EcoLingo

A carbon-offset test: would this tree/project have happened anyway? If yes, the credit isn't real.

Charcoal made from plant waste and buried in soil. Locks carbon away for hundreds of years and helps plants grow.

Will eventually break down — but no promise on how long or into what. Not the same as compostable. Often misleading.

The variety of living things in a place — plants, animals, insects, fungi. More biodiversity = healthier ecosystem.

A certificate saying one tonne of CO₂ was avoided or removed somewhere. Sold to companies wanting to 'offset' their emissions.

The total greenhouse gases caused by a person, product or business — measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year.

Emissions are balanced out by buying offsets. Not the same as actually cutting emissions to zero.

Paying someone else to reduce emissions (plant trees, capture methane) to cancel out yours. Quality varies wildly.

Legally measuring and publishing your emissions. In Australia, mandatory for large companies from 2025 — split into Scope 1, 2 and 3.

An economy where nothing is thrown away — products are designed to be reused, repaired, or recycled back into new products.

Going beyond net zero — removing more carbon than you emit. Also called 'carbon negative'.

A common unit for all greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, etc.) converted into how much CO₂ would cause the same warming.

Breaks down into soil in a compost bin. 'Home compostable' works in your backyard; 'commercial compostable' needs an industrial facility.

The 10c refund on eligible drink containers. In NSW it's Return and Earn — over 12 billion containers returned so far.

Recycling into a lower-grade product — plastic bottle → park bench. Better than landfill, but the material eventually still ends up as waste.

Electronic waste — old phones, laptops, batteries, cables. Contains valuable metals and toxic chemicals; must never go in kerbside bins.

Swapping gas and petrol for electric — induction cooktops, heat pumps, EVs — so appliances can be powered by renewables.

The emissions from making a product — mining, manufacturing, shipping — before you even use it. Huge for concrete, steel and new buildings.

Food Organics, Garden Organics — the green-lid bin that turns food scraps and garden waste into compost instead of landfill methane.

Coal, oil and gas. Burning them releases CO₂ that was locked underground for millions of years — the main driver of climate change.

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere — mainly CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide. More gas = more warming.

When a company markets itself as eco-friendly without actually doing the work. Vague claims, green leaves on packaging, no data to back it up.

A super-efficient electric device that moves heat instead of making it — for hot water, heating or cooling. Uses 1/3 the energy of a gas system.

Breaks down fully in a regular backyard compost bin within about 6 months. Look for the 'OK Compost HOME' logo — not just 'compostable'.

The unit on your power bill. One kWh runs a typical fridge for about a day. Solar panels are rated in kW; batteries in kWh.

A full study of a product's total environmental impact — from raw materials to disposal. The gold standard for comparing 'greener' options.

A greenhouse gas ~80× more warming than CO₂ over 20 years. Comes from landfill, livestock and leaking gas pipes. Cutting it is the fastest climate win.

Plastic fragments smaller than 5mm — from tyres, synthetic clothes, broken-down packaging. Now found in rain, blood and breastmilk.

Cutting emissions as close to zero as possible, then offsetting whatever's left. Australia's national target is net zero by 2050.

See Carbon Offset.

A building so well insulated and sealed it barely needs heating or cooling. Uses ~90% less energy than a standard home.

A carbon-offset test: will the carbon stay locked up long-term? A forest offset burns down in a bushfire, the credit was worthless.

Made and packaged without any plastic — including tape, labels and liners. Rare and worth celebrating.

The maker is responsible for what happens to a product at end of life. Behind mattress, paint, battery and solar-panel take-back schemes.

The technical name for solar panels — cells that turn sunlight directly into electricity.

The soft-plastics-in-supermarkets scheme that collapsed in 2022. Replacement schemes are being trialled — check before dropping off.

Goes beyond 'sustainable' — actively restores soil, water and biodiversity. Common in farming: leaves the land better than it found it.

Power from sources that don't run out — sun, wind, water, geothermal. Currently ~40% of Australia's grid electricity.

A community pop-up where volunteers help you fix broken toasters, clothes, bikes — for free. The opposite of throwaway culture.

The NSW 10c refund scheme for eligible drink containers. Bottles, cans and cartons — schools and charities use it as a fundraiser.

Scope 1: emissions you burn directly (gas, fuel). Scope 2: from electricity you buy. Scope 3: from your suppliers and customers — usually the biggest chunk.

Designed to be used once and thrown away — cups, straws, cutlery, wipes. NSW has banned many of these since 2022.

Plastic you can scrunch in your hand — bags, wrappers, bread bags. Can't go in kerbside recycling; needs a dedicated collection.

The (small) amount your energy retailer pays you for solar power you export to the grid. Usually 5–10c/kWh — much less than you pay to buy back.

Officially: meets today's needs without stopping future generations meeting theirs. Unofficially: overused to the point of meaninglessness.

Runs free recycling programs for things kerbside won't take — toothpaste tubes, contact lenses, pens, coffee pods. Drop-off points at pharmacies and cafés.

The stuff that can't go in the yellow bin — batteries, e-waste, soft plastics, blister packs. Needs a dedicated drop-off.

Turning waste into something MORE valuable — old jeans into a bag, pallets into furniture. Different from downcycling.

Thousands of home batteries linked together and controlled by a retailer. They pay you a bit to use your battery when the grid needs a boost.

Physically sorting a site's rubbish to see what's actually being binned — how much is contaminated, recyclable or avoidable. Step one for any waste plan.

The priority order for handling waste: Avoid → Reduce → Reuse → Recycle → Recover → Dispose. Recycling is near the bottom, not the top.

Designing waste out of the system entirely — nothing sent to landfill or incineration. Aspirational for most households; achievable for some.