Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce
- Buy unpackaged or lightly packaged goods whenever possible;
- Buy goods in large containers instead of small ones - it creates less waste;
- Carry your shopping home in a basket or re-useable bag;
- Don't use disposable products unless you really have to;
- Always try to use both sides of a sheet of paper or, if only one side has been used, you can cut it up and make notebooks;
- Share a book or magazine with a relative or friend rather than both of you buying one;
- Make a list when going shopping and avoid 'impulse buys'.
Use 'Real Nappies' instead of disposable ones. Visit http://www.goreal.org.uk for information on using real nappies. If you don't fancy doing all that washing, there is now a real nappy doorstep laundry service based in Bangor that will deliver to all over Northern Ireland, visit http://www.realnappycompany.com for more information.
Reuse
Many of the items we throw away can be used again - things like old clothes, shoes, books or toys, as well as some of the plastic containers our food comes in.
- Why not use old T-shirts as dusters, or cut up cards or magazines for craft work.
- Newspapers are excellent for polishing your windows after you have washed them.
- Before you throw anything away why not consider:
- Can I use it myself?
- Can anyone else use it?
- Can it be donated to charity?
- Can it be repaired?
Check out Freegle
Don’t throw it away, give it away!
You might not need your old sofa or wheelbarrow any more but there could be someone just round the corner who does. Or if there’s something you’d like, someone nearby might have one that they might just throw away if they don’t know what else to do with it.
Freegle groups make this happen online. Sign up, post an OFFER of something you want to get rid of or a WANTED for something you need.
Freegle is a national, grassroots organisation of people who are giving and receiving free unwanted items in their immediate communities. Local charities, non-profit groups and communities are encouraged to join.
All groups within this organisation operate with a basic principle – all offers and requests must be freegle (free and legal). Some groups may have additional guidelines such as no offers or requests for animals or that items must be suitable for all ages.
We hope you enjoy freegling with the freegle community!
FREEly Given, Locally, Easily
Click here to find a group near you
Check out Freecycle
The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns.
How does it work?
When you want to find a new home for something, whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door, you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of the local Freecycle group.
Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.
Our main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.
One person's trash can truly be another's treasure! Find out more by on the freecycle site
Cookstown Textile Recyclers – ‘Cash for Clobber’
Want to raise some cash for your school? ‘Cash for Clobber’ is now in its 6th year and aims to encourage clothes/textile recycling in schools by exchanging bags, or a bank, of unwanted clothing and textiles for cash.
They work alongside the Northern Ireland Cancer fund for children and can donate a proportion of the cash raised to them.
Cookstown Textile Recyclers (CTR) are a nationwide textile recycling service in operation since 1993. They are a fully licensed company, holding all the relevant permits from the EHS and EPA alike.
For further information on ‘Cash for Clobber’ please download their flyer.
Recycle
Recycling waste saves resources and saves materials from landfill where they may last for many years.
