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Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Waste is a major, growing global issue at the moment, with oceans, the environment and landfills cluttered with rubbish and debris.  Television and the media are constantly telling us to reduce our waste, in particular plastics, but often do not give advice on how we do this. This leaves people in a quandary – they want to reduce their waste and help save the environment but do not know where to begin. The best way to tackle waste is to follow the 3 R’s, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle, here is how you can do it:

Reduce

The first step to prevent rubbish, is is reduce the waste in the first place. Easier said than done right? Well there are many simply things we can do, that will help reduce the amount waste we produce, as a company, a household and an individual.

  1. Only purchase foods you need and will eat, we need to stop spontaneous purchasing – buying items we do not need that will only decay and expire. A great way to tackle this is to make a shopping list and stick to it! Freezing foods down is also a handy way to preserve them for longer, so if you do make some impulsive purchases, you can put these in the freezer for another day!
  2. Stop all junk mails by unsubscribing to unwanted magazines and newsletters, this will stop paper waste.
  3. Start composting! Instead of simply disposing of your food waste, peelings and leftovers, put them in a food caddy or composter. This will break down over time naturally, producing compose and you can then begin to grow your own fruit and veg – once again cutting down on food waste and plastics!

 

Reuse – 

A great way to reduce waste is to re-use it! Instead of throwing items away, use them again, even most so called ‘single use’ plastics can be reused several times. A ‘single-use’ carrier bag and water bottle are two great examples of false advertising, these items can and are regularly used again!  In our office alone we have a 5p carrier that was been used 17 times and the ‘throw away’ plastic bottle has been every several times a day since February!

  1. re-use your plastics, this includes bottles, containers, cutlery etc. Just because something says single use, it doesn’t mean you only have to use it once,
  2. You can also use them for different purposes too, Tupperware can be used to store different items, as lunch boxes etc. even water bottles can be made into bird feeders.
  3.  Re-use your shopping bags, even the 5p single use ones! Keep them in your bag or pocket so when you go to the supermarket you have them on hand, this will prevent you from buying another one.

Recycle

Most, if not all councils have their own recycling schemes, following these is a sure-fire way to reduce your waste!

  1. Send unwanted clothes to charity shops and unwanted food to food banks – one mans trash is another mans treasure!
  2. Follow your local waste recycling schemes, ensuring you put the correct items in the right boxes and bins.
  3. Go to car boot sales – any unwanted goods can be sold on to other people who want the item, this gives it a good home whilst also earning yourself a bit of extra cash!