We have two wheelie bins outside, one for normal waste, one for recycling. Our council doesn't require different types of recycling waste be separated, and inside we have a slide-out under the kitchen island counter that hold the two necessary bins for separation. Separate to this we have a small compost bin on the counter. Anything we can compost ends up in the compost pits up in the veggie garden. A place we buy online stuff from is smart and packs their goods in these corn starch bubbles that look like foam - you can wash them down your loo/bath/tub or, as we do, compost them (they just dissolve when wet). This is important when remote - online is a great way to get everything you otherwise might have to travel 5 hours for, but packing materials quickly fill the bins, and there's only so much cardboard you can use as firestarters in winter) This is all helpfully motivated by the fact that we have no garbage service and our tip is about 30km away and that they don't charge for the recycling wheelie bin, while the waste wheelie bin is $10 per bin. We used to fill a waste wheelie bin every week or two prior to living here. Now we're only down the tip every 4-6 weeks (the good thing too is, all the old roof guttering & corro and ancient rolls of fencing and barbed wire that were dumped around the property are counted as metal recycling, and we've filled a couple of ute trips with that for nothing). We could probably do better than 4-6 weeks if we focussed more on (over-)packaging during the weekly shop. The only thing I want to figure out is dog poo composting. It's fine in winter, but when that wheelie bin sits in the summer sun for 4-6 weeks with increasing amounts of (even bagged) poo it gets a special kind of smell only the blowflies love (you don't want to see photos of our fly catcher bottle hung nearby).

My son used to help me cook in the kitchen - he is 190 cm, I am 175cm. I have an old-fashioned breakfast bar which is raised above the level of the kitchen benchtop. My son would stand at the raised section, I would stand at the lower section, it worked really well. An alternative might be to have a pull out step in the kick board spaces for your wife to stand on - I don't know if it would be high enough, but it might make things more comfortable. Speaking from the point of view of a tall woman, I will have my next kitchen cupboards and laundry raised at least 10 cm to make my life more comfortable - bending forward for any length of time is seriously UN comfortable!

annb1997 - I’m not sure if I was clear. The microwave and the fridge are currently side by side. Currently the fridge is to the left and the microwave to the right. I was asking about swapping them around - ie the fridge to the right and microwave to the left. Reason was to create better access for the fridge as it’s further from the island bench. The APP cupboard near the external stacker doors is just a normal full height cupboard - it was supposed to be the appliance cupboard but decided on a normal cupboard. Must update the plan to reflect this.

R M - I thought that you were looking for a low budget makeover? I would guess that from your photos that the substrate behind the splashback would be plasterboard, and that the splashback tiles have been adhered to the plasterboard. It will be tricky to remove the tiles without damaging the plasterboard. You need a smooth flat finish for the new splashback, but you can't easily put in new plasterboard as you have left the base and overhead cabinets there, with the original plasterboard behind each cupboard. An expert plasterer might attempt it, but it is going to be another new trade doing a time consuming and fiddly job, with a good chance of a dodgy joint between the new plasterboard and the old plasterboard. Glass splashbacks look great but they are custom made for the space - so the hole for your microwave powerpoint has to be measured precisely and cast when the glass is made - it can't be cut out later. For the amount of measuring and labour involved custom made glass splashbacks aren't a cost-effective splashback material for a low-budget kitchen makeover, which is why I didn't suggest it. There are acrylic options which are cheaper, but can melt when adjacent to a gas flame - and it still needs a flush, flat finish underneath, not plasterboard that has been half destroyed by removing old splashback tiles. At the end of the day it comes down to balancing between what you would like, and how many big dollars you are prepared to pay. For a kitchen that old I would be keeping my expenses conservative and be saving for a new kitchen (with a glass splashback, island bench, microwave shelf and new flooring) to be installed in ten years time. Best of luck with your research, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls