Reducing waste

Much of the energy needed to make the things you use gets wasted when we throw them away.

Disposing of our waste requires yet more energy.

We can all do our bit for the environment if we learn to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Quick links on this page:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reused and recycled products
Food Waste
Packaging
Stop the drop
Home composting
Charity shops
Real nappies
Furniture reuse
Carrier bags
Reusable items

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The best of all for the environment is if we can reduce our waste by avoiding creating it in the first place.

If we can't avoid waste, we should reuse what we can and recycle what we can't.

Reused and recycled products
You can support reuse and recycling of items and materials by choosing products that are second hand, made from recycled materials or contain reused parts.

To find reused and recycled products, visit Waste Aware Scotland's Sort It website.

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Food Waste
The average Scottish household throws away £430 of wasted food every year. Good planning and preparation, storage and correct portioning can help you to reduce food waste and save money.

For great recipe ideas and other tips on how to avoid food waste, visit www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk

Packaging
Choose products with less packaging, buy concentrates and use refillable products to reduce the amount of packaging waste you produce.

For more advice on how you can reduce, reuse and recycle packaging, visit www.positivepackage.org.uk

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Stop the drop

There are five easy ways to reduce the amount of unwanted mail you receive and benefit the environment

To find out how please visit www.stop-the-drop.org.uk

Home composting
The Scottish Composting at Home campaign has diverted over 84,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, and over 200,000 compost bins have been distributed.
Home composting is also an easy way to make your garden more beautiful and save money on bought-in compost.

For more information on home composting, including cheap deals on sturdy compost bins, visit www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk/homecomposting.

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Charity shops
Charity shops are a treasure trove of quality household goods and clothes. By reusing items in this way you can help to look after the environment and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. To find your nearest charity shop visit Sort It website.

Real nappies
Modern real nappies are very practical and offer an alternative to disposable nappies. To find out what real nappies are, how they are used and what the benefits are visit www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk/realnappies

Furniture reuse
Furniture reuse projects provide furniture and household appliances to people who would not otherwise be able to purchase these much needed household items.
Some local authorities are able to recycle or arrange for the reuse of some of the items collected via their bulky items uplift service. You may also be able to donate your unwanted items to community groups in your area.
To find out about bulky collection services and reuse projects in your area visit Sort It website.

Carrier bags
Remember to reuse your carrier bags when you go shopping. Better still, get your own reusable carrier bag made from recycled materials.

Find out more about reusing, reducing and recycling carrier bags at www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk/bags.

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Recycling
Households in Scotland are now recycling and composting over 34% of all household waste which is a fantastic achievement! However, there is still more to do. Scotland has new challenging recycling targets; we need to recycle and compost 40% of all household waste by 2010 and 50% by 2013.

To find out about recycling facilities in your area visit Sort It website.