I know I go on a lot about batteries. There is a simple reason for this. If we don’t get a handle on the consumption(and disposal) of normal everyday batteries, we are going to have a major problem on our hands in the not too distant future. Next time you visit the supermarket (or a chemist for that matter), take the time to notice the battery display – It’s big, and getting bigger! The average Australian household can use up to 109 single life batteries per year. In the UK  they throw away up to 30 000 kg of batteries per year (in Australia it’s currently around 8000kg)

Naturally my thought is to avoid products that use batteries if you can. Electric toothbrushes for example.. Absolutely unnessasary, and if your dentist tells you otherwise, find a new dentist because the one you have is secretly working for a battery company.

If you must use batteries, try to use rechargable ones, and look for battery recycling schemes – there are a few around.

I’ve stumbled across the SITA site who claim that I can call to have a battery recycling box delivered.

http://www.sita.com.au/our-services/collection-services/battery-recycling-.aspx

I’ll be calling tomorrow and I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

In the mean time check out this little beauty…

You push down on the drivers little head and he scurries across the floor like there’s no tomorrow! Hours of fun for the whole family! (NBR – no battery required!)

Sometimes it’s hard to believe we are serious about global warming.
This sole customer sits outside a cafe on a freezing Melbourne day with a glass of vino, a fag and her very own heater (obviously supplied by the cafe to keep the smokers comfortable). Is this the lucky country  or the stupid country?

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wm

If you visit a target store from the middle of this year you will not be offered a plastic (HDPE) shopping bag at the checkout. Instead you will be given the opportunity to purchase different bags (some reusable, others compostable – see TARGET)

I have a FEW things to say about this:

1. Good on target for having a go

2. Always remember that it is extremely rare to find a company attempting to care for the environment solely out of the goodness of their hearts. There’s always something ‘in it’ for the company involved – SOCIAL RESPECT perhaps??

3. Next time you visit a store, listen to the cashier. Does he/she ask, “Would you like a bag?” or “do you need a bag?” There is a huge difference between these two questions. Have a think about it! Is this shop policy or just pure habit?

4. Over the next five years or so we are going to be confronted with a massive problem of how to deal with the volume of reusable ‘environmentally friendly’ shopping bags. Remember these bags are poorly made and won’t last. They are produced in China and thus there is a massive carbon footprint associated with their production.

5. FINALLY – JUST SAY NO TO BAGS!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many times when I have to say NO because I can easily manage without.

REDUCE

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wasteman

I drew this cartoon about ten years ago in response to a relatively new but growing problem: electrical waste (or ‘e-waste’ as we refer to it these days). I’ve written about e-waste before see http://www.wasteman.com.au/?cat=9

So you can imagine what I was thinking when I came across this lovely little deposit left out on the street just the other day. Spooky!!

So many of the things I’ve spoken about, so many years ago, are now emerging as real. This is because I come from the planet wastron, a planet far far away that exists 50 years into the future. Right now, where I come from, it’s the year 2059. You see, I’ve seen where we’re heading..

wasteman 
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You’re walking down the street. You’ve just finished eating a lovely ripe banana and you have the peel in your hands. You come across a street ‘rubbish’ bin (single receptacle). What do you do?

Do you throw your banana peel into the street bin knowing that it will be buried (and wasted) in landfill, or do you find a little clump of leaves under a tree and bury your peel knowing that it may help to nourish the ground (assuming of course that there are trees around).

I was confronted with this dilemma just the other day. Which way do you think I went? Did I do the right thing?

You tell me…
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wasteman 

Wasteman has penned a new acronym  NBR

Quite simply it stands for NO BATTERY REQUIRED. 

I encourage everyone to think about this when they are on the hunt for a little gift for friend or family.

We’ll talk more about batteries in the coming months, but I’m here to tell you, they are not that friendly.

The little music wind up toy above is a wonderful example of a toy that requires no battery and can deliver many many hours of enjoyment. 

If you have an example of NBR to share, I would love to see it.

wasteman 

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