A little less goes a long way – Reduce

Did you know that about half our garbage doesn’t actually come from what we buy but from what it is wrapped up in? If we didn’t buy things with lots of wrapping, we could cut the amount of waste from our homes by a massive amount. 

It’s true; it can be tricky reducing the amount we use. We live in a world where companies over package goods and food – so that we need to rip through layers of paper and card, which ends up in a trash can. And it’s too easy to use something once then chuck it in the bin.  When we shop we don’t have to remember shopping bags because we are given new ones every time we go to the supermarket. These routines need to stop!

Why reduce waste?

1. It will stop rubbish dumps taking over the world.
2. It will save resources like forests, minerals, petroleum and water.
3. It will save hard-earned pocket money if you don’t have to buy new stuff.
4. It will make Earth a cleaner, greener place to live.

The best way to help save the environment is to make less waste before it becomes rubbish. Why don’t you try and stop making rubbish around the house and at school for the next month. See how slim your bin can be on rubbish collection day.

We can still have an easy, comfortable life while using much less. There are heaps of ways to cut down on waste. Try these tips to reduce rubbish at home:

1. Don’t use separate plastic bags to carry a cucumber and rockmelon next time you are at the supermarket. Take your own re-useable shopping bags;
2. Do you need a newspaper to land on your doorstep every day of the week;
3. Put a “no junk mail” sign on your letterbox;
4. Try having shorter showers;
5. Consider buying second hand goods at a garage sale before you go and buy it brand new;
6. Start a vegetable garden. Food that you grow yourself does not have to be “processed” at a factory or wrapped in packets and therefore no fossil fuels are needed to get it to the shops and then to your house.

How can you reduce rubbish at school? Here are some ideas:

1. Join the Cartridge World recycling program and help raise funds for your school. Don't throw away your printer cartridges, take them to Cartridge World to get re-filled;
2. Take lunch to school rather than buying packaged food from the canteen;
3. Photocopy on both sides of the page;
4. Proof read your work on the screen before printing out;
5. Read newspapers and magazines online;
6. Use glass jars and plastic containers for storage.

Here’s a challenge: reduce what you use and keep your bin slim!

So what do you do if you can’t reduce the waste? We can try and reuse the item instead of just putting it in the bin.