Aw No! Recycling Again!

"Aw no! Another article on recycling!" you might think. these days you see eco-friendly or recycled goods in most shops, and bins for recycling your glass and aluminium and (sometimes) paper. Great! But there are things you can do in everyday living which will help to make a difference to your environment, and to your pocket! A basic guideline is, THINK BEFORE YOU BUY - AND THINK BEFORE YOU THROW AWAY......... CAN IT BE RE-USED OR RECYCLED?

THINK BEFORE YOU BUY
On average, more than £6 in every £40you spend in a supermarket is on throw-away packaging. Don't buy packaging you don't need

• Fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic or in cartons is unnecessary. Ideally, buy fresh, organic,locally grown fruit and veg., it's much better for you
• Buy recycled goods
• Buy goods in recyclable containers - it's the best way to cut down on waste. Many wholefood shops will refill containers with soya sauce, cider vinegar, apple juice, washing-up liquid etc. Buy milk in bottles if you can, and recycle the glass. In fact, if you buy goods in packaging which can be recycled, it saves raw material and energy, creates less waste but creates more jobs here in Ireland.
• At the check-out, avoid packing your shopping into plastic bags. 1.5 million plastic bags are used in Dublin every week i.e.30 tonnes of plastic and 30,000 gallons of oil used to make them! Use your own (cotton) bags if possible, and refuse plastic!

THINK BEFORE YOU THROW AWAY
Before you throw away anything, ask yourself,"Can it be re-used, repaired or recycled?"

• Food. If you've no animals to eat your food scraps, it can be used for compost for your garden, or someone else's.
• Glass. Jars and bottles can be recycled, or alternatively there are always people looking for them- check your local advertiser.
• Paper. Buy recycled paper, and re-use scraps and envelopes as often as you can get away with, and then light your fire with them. It's also very easy to make your own paper, and really cheap too.
• Old clothes. Jumpers can be unravelled for wool, and zips and cords can be re-used. And your local charity shop, to be used by someone else.

The more creative you are, the more enterprising you will be, and the more money and energy you'll save. It's very important to each and every one of us to think positively about the environment- we "are" the environment, after all!

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN, OR YOUR PARENTS !! REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE !!

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