Keep Australia Beautiful Contain Your Waste Challenge Accepted

by Jennifer Pittorino , March 18, 2025: in Waste Management Review

Could you contain your weekly waste in a single jar? – Meet a young woman who took on the challenge and succeeded.

Rosie Starr tries to be mindful of sustainability but admits when she took on Keep Australia Beautiful’s ‘Contain Your Waste’ challenge, she “turned it up a notch”.

Throughout the week-long challenge, the 28-year-old from Maryborough, in central Victoria, looked for products with the least amount of packaging –that meant bread in a paper bag from the local market and taking her own container to the butcher.

Plastics, glass, and cardboard were recycled through the council’s kerbside collection, food scraps were composted at home, and elastic bands or bubble wrap were kept for reuse. At the end of the week, Rosie’s entire waste – mostly soft plastics – fit inside an empty pickled cucumber jar.

“I was surprised by how little waste we had,” she says.

“I do as much as I can to be sustainable, but the challenge made me more aware of those cognitive things I do, to excuse myself from not choosing those options all the time.

“It made me think about how much waste I’m producing and how many small choices I’m making every day that produce waste.”

And that, says Laura Carrazza, Head of Community Programs at Keep Australia Beautiful, was the purpose behind the Contain Your Waste challenge.

“The challenge sparks those ‘aha moments’,” Laura says. “It encourages people to rethink purchasing habits, reduce excessive consumption, and make mindful bin choices.”

Australia generates around 75 million tonnes of waste annually, with 14 million tonnes coming from households and councils alone. Much of this ends up in landfill, where it releases methane – a potent greenhouse gas that harms the environment.

Laura Carrazza, Head of Community Programs at Keep Australia Beautiful

“Australia’s waste problem can feel overwhelming, but as consumers, we’re not just part of the problem – we’re the key to the solution,” Laura adds.

At the same time, litter from single-use items such as takeaway containers, coffee cups, and plastic packaging, pollutes public spaces and endangers wildlife when improperly disposed of.

The national Contain Your Waste challenge ran from 18-24 November 2024 and invited Australians to rethink consumption habits by aiming to fit an entire week’s worth of waste inside a single container of their choice – whether it was a bin, box, or a jar.

The challenge was open to individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and community groups. Participants were encouraged to track their waste reduction efforts, share their experiences on social media, and inspire others to join.

Laura says the incredible participation across social media highlights how strongly people embraced the challenge.

“When we collectively choose sustainability, like opting for recyclable or compostable packaging, we send a powerful message to industries to adapt,” she says.

“Together, we can reduce landfill pressure, conserve resources, and drive change.”

Rosie joined the challenge with her partner to encourage him to be more involved in sustainability and their waste footprint. She says seeing the results of the challenge did result in a mindshift.

“We have a big bin at home and haven’t really stopped to think about how often we empty it,” Rosie says. “It was interesting to see how much space our waste took up and I wanted to try and focus on minimising my waste even further.

“I do believe individual actions make a difference. By doing challenges like this and talking, other people are made aware of issues. It’s one of the ways individuals can create a ripple effect.”

Rosie aims to bring the same level of intensity to this year’s challenge by going even smaller with her container of choice.

“Our waste habits shape our future,” Laura says. “Every small change adds up to a cleaner, greener Australia.”