Earth+First

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= ** The Three Steps in Recycling: **

Earth First Step 1: Reduce Step 2: Reuse Step 3: Recycle
﻿Step 1: So where to start? Wastage can be anything from putting too much water in the kettle using more energy and more water than you needed, leaving your phone plugged in when it’s fully charged, or leaving lights on. These days it’s all about packaging that you end up throwing away.– do you really need them? Just put them loose into your basket, not much harm will come to them. Fruit like bananas especially don’t need a bag to go in – they already have a protective skin on. Do you need the microwave plugged in all the time or can you do without a bath every night and take a shower. If you don’t use it, then you don’t need to reuse it and then you don’t need to recycle it. ﻿Step 2:

Obviously you do have to use some things, so reusing them is still better than recycling – that takes a lot of energy and effort. To use an example from above, most people can’t go without taking a shower every day. But that water doesn’t have to go to waste. If you use natural products to clean yourself you can fill up the watering can or the dishbowl while you’re in there. Sound ridiculous? People who have a water meter certainly notice the difference – cheaper bills. Some people go by the mantra – everything can be used three times. A worn out bed sheet can be converted to pillow cases and then can be used a scrap cloths before they are finally thrown away. Everyone seems to be banging on about plastic bags and quite rightly. If you can refuse to have one, great, but if you have to have one, use one from the last shop you did or use a organic cotton bag or even using one of the many ‘bags for life’ is better than nothing. However, reusing is about more than plastic bags. It’s reusing everything and anything – you can even ‘reuse’ food waste by composting it. ﻿Step 3:

When you’ve cut back all you can, reused everything possible and are finally still left with something to go in the bin, it might be able to be recycled. While recycling takes a lot of energy, it’s a lot less than to produce another one of the things you’re about to throw away. An aluminium can for example takes 80% less energy to recycle than to make a brand new one. The obvious things that can be recycled are glass, aluminium and paper/card – if you do it

at home and the office it can make a difference. Plastic can also be recycled, you’ll just need to check which types your council can do. And even more awkward things can be recycled. For example Tetra-Paks – such as those orange juice cartons that are cardboard with aluminium inside and a plastic lid- can be recycled now.It can take a little effort, but it’s possible to get your rubbish bin to miss you as you throw less and less away.