Why do we need to give a JOT?
Wasted Potential: Why Less is Really More
We live in a world overflowing with stuff—food, clothes, gadgets, plastic bits and bobs. And yet, so much of it ends up in the bin. Here’s the irony: we’re surrounded by abundance, but we’re treating it like it’s endless. Spoiler alert—it’s not.
Let’s unpack the waste we’re creating (and what we can do about it).
🥦 Food Waste: More Than Just Leftovers
In New Zealand alone, households toss out over 157,000 tonnes of edible food every year.
That’s $644 straight into the landfill for each household annually—and enough kai to feed all of Dunedin for nearly three years!
What can we do?
Cook what you’ve got. Love your leftovers. Plan your meals. Share extras with your neighbours. And if it really can’t be eaten—compost it!
📖 Source: Love Food Hate Waste
👕 Fast Fashion, Faster Landfills
Let’s talk textiles. Globally, here’s what happens to the clothes we wear (or don’t):
🧵 12% is lost before it even hits the shelves
🗑️ 75% ends up in landfill
♻️ Only 12% is donated or recycled
🔄 Less than 1% becomes new fabric
Yikes. That’s a whole lot of T-shirts going nowhere fast.
What can we do?
Buy less, choose well, and make it last. Check out op shops, swap with friends, or learn some basic sewing skills (you can do it!). Every garment you rescue is one less clogging up a landfill.
📖 Source: One Planet – Textiles
🌱 Garden Waste: From Bin to Bloom
Here’s a dirty little secret—40% of NZ household waste could be composted. That’s your garden trimmings, food scraps, even used tissues!
Imagine turning all that “waste” into nutrients for your soil. That’s not rubbish—it’s gold.
What can we do?
Compost your food and garden scraps. Mulch your leaves. Grow your own veggies. Your garden (and your grocery bill) will thank you.
📖 Source: One Planet – Home Composting
🔁 So… What Can WE Do About It?
Enter the “5 Rs” (our new favourite life motto):
Rethink. Reduce. Refuse. Reuse. Recycle.
Rethink everything as a resource. What if “waste” was just a resource in the wrong place?
Reduce your impact by buying only what you need. That third spatula? Probably unnecessary.
Refuse freebies you don’t want (no, you don’t need another branded pen).
Reuse anything and everything. Get a keep-cup. Carry a cloth bag. Patch your jeans.
Recycle smart. It’s more than bins—recycle your habits, your wardrobe, your garden waste.
💡 Re-What? Add Your Own R!
We like to say there are 50 zillion Rs. Once you start, it’s addictive.
Our favourite? Re-imagine.
Re-imagine what your life could look like with less waste and more intention.
As the fabulous Zero Waste Chef, Anne-Marie Bonneau, puts it:
“We don’t need a few people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions doing it imperfectly.”
So pick just one thing—compost, thrift shopping, buying only what you need—and start there.
Let’s reimagine a better future. One where less waste means more for everyone.
💚 Want to Learn More or Get Involved?
We're Just One Thing, a passionate group of sustainability-minded folks in the Waitaki District, North Otago, NZ.
📧 Email: jotwaitaki@outlook.com
👍 Follow us on Facebook: Just One Thing
Let’s make small changes that add up to something big.