’s a
big problem but the solution is simple: leave
straws on the counter.
Enter the bamboo straw. Renewable,
sustainable and 100 per cent compostable,
the bamboo straw is also lightweight and
costs as little as $2. If you are a smoothie
and juice drinker, bamboo straws are easy
to pack and most come with a thin cleaner
(from $8.95 at shopnaturally.com.au).
If you need convincing about the harm
plastic straws can do in the ocean, try
watching — without squirming — that viral
YouTube clip of a straw being removed from
the nose of an endangered olive ridley sea
turtle found floundering off Costa Rica.FROM TOP Stopping to brew your own coffee
keeps non-recyclable cups out of landfill; sit
and sip — always order your coffee in ceramic
mugs; bamboo straws are renewable,
sustainable and 100 per cent compostable“If you need to take
your coffee away,
hand the barista
your own reusable
travel mug and
you’ll most likely
score a 50-cent
discount”
Reducing waste
on the roadGREEN
ISSUE