Reuse, Reduce & Recycle
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle this Christmas with these handy tips
Christmas trees and decorations
Christmas Wrapping
Christmas gifts
Christmas food
- Love Food Hate Waste NI has over 170 recipes using typical leftovers to use up that extra turkey or give you some ideas on how to stop those extra sprouts ending up in the bin! Find out more on Love Food Hate Waste NI
Get in a Bag Habit
Why getting a bag habit is a good habit
Under the sink, under the stairs and in the garden shed, bags fill up our cupboards and bulge out of our household drawers. But have you noticed there's one place where you never have a carrier bag? It's when you're out shopping. You get to the checkout and suddenly realise you've forgotten your bags again. This means you've got to pick up even more bags to fill your house up with. It's not just wasteful, it's really annoying.
Reusing Carrier Bags
Reusing packaging saves natural resources and reduces the need for landfill. There are many simple things that we can do without changing the habits of a lifetime. It is estimated that plastic bags take approximately 10-20 years to biodegrade. Taking your own bag when you go shopping will help reduce the 10 billion plastic bags that are handed out by our supermarkets each year. We can all help to reduce the amount of plastic carrier bags that are wasted each year by reusing them or switching to other reusable bags.
Taking Care of Your Bags
It is recommended that only clean plastic bags in a good state of repair are used. Bags contaminated with food or in a bad state of repair should be recycled at carrier bag recycling points. Long life reusable bags should be cleaned frequently.
Remembering Your Bags
It doesn't matter what type of bag you reuse either: a 'bag for life', a canvas bag, or just an ordinary plastic carrier bag, as long as you take a bag shopping with you. By remembering to take your bags with you, you'll be helping to save the environment by reducing waste that ends up in landfill, and using less virgin raw material. You'll also be reducing the carbon that's used up when bags are being manufactured.
Our top tips to help you remember are:
- try keeping a bag tucked in your handbag or jacket pocket so you're always prepared.
- if you often forget to take your bags with you, why not put them somewhere you're likely to see them? Perhaps near your front door?
- you can also keep them in the boot of your car so you have them ready for next time. Put a note on your dashboard so you don't go into the shop without them.
- ask your employer if you can set up a carrier bag dispenser somewhere at work, perhaps in the kitchen. Then, people can use the bags at lunchtime.
- children like getting involved, so why not ask them to remind you?
- why not make up a handy memory aid such as 'KWB' (Keys, Wallet and Bags).
Garden Waste
For active or aspiring gardeners there are many ways you can Rethink Waste in your garden by reducing, reusing and recycling your household and garden waste. We have provided some helpful tips and ideas to inspire you to get started.
Rethink your food and garden waste
- Home composting is a simple way to prevent unavoidable food waste, such as peelings, cores and teabags, ending up in landfill. Along with your garden cuttings you can make fantastic compost which will do wonders for your plants and flowers. Take the work out of turning the compost with a fork or spade by investing in a compost tumbler.
- Another great composting method is to install a wormery, which not only creates compost but a superior liquid fertiliser too. Children will also have hours of fun looking after the wriggly worms.
Rethink your potting and planting
- Seedlings can be planted in empty yoghurt pots, egg cartons or cardboard toilet roll tubes. Why not create biodegradable pots using old newspaper?
- Lollypop sticks are also a useful labelling tool to remind you where everything has been planted.
- String old CDs together to discourage the birds from picking at your fruit and vegetables.
Rethink your woodland garden
- Shredding branches at home can be used to create mulch or compost additive.
- Consider reusing industrial pallets as a substitute for railway sleepers.
Rethink your lawn and borders
- Why not reduce garden waste by replacing parts of your lawn with planted borders? Not only will this add a splash of colour, you'll be doing your bit to encourage wildlife in your garden.
- Consider using weed barriers made from recycled plastic bottles.
- Recycled tyres, in the form of tyre crumb, can act as an attractive mulch and come in a variety of colours.
- Conifers such as Leylandii "Castlewellan Gold" are difficult to maintain and create a mountain of green waste. Consider planting low maintenance and low waste hedging such as Escallonia or Photinia "Red Robin", which will also provide year-round colour.
Rethink outdoor living
- Reuse empty bottles to create attractive features in planters or in garden walls.
- Save hassle by installing low maintenance colourfast decking made from locally recycled plastics.
- Recycled tyres, in the form of tyre crumb, can be used as an alternative to gravel for paths or children's play areas.
- Reuse interesting household items such as washing machine/tumble dryer tubs or old wellies as planters.