The City of Casey’s Green Living in Casey Champions help promote sustainable living by sharing their green living stories and tips.
This month we welcome Green Living in Casey Champion Melanie Bramble!
Growing up, Melanie’s parents were always of the view that it was better to save an item for reuse, rather than throwing it away, and Melanie has continued to do this with her young family now.
Recycling as many items as possible, Melanie has many bins inside the house for sorting the different waste streams that she recycles. There are the items that go into council-collected bins, as well as many other specialised recycling options.
When friends visit, they are presented with many bin options, and learn a bit about recycling various items when they go to throw something away.
Melanie has encouraged her workplace, her husband’s workplace and her children’s school to get involved with recycling more items, and they are collecting recyclable items too.
She has also encouraged neighbours to take more interest in their waste and recycling, and they have managed to reduce their waste as well.
She enjoys seeing the results of all of her efforts – less waste to landfill, more items to be recycled, more people recycling rather than sending items to landfill, and her rubbish bin only goes out once a month!
Even if she forgets to put it out, it’s not an issue as there’s not much more to be added over the week. She also saw a huge decrease in their family’s waste when food waste was added to the garden waste bin.
To add to her waste reduction efforts, she has always bought second-hand clothing for the family, and when they move house, there are plans for veggie patches, fruit trees and compost bins.
Melanie’s top three Green Living tips for those starting out are:
- Make clear signs about what goes into which bin. Make it easier for you and everyone else to do the right thing.
- Talk to others about waste and recycling. Get the knowledge and information out there and make it part of the conversations you’re having. Everyone produces waste, so the topic applies to everyone.
- Take little steps – small changes over time end up making a big difference.
Interested in becoming a Green Living in Casey Champion?
Whether you are just starting your green living journey, are a keen composter or gardener, or work hard to reduce your waste – if you are committed to sustainable living we would love to hear your story.
