Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…

…well… some you may know, that I am “big into recycling”… all waste is indeed recycle as far as is possible: we have compost in the garden, paper, glass, plastic bottles, cans and card all go into the recycling. I like to craft with old clothes if they are not good enough for passing on. I even save “cooking” water by pouring it into our compost bin… must be good, surely? Yes it is, but it isn’t enough.

What I really wanted to write about today, was “reduce”. Of course, reusing and recycling are very important and everyone should do it. But I feel that often  people use “recycling” as an “excuse” to not actually really change their habits – e.g. if I am given a carrier bag by the supermarket, they say “but that is ok, we will recycle it for you”. No actually, it is not ok. It would be far better if I didn’t use a bag in the first place. To recycle you still need energy – you need to collect the items to be recycled (vehicles moving around the country, using petrol), you need to power the recycling plants and you need to redistrubute whatever it is you made out of the bag. Nevermind the energy and pollution that went into making it in the first place.

Recycling is NOT an excuse to consume. You must REDUCE first. Then REUSE and only THEN recycle.

Things to help you “reduce” – you don’t have to do all of them all of the time, but even doing them some of the time helps:

* Never take a plastic bag (shops often “throw them after you”), always carry a canvas bag… there are so many of them about these days, that there is no excuse

* Shop second hand. If you shop second hand, you are not increasing the market for new goods, and you are helping in the reuse mantra

* Trade and pass on children’s toys and clothes. Children out grow these so quickly, that they usually have a lot of life left in them. Same goes for bigger items such as bicycles and scooters. Especially whilst children are young, they won’t mind if it is second hand or not

* Use organisation such as freecycle - pass on your unwanted goods and find things that you need

* Use the library – I am a huge book form and can easily read to novels a week, I get all my books from the library or borrow them from friends

Anyway. Mini rant over. Remember Reduce first. Then Reuse and only then recycle.. do not ease your conscience by “just recycling”… on that note, here is some time wasting fun

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