Sustainable flatting isn’t just a state of mind, it’s about habits. Kōrero with your flatties early on about how you can collectively live sustainably during your time at uni. Try and turn off the flow of waste into and out of your flat. Make do with what you’ve got and tread lightly on Papatuanuku. These tips using the 6 R’s could be helpful for setting up a more sustainable student flat.
REFUSE
Refuse to consume wherever you can. Simply say “no thanks” to things you don’t need! Do you really need to collect every single promotional trading card from the supey? Refuse to accept them and let the supermarket take care of the waste!
Refuse packaging. When shopping, take and fill your own bags or boxes. You can often save some cash this way, too.
REDUCE
Reduce power consumption. www.powerswitch.org.nz is great for picking up good deals and comparing power providers. Make an appointment with the DCC Eco Design Advisor to see how you can make your whare more energy efficient.
Reduce fossil fuel consumption. Travel by foot, bike, rideshare or bus – to receive a discount on the bus system you will need to take your Bee Card and and tertiary ID to the ORC office located at Level 2, Philip Laing House,144 Rattray Street. Bee Cards can be purchased on campus at the University Book Shop. Dunedin actually has a great bus system.
Reduce waste. Choose bulk goods without packaging as much as you can, it’s cheaper that way, too. Bulk kai stores all have dry and wet foods in bulk and non-food personal care items too. Eat as much of a kai item as you can – e.g. chop up the broccoli stalks with the stir-fry, toast the bread crusts, keep the peel on. Save leftovers for lunch!
Eat less meat to reduce your carbon emissions. Have a meatless dinner one night a week, try oat or soy or almond miraka in your latte or partake in $4 lunch upstairs at Clubs & Socs. Pulled jackfruit makes for a mean meat substitute at half the price.
Reduce the need to buy expensive packaged cleaners. Try making your own using inexpensive ingredients such as vinegar, salt, baking soda, and lemon juice.
REUSE
Reuse what already exists rather than buying new. Buy second-hand whenever you can. Dunedin has great op-shops for furniture, costumes and clothes. Try second-hand stores and Facebook Marketplace for some great deals. At the end of the year, drop off unused items at OUSA Drop for Good. If you’re buying for a costume party, there’s no need to buy new.
Check out Te Oraka, the Uni’s very own thrift shop. Open during semester Monday to Friday 11am – 1pm at 109 St David Street.
Bring your keep cup, take-away lunch containers and cutlery to uni. A lot of eateries on and around campus allow you to bring your own containers to use when getting takeaways.
Organise clothes swaps or other items amongst friends or close-by flats. Put free items outside your gate or donate to op-shops around town and reuse and sell textbooks. OUSA Clubs & Socs also has a free corner for people to drop off and pick up items. Keep it all cycling around.
Rent your favourite labels rather than buying. Check out Dunedin-based Instagram dress rental pages or set up your own.
REPAIR
Often if something breaks we have a habit of throwing it away. There are some cool places in Dunners where you can get help to repair your goods back to working condition or get them repaired such as clothes, bikes, appliances and electronics. Te Oraka also has bike grabs on Tuesdays from 11am – 1pm where you can pick up a preloved bike for a Koha and repair it so it’s good to go!
RECYCLE
Know what can be recycled in Dunedin and download the DCC Kerbside App. Yellow bins take rigid plastics #’s 1, 2 & 5 (no lids), tin and aluminium cans and paper/cardboard. Blue bins take rinsed, unbroken glass – but again, no lids! The Proctor’s Office has spare blue bins for your flat if you need them. Campus Watch has two caged trailers, brooms, and shovels all available for students to use for free.
Utilise your green-lidded bin for an easy way to compost your food scraps without having to do any work.
Each house in Dunedin now has a red-lidded general rubbish bin, yellow-lidded mixed recycling bin, green-lidded food scraps/garden waste bin, and blue glass bin.
Check out https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/rubbish-and-recycling to find your collection day and more info about what can go in each bin.
RETHINK
Be mindful about what you buy. Ask yourself if you really need something or is it just something that will bring you short-term enjoyment. If you think you do really want something, sit on it for a few days; try to avoid making those in-the-moment purchases. By consuming more products, we’re both creating and discarding more.
Consider if the products you are buying are designed in a way that considers people and the environment. Was it made ethically? Is it made from recycled materials? Can the components of it be recycled?
Did you know that Otago University has a Sustainability Neighbourhood? Uniflats Sustainability Neighbourhood & Sustainability Village is owned, managed and maintained by the University of Otago’s Uniflats. These spaces share multiple gardens, hot-houses, beehives, and tackle food waste through either worm farms or compost. They also host monthly hui where a guest speaker is invited to share their knowledge about different sustainability topics, from waste to nutrition to well-being. Contact flats@otago.ac.nz if you’re interested in being a part of this community.