Well done to Waveney Warth & Matthew Luxon who decided to try and avoid contributing to the growing problem of increasing waste, by setting themselves a challenge of living for a year without sending anything to landfill.

Follow their experiences recorded in their blog, they have even got an online store where you can purchase all things eco friendly (loving the bamboo toothbrushes!)

Check out their website: http://www.rubbishfree.co.nz/

Recycling in Northland

Annually, New Zealanders create 8.7 million tonnes of rubbish. That’s an average of two tonnes per person of waste from all sources. The average Westerner produces 500 kg of “municipal waste” a year (which seems about right, as a proxy for household waste - a 10 kg bag each week). In a month, New Zealand’s rubbish would cover a rugby field and pile it 30 stories high. To ensure that the land of the Long White Cloud is not completely covered in waste, we really need to be more proactive with our recycling.

Here’s a great example from our friends in Northland:

Accessories crafted from recycled materials are growing in popularity as consumers continue to seek out more environmentally friendly products. Plastic supermarket bags, old TV wire and milk bottles are among items being refashioned by Northland artists into high-fashion jewellery. The novel jewellery includes recycled resin pendants and collector-teaspoon necklaces and can be found selling in the Tuatara Design Store in Whangarei.

Check out their website: www.tuataradesignstore.co.nz