75 minutes to get through this
This week we’re covering:
- The 5 R’s – your toolkit for circular thinking
- How businesses are going circular (6 business models)
- Real Tasmanian case studies – what works down here
- Which strategies matter most for YOUR life
- Finding the circular businesses YOU can support
💡 Words with dotted underlines are defined in the Glossary
The 5 R’s: Your Toolkit
Here’s the thing – you don’t have to understand all the theory. You just need to know the 5 R’s. They’re your toolkit for making circular choices every single day.
They’re in order of priority. Start with Reduce. Then Reuse. Then Repair. Then Recycle. Finally Regenerate.
🎯 1. Reduce
Buy less. Use less. Want less. Sounds simple because it is. This is the most powerful strategy – less consumption means less waste.
Real examples: Buy clothes less often, share tools instead of owning, borrow before buying, unsubscribe from stuff you don’t need.
🔄 2. Reuse
Use the same product again. Same purpose or different. A glass jar becomes storage. Hand-me-downs. Secondhand. The product stays in use, stays valuable.
Real examples: Charity shops, sharing economy, Facebook Buy/Swap/Sell groups, hand-me-downs.
🔧 3. Repair
Fix what’s broken instead of throwing it away. Extend the life of products. Costs less than replacing and keeps stuff out of landfill.
Real examples: Repair Cafes, shoe repair, dressmaking alterations, DIY fixes, local repair services.
♻️ 4. Recycle
Process used materials into new products. It uses energy, so it’s lower priority than the others. But still better than landfill.
Real examples: Your kerbside recycling bin, resource recovery centres, metal scrap yards, textile recyclers.
🌱 5. Regenerate
Return materials safely to nature. Compost food waste. Natural fabrics that biodegrade. Materials that become soil, not pollution.
Real examples: Composting, organic textile disposal, mulching, regenerative agriculture.
Remember: Each R is a choice. You don’t have to be perfect. Start where you are. Pick one or two that fit YOUR life. Build from there.
6 Circular Business Models
Businesses are figuring out how to make money while being circular. Here are 6 models that are working – and you can support them:
🚗 1. Sharing Economy
Many people share one. Car sharing, bike sharing, tool libraries. Reduces consumption, costs less, builds community.
💡 2. Product-as-Service
Pay for what you use, not the product. Rent tools, subscribe to services. Business keeps ownership, maintains quality, incentivizes durability.
🔧 3. Repair & Refurbish
Take used products, repair them, sell them again. Keeps products in use, creates jobs, cheaper than new.
♻️ 4. Advanced Recycling
Process materials back into new products efficiently. Textile recycling, metal recovery, plastic upcycling into new goods.
🌱 5. Regenerative Production
Grow/make products in ways that restore nature. Regenerative agriculture, organic production, soil-building farming.
🏪 6. Local & Direct
Direct from producer to you. Farmers markets, farm box subscriptions, local makers. Less transport, fresher products, money stays local.
5 Tasmanian Case Studies
Here’s what’s working RIGHT NOW in Tasmania:
🌳 Tasmanian Timber Industry
Using every part of the tree. Sawdust to biofuel, bark to mulch, wood scraps to composite materials. Near-zero waste. This is regenerative production at scale.
🥃 Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits
Producers working with byproducts – animal feed for local farmers, biogas for energy companies, composting for gardens. Creating value from what would be waste.
🛒 Zero Waste Shops
Wise Buys and similar shops. Bring containers, buy loose. No packaging waste. Customers save money. Local businesses thrive. Growing across Tasmania.
🔧 Repair Cafes
Regular events where volunteers help fix broken stuff. Community comes together. Keeps products in use. Reduces landfill. Happening in Hobart now.
🌱 Local Food Systems
Harvest Farmers Markets, farm box subscriptions, community gardens. Local food, less transport, supports Tasmanian farmers. Down here in the Huon, we’ve got the best.
⚡ Your Challenge This Week
Find 3 circular businesses or initiatives YOU can support. They could be nearby, online, or places you already shop.
Look for:
- A sharing economy service (car share, tool library, etc)
- A zero waste or low-packaging shop
- A local repair service or Repair Cafe
- A secondhand/charity shop
- A local food producer (farmers market, farm box)
- Anything else that fits the 5 R’s
Write them down. Try one this week. See how it feels to support circular businesses instead of linear ones.
💭 Have a Think
Take 5 minutes. Think about this:
- Which of the 5 R’s could YOU do today?
- Which business model appeals to you most? Why?
- What’s ONE circular business you could try this week?
Your choices matter. Every time you support a circular business, you’re voting for the kind of economy you want.
Week 2 done! 🎉Next: Week 3 (Material Flows) →
Circular Tasmania 