This week we’re looking at:
- The difference between linear and circular economy
- The 3 core principles that make circular economy work
- Real examples from here in Tasmania
- Your own relationship with products, waste and resources
- Starting to think about your personal action plan
↓ Let’s dive in ↓
What is Circular Economy?
Here are two ways an economy can run:
One of these systems has a future. The other doesn’t.
Why does this matter? We’re running out of resources and our landfills are overflowing. For us, on an island, what goes to landfill stays with us.
Circular economy is the answer.
The 3 Core Principles
Circular economy is built on 3 big ideas. Here’s the deal:
🎯 Principle 1: Design Out Waste
Products should be designed from the start to be reused, repaired, or safely returned to nature. Waste isn’t the end result – it’s a design failure.
Real example: A phone designed so you can fix it yourself, not throw it away.
♻️ Principle 2: Keep Products in Use
Instead of buying new, we repair, refurbish, and reuse. Products stay valuable for longer. We shift from owning to sharing.
Real example: Repair Cafes where you fix your broken items instead of replacing them.
🌱 Principle 3: Regenerate Nature
We work WITH natural systems, not against them. If something comes from nature, it should safely return to soil – compost, natural materials.
Real example: Composting food waste so it becomes soil, not landfill.
These 3 principles sound simple. That’s because they are. But they change how business, cities, and people work.
Circular Economy in Tasmania
Explore what’s already on your doorstep:
Bring your broken stuff — clothes, electronics, furniture, bikes — and skilled volunteers help you fix it. Free. You leave with a working item instead of a trip to the tip.
Where to find one near you:
- Hobart — Repair Café Hobart, Kickstart Arts, New Town. Third Saturday each month. Facebook | Book via Humanitix
- Hobart East — Eastside Repair Cafe, Warrane. Facebook
- Launceston — City of Launceston Repair Cafe, third Saturday monthly, 34 Paterson St. Facebook | Register your item
Not near you? The movement is growing — if there’s no Repair Cafe in your area, that’s an opportunity.
Meanwhile, use iFixit.com — free online step-by-step repair guides for almost anything.
Bring your own containers and buy exactly what you need — pasta, rice, coffee, cleaning products, spices — with zero packaging. Less waste, less money spent on packaging you don’t need.
Where to shop in Tasmania:
- Hobart & Launceston — Eumarrah — organic wholefoods, 400+ bulk refill products, reused jar program. Supporting local producers since 1985. Hobart: 39 Barrack St | Launceston: 54 Frederick St. eumarrah.com.au
- Hobart — Scoop Wholefoods — organic and natural bulk foods, plastic-free groceries, sustainable homewares. 176-178 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay. Facebook
- Find more — Zero Waste Tasmania — community directory of Tasmanian zero waste businesses and resources
Not near a zero waste shop? Both Eumarrah and Scoop deliver across Tasmania.
The go-to resource for Tasmanians wanting to reduce waste. Free, practical, statewide.
Rethink Waste Tasmania is an initiative of the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group, Circular North, and TasWaste South in partnership with the Tasmanian Government. It’s the go-to place for information, waste management services and resources to help you avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle waste across the state.
What you’ll find:
- A-Z guide to recycling and waste
- Home composting guides
- Local waste services by region
- Tips for reducing waste at home, work and events
🔗 rethinkwaste.com.au | Facebook
Not sure what to do with something? This is your first stop.
Buying food locally keeps money in Tasmanian communities, reduces transport waste, supports farmers, and means fresher food with less packaging. Tasmania has some of Australia’s best farmers markets.
Markets across Tasmania:
- Hobart — Farm Gate Market — every Sunday, Bathurst St, CBD. Local producers selling directly. Fresh, seasonal, Tasmanian. Search “Farm Gate Market Hobart” for current details.
- Launceston — Harvest Farmers Market — every Saturday 8:30am–12:30pm. Around 60 stalls of northern Tasmanian produce. harvestmarket.org.au
- Huon Valley — Willie Smith’s Artisan & Produce Market — every Saturday 10am–2pm, Willie Smith’s Apple Shed, Grove. Local produce, gourmet goods, artisan crafts. williesmiths.com.au
- Cygnet — Cygnet Market — 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. Local produce, food and crafts in the heart of the Huon Valley. cygnetmarket.com.au
Buying direct from the farmer is circular economy in action — short supply chains, less waste, more value staying local.
Ready to get involved? Pick one of these and take a look this week.
Why Does This Matter?
🌍 For the Planet
The linear system is breaking down. We’re extracting more than Earth can provide and drowning in waste. Circular economy fixes this.
🏝️ For Tasmania
We’re an island. What goes into landfill stays with us. Circular economy means less waste and a healthier island for all of us.
💰 For Your Wallet
Repair costs less than replace. Sharing costs less than owning. Secondhand costs less than new.
👥 For Your Community
Circular economy means local businesses, local jobs, local connection. Your community gets stronger.
👶 For Your Kids
A system that works. An economy that doesn’t destroy the planet. A different future.
⚡ Try This in the Next Week
Pick one product you use regularly – your phone, coffee cup, shoes, whatever. Follow where it actually comes from and where it goes.
Trace its journey:
- WHERE DID IT COME FROM? (Country, materials, factory?)
- HOW IS IT MADE? (What’s involved in making it?)
- HOW DO YOU USE IT? (How long? How often?)
- WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END? (Recycle? Landfill? Repair?)
- IS THERE A MORE CIRCULAR WAY? (Could it be designed differently? Could you extend its life? Could it be reused?)
Write it down. Take a photo if you want. This exercise makes circular economy real. You’ll see how far stuff travels and how wasteful the system is. You’ll also see opportunities for doing it differently.
💭 Have a Think
Take 5 minutes. Think about this:
- What surprised you most about circular economy?
- What’s one example from your life where you see the linear system (take-make-waste)?
- Which of the 3 principles resonates most with you?
You don’t have to share this – it’s for you. But write it down. Your thinking starts here.
💬 Questions or Feedback?
Got a question about this week’s content? Something that didn’t make sense, or something that sparked an idea? We’d love to hear from you — this course gets better every time someone tells us what’s working and what isn’t.
📖 Key Terms This Week
- Linear Economy — the system we’ve been running on: dig it up, make it, use it once, chuck it in the tip
- Circular Economy — what happens when we stop treating resources as rubbish and start treating them as valuable
- Regenerative — giving back to nature instead of just taking — like composting your kitchen scraps back into your garden
- Waste — resources we haven’t figured out a use for yet
- Repair Cafe — a Hobart thing that’s spreading — bring your broken toaster, leave with it working
You’ve got through Week 1! 🎉Next: Week 2 (Strategies) →