Refuse Reduce Re-use Recycle

Refuse
Much of our waste is unnecessary. Send a message to producers and retailers:

• Refuse to buy products which are over packaged
• Do without that plastic bag
• Remove packaging and hand it back

Reduce
Reduce your shopping needs by asking questions such as:

• Do I really need that new trinket/shirt/magazine
• Can I buy it second hand?
• Can I learn to live without the need to change fashion constantly?
• Does it come with unnecessary packaging?
• Is the waste resulting from this purchase biodegradable?
• Is it made from a recycled resource?
• Can the item be recycled or re-used?
• If I need pampering consider a service such as a massage rather than a "good".

Re-Use
Before you throw away that item consider a possible re-use.

• Can it be used as a container?
• Can it be used to grow a plant?
• Can it be used as a vase?
• Can it be used as a dog bowl?
• Can it be used as a piece of art?
• Can I give it to someone else to use?

Re-Cycle
If it must be disposed of can it be recycled? Common materials which can be recycled are:
Organic waste:

• Feed it to the pigs/dog/chooks
• Set up a worm farm to recycle paper, vegetation and food scraps into fertilizer
• Use it as compost
• Drop garden waste off at the waste disposal centre for chipping
• Paper and cardboard are collected for recycling at most waste disposal centres

Plastic:

• Check whether there is a recycle symbol on the item. eg
• Find out which plastics you can recycle at your closest waste facility.
• If your nearest town does not recycle, lobby the council involved.

Glass:

• Glass is collected by most councils.
• Some towns require it to be separated into colours.
• Broken crockery usually cannot be recycled.

Metal:

• Most metal cans can be recycled. Rinse them at the end of your wash up.

If you don't have waste removal facilities, store recyclable items and take them when you visit town.

Relevant Terms

Biodegradable
Service
Goods

Action Stations!


Download http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/warr/2005128_recycling_eng.pdf

REUSE Activity Check out our Photo Gallery and the Recycling Album Identify an item you can re-use or have reused Take a photograph of it with its new function. Post your photo in our Photo Gallery in the 'Recycling Album' (Don't forget to describe what it was and what it is reused now as)

Visit http://www.livingthing.net.au/WYKD_Main.htm

Visit your local waste disposal centre. What do they accept that can be recycled? What recycled material can you buy? eg Road base? Landscape fill? Compost? Mulch? Share your knowledge.

Look up Recycling in your yellow pages. List places where you can take or by second hand items.

Watch the online video at The Story of Stuff

? Want to know more?

? You can ask a question any time by selecting the Start a Thread near the bottom of this web page (or select Discussion Forum in the menu right at the bottom of the page.

Check out the Resources section below...

?You can explore this topic further yourself...
Here are some extension activities you might like to try...

? Check out these Resources
(If you have some more tell us by starting a discussion thread below.... we would love to find out more!)
Online Resources
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/warr/2005128_recycling_eng.pdf
http://www.livingthing.net.au/WYKD_Main.htm
Wanless Recycling

Organisations & People
Your local council

Books, brochures... anything in print