10 Simple Ways To Reduce & Reuse

There is a very good reason why ‘reduce’ and ‘reuse’ were chosen as the first words in the phrase ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ and it wasn’t just because it trips off the tongue nicely!

Before we think about recycling anything, the very best thing that we can do for the environment is simply to use less resources in our daily life.

This is a hard concept for many of us to get our brain around; in the west we live in such a consumer driven society that it is easy to think that the purpose of life is to Buy More Stuff.

Yes, we have to buy some stuff, but there are many ways in which we can minimise the amount of stuff we buy and resources which we consume.

Boycott Over-Packaged Products.
Manufacturers are getting much better about this – they have realised they can save money this way.

Easter Eggs are a prime example of this; In the past they would be packaged in an oversized box (to make it look bigger) and the egg itself would be encased in a plastic bubble. In recent years public demand has led to this being changed to include a more appropriately sized, recycleable cardboard box with card used to hold the egg.

Refuse an item sold in a pointless sleeve, plastic bag or with an unnecessary box.
Turn Your Central Heating Down.
Setting your thermostat down just one degree could save you almost £50 a year, and with the price of fuel having almost trebled since 2005 it is much easier to think about lowering it even more.

Cold? Put on a sweater. This is just one of the old-fashioned ways to save energy that your grandparents knew but that became unfashionable in the years before we realised that oil and gas would run out someday.
Use Both Sides of A Piece of Paper
For many of us, documents are sent out electronically. And yet people still feel the need to print them out. (Tip: Get a back-up drive.)

If you cannot resist, now is the time to find out how to use the ‘print on both sides’ feature on your printer or photocopier.
Recycle Your Ink Cartridges
Once you have learnt how to print on both sides of the paper, you still need to recycle your ink cartridges when they are empty. Don’t chuck them out - they can be recycled at many supermarkets and may even be collected with your household recycling - check with your local council's website.

Some charities also collect them, as when recycled in bulk they can raise money for a good cause.

Or you can get them refilled at one of the many specialist shops springing up or buy your own refill kit, available from office supply shops.
Support Buy Nothing Day.
Buy Nothing Day is held annually at the end of each November. Yup it’s on Black Friday when your email inbox will be awash with special offers and deals. Yup, its close to Christmas.

You’ll cope I promise.

The purpose of Buy Nothing Day is to encourage you to be a more concious consumer, and to consider every purchase that you make. So, yes if your washing machine breaks down irrevocably the day before, you may be lucky and find a good deal on a replacement. That is OK, because you are making a sensible, considered purchase.
Reuse Sturdy Envelopes.
This idea is an oldy but a goody.

If you get a strong envelope, jiffy bag or one of those cardboard book packages, save it and reuse it. They are especially handy if you are selling on your unwanted items on eBay, Vinted or Depop.

You can simple stick a piece of (scrap) paper over your address or use specially produced labels such as those from Barn Owl Trust or The British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Make Friends With Your Local Shoe Repairer
Your favourite shoes will last for years longer if you get them repaired regularly. New heels and soles can be added to many styles of shoe, and your local shoe repairer could replace a broken zip to your favourite boots too.

They may even be able to restore your grubby trainers to their former glory.

Polishing your shoes is also a little unfashionable, but shoe polish protects leather from water damage as well as keeping them looking smart.
See The Light
Most light bulbs sold in the UK are low enery these days - if you want an old-fashioned tungsten bulb you will have to make some effort to track them down.

LED bulbs are even more efficient than the low-energy type of bulb that become popular 20 years ago (and may still be working). When they finally go, choose LED ones in future.
Reduce, Reuse, Rewear
Sorted out your wardrobe? It is easier than ever to make sure that your unwanted garments do not go to landfill.

Give items in good condition to a charity shop, jumble sale. Sell them at a car boot or on one fo the many websites such as Vinted, DePop or Vestiaire Collective that have come along as alternatives to eBay.

But what about the items that are too tatty to be worn again?

Cut them up for dusters, dish cloths or floor cloths. They can actually work better than the sort of cloths you can buy which you use a couple of times then bin. Cotton T-shirts work particularly well.
Use Less Water.
The UK has some of the cleanest, safest tap water in the world - and most of it goes down the drain!

Have showers instead of bathing; don’t run the tap while cleaning your teeth or washing dishes, don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine until it is full. These are often suggested and will always be relevent in a hundred years.

If you are a gardener get a water butt to collect rainwater, and use a biodegradable detergent such as Ecover and divert ‘grey water’ from washing up and bathing to use on the garden.

The UK's water companies try to encourage us all to save water, and so most of them offer free water saving devices to their customers including watersaving showerheads and tap aerators, cistern bags for your toilet.

If you would like more ideas on how to save the planet's resources, here are Ten Easy Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Use.

10 Simple Ways To Reduce & Reuse

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