With green issues moving up the political agenda and local councils setting up operations to help you stay green, it’s now easier than ever to give something back to the environment, by recycling, reducing and reusing. It takes little effort to change your habits so that these important activities become part of your life, and once you do there are some enormous benefits… here are just a few of them:
Save Money
Everybody can do with an extra penny or two, and whether it’s reducing the number of new products that you buy or reusing items when you once might have thrown away, you’re going to end up with some spare change jangling in your pocket. Choosing energy efficient products, from electronic goods to the car that you drive, can help to reduce your consumption of resources whilst saving you money on the fuel bills, and if you choose to reuse items by selling them on via sites like eBay then you can even make some money. And it’s not all about your own wallet – recycling, reducing and reusing has also been shown to help save the country money as a whole.
Some Resources are Irreplaceable
Not every natural resource is sustainable, which means that once they’re gone that’s it – we’ll also lose the products that they’re made with. We can help these resources last a lot longer by reducing how much we use them – this includes making sure you turn your lights out when you’re not using them and don’t just leave electronic equipment on standby. It’s also a good idea to think twice before throwing something away if there’s a chance you won’t be able to get it replaced.
Greener is Cleaner
We’re yet to meet anybody who doesn’t want cleaner air for themselves and their families, and landfill sites can be a big factor when it comes to creating the pollution that chokes up our cities. Every person can make a difference, even when it comes to big issues like clean air.
Stay In Fashion
Choosing to reuse and recycle your goods is a big trend now – it’s called upcycling, and it means repurposing your old goods into something stylish and new. From turning an old glass bottle into a nifty bedside light to using your battered suitcase as a medicine cabinet, your imagination is the limit and upcycling means that it’s now fashionable to stop throwing things away.
Help Your Planet
You’ve probably heard it a million times, but it’s as true now as it ever was – the world is not indestructible, and issues such as global warming and deforestation will only get worse if we don’t all do our bit to slow them down. By remembering your three environmental Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – you can help your planet, whilst benefiting from all the other great advantages listed above.
Have you ever dreamed of living a zero waste lifestyle? In an age where environmental issues are at the forefront of our mind, it’s certainly worth considering just what you can achieve by producing no waste.
Don’t believe it’s necessary? Well, just look at the statistics for waste disposal in the UK, and you’ll see that making the effort now will really pay off in the long-run.
Wasted Waste
Although we all try to reduce waste where possible, we’re all still guilty of throwing out perfectly good products. Consider these facts:
Almost 25% of electronic products that are thrown out could be re-used
Not doing so costs us £200 million every year!
83% of couches are sent to a landfill – when many of them could be re-used (saving both money and energy)
Recycling More
More UK households recycle now than they ever have before. That’s great news, but we’re a far cry from being a zero waste country.
43.9% waste from households was recycled in 2012
In 2011, that figure was 42.9%
600 million tonnes of products come into the UK each year…
And only 115 million tonnes of that is recycled
Glorious Food
Food waste can be a serious issue – and an expensive one too.
50% of the food thrown away comes from the home
7 million tonnes of food and drink are thrown out each year…
Half of which was just fine to consume
We chuck away more food than we do actual packaging
It costs a family an extra £60 per month to throw out good food…
Or £400 per year for a person living on their own
Zero Waste
Choosing a zero waste lifestyle can ensure that you’re not just another statistic, but that what you do really counts! You’ll not only be saving wasteful energies – since you’ll be self-sustaining, there’s no rubbish to burn or send to a landfill; you’ll also save yourself loads of money too. If not wasting food alone saves your family £60 a month, imagine how much you could save by not wasting anything.
Of course, aiming for a zero waste life isn’t always easy, but North West Waste are experts in waste management, and we’ll be happy to help you reduce your costs save you money, and protect the environment all at once. Now that should make you feel pretty good about yourself!
