Zero Waste: Sustainability and Waste – At home

The challenge is to reduce our "foot-print" on the planet, to reduce the amount of wastes we create, and to reduce the amount of energy that we use.

Ideally, the first step involves the design and construction of our home. Most of us will not have that opportunity, but if Climate Change is to be taken seriously, then there is an urgency to sort out the fundamentals of energy-efficient house design, and get them implemented just as soon as possible. This involves determining a much increased quality of building, designed and constructed to maximise use of solar energy. A new standard being trialled in Germany, (Passivhaus), features the construction of a home that utilises passive solar systems, and requires no additional space heating or cooling. At a relatively low cost of about $5,000 to $10,000, a huge difference can be made to the life-time energy requirements of our homes, and in fact, the same principles can be applied to all occupied buildings, factories, hotels – everything. These extra costs will be recouped in just a few years. Check out the Green Building Council at:   www.nzgbc.org.nz

 

What I can do in my home – direct energy savings

We can save energy directly – turn the wall switch to "OFF" when not using the appliance. In New Zealand, about 35% of our electricity is used in our homes. New Zealand generates around a third of its electricity from coal and gas, so when we use electricity in our homes, we are contributing to the production of waste carbon dioxide emissions. Every bit of electricity we can save will make a contribution towards solving the problem. EECA have calculated that just one replacement low-energy bulb can save up 250kg CO2a year, and $10 a year off your power bill. A typical New Zealand family household will spend $1500 a year, using energy as follows:

Reduce your wasted energy. Write up an energy-saving plan for your home. The immediate action goals can be put in place at very little cost, but will still make a worthwhile contribution. You may already have actioned some of these, but it could look something like this:

1. For Immediate action:

• Replace majority of light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs  - save 2%.
• Turn lights off when we leave the room, and electronic items 'off' when not in use, rather than leaving on stand-by – save 2%.
• Wash clothes in cold water – save 2%. Use clothes line to dry washing when possible – save 1%.
• Turn hot water off when going on holiday – save 1%.

2. Short term goals:

• Improve insulation of hot water cylinder and hot-water pipes – save 2%.
• Replace/discard inefficient old beer fridge – save 1%.
• When buying new appliances, go for those rated as energy efficient – save 1%.
• Install either solar or heat-pump water heating, at a cost of $4000-$7000 – and save up to 75% of your water heating bill
• Install a heat-pump for efficient space heating in your home. This could save up to 20% on your power bill, providing you don't use the cool air-conditioning cycle in the summer!

3. Medium to long-term goals:

• double-glaze windows, starting with the south-facing windows; windows leak 10 times as much heat as the walls;
• instal extractor fans in kitchen and bathroom to ensure removal of moist air from your home, and ensure your home is correctly ventilated. Heating warm, moist air is wasteful - and a damp home also promotes asthma and ill-health, and can lead to the rotting of your timbers;
• Retro-fit your home with increased insulation in walls, ceiling, and under floor, making proper provision for adequate ventilation;
• install water-saving devices - as for toilets, shower-heads etc.
• install roof-top photo-voltaic panels for electricity
• install roof-top wind-power unit.

What I can do in my home – indirect energy savings

I can reduce energy use by reducing my waste

We can save energy indirectly by our efforts to reduce waste. Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of electrical energy, 3 cubic metres of landfill space, and 30 kgs of air pollution. In our homes, most of us now have the opportunity to sort and put out some of our recyclables to Council collections. Every bit helps, so let's get stuck into it! Some Councils, such as Timaru, are now separately collecting green and kitchen wastes. Encourage your Council to do the same, and remind them that these wastes can be utilised for the production of biogas and compost. If this service is available to you, make sure you help by separating and diverting your garden and kitchen wastes. We suggest you look at everything your house sends out from your home as waste, and come up with a plan of attack. Your personal or family plan in this area might include:

1. For Immediate action:

• When making purchasing decisions, we will go for reduced/recyclable packaging, and will buy items that incorporate recycled materials, such as toilet and tissue paper made from recycled paper.
• We will keep several 'green bags' in the car boot, and use them for carrying our groceries. We will refuse plastic bags if we don't need them.
• Let's put a "No junk mail" sticker on our letterbox.
• We will take care to maximise our recycling of clean glass, paper and plastics, as provided for by Council.

2. Short term goals:

• We will compost our food scraps, and have a look into worm farming.
• We will lobby Council to extend the range of items collected for recycling, including separate collection of food and green wastes, collection of all plastics, provision for collecting old foam furniture and mattresses, and proper provision for the collection and safe disposal of our old electronic goods (TV's, mobile phones and computer stuff) and fluorescent tubes, which contain toxic wastes.

3. Medium to long-term goals:

• We will only buy things when we really need them, and we will try to buy items that can be repaired rather than having to be thrown away if they fail.
• Consider the large energy cost and environmental impact that results from the production of meat, and perhaps eat a little less of it? Changing to vegetarianism will have a greater impact on the planet than downsizing your SUV to a hybrid vehicle!

Some facts:

Recycling an aluminium can saves enough energy to operate a TV for 3 hours.

The manufacture of a single gold ring or wedding band creates more than 20 tonnes of mine waste.

Your plan will need to be tailored to your home, your circumstances, and your budget, but there are many actions that can be taken at absolutely no cost that will get you on your way. Lobby the Government for interest-free loans for energy savings – paid back on your power account! There is a small scheme whereby the EECA offers up to $300 towards the cost of financing solar water heating (with a $40 admin. charge)- refer: www.solarindustries.org.nz/

Go to the following site for an excellent guide on the many other steps that you can take:  www.carbonzero.co.nz/reduce_emissions.asp

            This page was created in November 2006.