SEVEN FREE APPS TO HELP YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

By Dan Hutton on November 22, 2016 in

These days, making sustainability part of your everyday can be as easy as jumping on your smartphone or tablet. Whether you’re into design and fashion, clean streets, great recipes, or you’re after a new fridge, you can bet there’s an app to help you make planet-friendly choices.

Check out these free techy tools that are at your fingertips to make sustainability second nature…

RecyclingSmart
With National Recycling week on our doorstep this November, get the low-down on how to correctly dispose of around 200 items including plastics, glass, batteries, pizza boxes and more. Check out Council’s guidelines, plus tips on how to do the right thing. Thanks Planet Ark! Visit recyclingnearyou.com.au/recyclesmart.

Good On You – Ethical Consumers Association
Set up by a social enterprise in Sydney, this app lets you make a difference every time you shop. You can choose brands based on ratings across three key categories: people, the planet and animals. Visit goodonyou.org.au/app.

Energy Rating
Shopping around for a new fridge, dishwasher, TV or even computer? This app helps you choose products that mean lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint. You can easily compare running costs of appliances and equipment, linked to simple star ratings like those you see on stickers in the shops. Visit energyrating.gov.au/apps.

Sustainable Seafood Guide
Thanks to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, you can easily check whether the fish you’re buying is overfished or sourced sustainably. Over 90 seafood species are sorted into three simple groups: what you shouldn’t eat and why, species you should try to avoid, and the most sustainable choices. sustainableseafood.org.au

Love Your Leftovers
Faced with a fridge of leftovers and at a loss for ideas for dinner? This clever app helps you to find the perfect recipe for those ingredients. It will also show you how to plan your meals to avoid food waste, sort your shopping list, and provide storage tips to keep food fresher for longer. Visit loveyourleftovers.nsw.gov.au.

ABC Vegie Guide
Whether you’re a newbie to growing vegies or a seasoned green thumb, this is your go-to guide. You can check what’s best to plant, when to plant it (it’s even tailored to Sydney’s climate zone), get growing and pest control tips, and set reminders to harvest your tasty garden crops. Visit abc.net.au/gardening/resources/vegie_app.htm.

Report Litter and Pollution
Keen to keep our local area clean and pollution-free? You can now easily report incidents like littering from vehicles and smoky cars while you’re on the go with this simple app. The NSW Environment Protection Agency will then sort it out at their end.
epa.nsw.gov.au/pollution/reporttoepa.htm

Other Apps You May Like
• Freecycle – Share, swap and giveaway unwanted items.
• NextThere – Public transport travel options.
• Oroeco – Custom advice on cutting your carbon footprint plus travel and energy bill saving.

What’s your favourite app? Email secondnature@waverley.nsw.gov.au and let us know. Pledge today to do your bit at secondnature.org.au.