Reduce and Reuse

When people think of being Waste Aware, recycling springs to mind. Better still, though, is reducing our waste (often by reusing things) as much as possible.

Reduce

There's no guide to reducing waste, but here are some nifty ideas. Be creative and apply the concept to your life.

Avoid heavily packaged goods
Buy loose fruit and vegetables
Buy products in big containers (like washing powder)
Bring your own bags shopping and skip the government levy
Use refillable or rechargeable products: pens, batteries, cameras
Try growing your own vegetables
Stop Junk Mail
Repair broken goods as much as possible
Share newspapers, magazines and books with friends and relatives
Use longer lasting energy saving CFL light bulbs
Use rewashable nappies rather than disposables
Be creative!

Reuse

Again, what you'll reuse will often depend on your own individual factors. Here though are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Reuse Clothes: Charity Shops

If you have clothes and other items that you no longer need; donating to a charity shop is a great way to have them reused. The Murrough Environmental centre houses an Oxfam Ireland shop and the Bray Recycling Centre has a shop run by the Five Loaves Charity. There are many other charity shops across the county as well. For a good list, see the The Irish Charity Shops Association or look in your Golden Pages for "Swap Shops", "Clothing: Used", and "Charities".

Reuse at the pub!

Drink draught beers (the casks and kegs are refilled and can last for 30 years)

Reuse Books: Exchange programmes

Many children reuse schoolbooks of siblings, but why not reuse books of other families who are finished with them? All of our environmental and recycling centres also have book exchange facilities and second hand school book shops in the summer. Also, the School Book Exchange offer excellent quality reuse school and college books at savings of about 66%.

Reuse in the home

Use old jars and tubs for storage
Use washable dishcloths instead of throwaway disposable wipes
Use scrap paper for writing notes
Use a lunch-box instead of foil or cling-film
Mend clothes and get shoes re-heeled so they last longer

One of the best ways to make the most of reuse is using one of the on-line second-hand goods swap sites.

Dublin’s Online free Trade service allows you to pass on or pick-up unwanted goods free of charge. Just go to Dublin waste. There are two other similar sites worth checking: Free Cycle and Jumble Town.

After reducing and reusing whatever we can, recycling is the next best option.