An excellent way to help the environment is by simply reusing anything you can. This is also great for many people who might be on a budget, simply because used items are often cheaper than buying them brand new. Here are some simple tips to get the ball rolling on becoming a re-user.
- Garage Sales- This is a great way to get new things that you want for really cheap. It also keep things from ending up in the landfills.
- Reusables- Switch to using more containers that can be used more than once. This can include cups, plates, razors, diapers, and shopping bags.
- Donations- Donate the stuff you no longer need to people who might really need it. This can range from anything including computers and cell phones.
- Buy/Sell Used Things- Use websites like Ebay and Craigslist to buy used items. This will not only save you money but will reduce waste.
- Freecycle- Use the Freecycle Network to find used items that people are giving away for free.
- Buy Durable- Think about how well a product is made before buying it.
- Library- Buy books from the library when they have sales or just borrow the book to read.
- Rechargeable Batteries- Buy batteries that you can plug in and recharge. This will save you money in the long run.
As you all may already know I am a keen vegetable gardener. Vegetable gardening really can be a war at times. I personally am sick of planting 60 cabbages knowing full well that 30 will be grown for the slugs, 20 for the local magpies, and 10 may be left over for me to share amongst my family and friends.
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If you’re moving home any time soon, or you want to store any of your keepsakes, you’ll probably need some cardboard boxes. Rather than pay a removal company or storage company for the boxes, you can actually go to most shops and large companies to get them for free!
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Yoghurt pots are notoriously difficult to recycle. Yoghurt pots are made from polystyrene, which is a plastic that is not typically recycled. Since you can’t recycle yoghurt pots, here are some suggestions on how you can reuse them.
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If you have a load of magazines that you no longer want, you can always take them to waiting rooms for hospitals, doctor’s surgeries, dentists, or even your workplace. As long as the magazine is in good condition, someone else can enjoy the magazine without paying a penny.
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You can improve the classroom or office air quality by opting for non-toxic, xylene free whiteboard markers. The Aus Pen is both refillable and recycleable.
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Part of the charm of holiday gift-giving is in the wrapping. But when I searched for eco-friendly paper and ribbon near my apartment, located in the center of Washington, DC, I couldn’t find any. It made no sense to give eco-friendly gifts wrapped with new materials.
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If you want to find a use for an empty tissue box, here’s a simple idea that will help you get more use from it. Just use the issue box as a plastic bag dispenser!
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You’ve heard about ebooks and text book renting for students, and of course using your local library, but how about a simple book and magazine swap at your place of work?
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I have nothing against Post-It for their sticky notes. This tip is more about reducing your reliance on using brand new paper, and getting the maximum life from old note paper.
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If you end up with a stack of business cards for whatever reason, there’s another way you can reuse them before you recycle them.
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Though air conditioners use tons of energy, some climates make it difficult to live without them. So if you’ve got one in your home or office, make sure the filters are changed and the units are serviced regularly.
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Recycling is all well and good, but if you can reuse something, that’s even better. Rehased Clothes is a clever concept where people can exchange fashionable and attractive clothes with other like-minded individuals.
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You should already be an expert on plastic recycling symbols, but how good are you with packaging labels? Did you know that the green dot means nothing about recycling?
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Today the green movement is taking over the world, and even though many people would like to go completely organic or build a sustainable home, their budget might not let them. This is especially true for college students, who struggle every semester to get by on their student budget. A near-empty wallet makes it much easier to choose between ninety-nine cent ramen noodles or $2.99 organic pasta.
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Junk mail is a really irritating problem. In the UK, we get swamped with flyers about cable and satellite TV packages, pizza, indian, chinese and other takeaway menus, extortionately expensive education packages promising to “double our income”, supermarket special offers, and more. Admittedly, sometimes these offers are useful, most of the time they end up in the recycling bin.
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Do get those green netting sleeves from your grocery store with lettuce in them? Did you ever wonder how you could upcycle or recycle them? Well how about creating one of these cool green greenies?
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Precycling is preventing waste before it happens, i.e. you’re being proactive about how much waste you’re going to produce. By reducing, reusing and buying products carefully, your can minimize the amount of waste you create as well as conserving resources and saving money.
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It’s back to school time! Back to school means back to the sometimes arduous chore of packing school lunches. Save yourself (and the environment) repeated trips to the store in search of plastic baggies, “snack size” convenience foods, and water bottles. Think zero-waste lunches instead. Have a variety of reusable storage containers on hand for sandwiches, fruits, and veggies.
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Recycling your old materials is only half the battle. However, it’s said that if you’re not buying recycled products, you’re not recycling. Most packaging is being created with some “post-consumer content” (recycled materials), but it can be as little as 1%.
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