|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Recycling Tips Around the Home
Kitchen
Home Office
Shed/Garage
Bed and Bath
Clothes Closet
Living Room/Family Room
Special Occasions/Celebrations
- Keep a list so you buy only what you really need when you shop. Remember, 20 per cent of perishables end up in the garbage.
- Buy everything you can from bulk bins - it eliminates packaging and can save you money.
- Buy concentrates such as cleaners and detergents - they have far less packaging and are often more economical. Better still; replace chemical cleaners with environmentally friendly alternatives like vinegar and baking soda. Call the GVRD publication line at 436-6795 for your copy of Not down the drain!
- Take cloth bags to the store or, if you only buy a few items, don't use a bag.
- Check out consumer magazines before purchasing a major appliance. Look for high quality, durable and energy - and water - efficient brands that are easily repairable. Keep appliances in good working order so they'll last.
- Compost fruit, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and tea bags. Call the Compost Hotline at 736-2250 for more information.
- Store leftover food in old margarine or yogurt tubs instead of using plastic warp and foil.
- Think litter-less lunches for work or school. Place sandwiches, snacks and drinks in reusable plastic containers. Pack everything into a reusable fabric bag or plastic lunch kit.
- Reuse aluminum pie plates as freezer containers for baked goods or berries. Polystyrene trays from purchased goods also work for freezing meat, or can be cleaned and used as picnic plates.
- Line your pots and pans cupboard with scraps of carpet or linoleum to prevent scraping and deaden sound.
- Leftover ceramic tiles make handy hot plates - just glue felt to the bottom to prevent scratching.
- Paper printed on one side? Reuse it for drafts, make note pads or use the blank side for incoming faxes.
- Buy paper with recycled content. Also look for products packaged in recycled materials.
- Relabel old file folders and use again and again.
- Save old envelopes and reuse them, just cross out the previous address. You can even write, "this envelope was reused in the spirit of recycling."
- Rent or borrow items that are only used occasionally, such as ladders and camping gear.
- Renovating your house? Buy salvaged materials like sinks, flooring and dimensional lumber. For a list of salvage yards, call 437-GVRD. Check for recycled content when buying materials like gypsum, insulation and roofing to make repairs. Call 436-6800 and request a list of recycled building materials.
- Buy nails, screws and other necessities in bulk. Store in old glass jars.
- Spring-cleaning? Have a yard sale - your trash may be someone else's treasure!
Leaky hose? Add more holes with a flat nail and use it to water your flowers or garden - but call the GVRD at 436- 6899 for more information on waterwise gardening.
- Look for cosmetics and personal cares products with minimal packaging and buy refillables.
- Use an electric razor (save on shaving cream). If you prefer a wet shave, buy shaving soap instead of cream - no container. Buy razors with replaceable blades rather than disposables.
- Cut up old towels and bed linens and use them for household chores such as dusting, or donate them to an animal shelter for pet bedding.
- Use old tooth brushes as cleaning tools for those hard to reach places.
- Use an old shower curtain as a drop when painting or as a ground sheet for camping.
- Leftover legs from making denim cutoffs? Sew bottoms shut to make gift bags, or storage bags for jumper cables, ski poles...
- Put a sponge inside an old pantyhose leg - great for scrubbing dirt from windows, and think of all the paper towels you're saving.
- Mend or alter clothes instead of throwing them away.
- Take unwanted, good quality clothes to a second-hand store or hold a "clothing exchange" with friends. Donate old clothes to charity or keep them for kids' dress-up.
- Return extra hangers to a dry cleaner or a second-hand store. Decorate them with wool or fabric as gifts, or take some along on your next camping trip for roasting wieners and marshmallows.
- Borrow books from your local library or buy second-hand. Share a magazine subscription with a friend or neighbor. Donate children's books to women's shelters, daycares or preschools.
- Check consumer magazines before buying a new TV or stereo. Look for quality products that are easily repaired.
- Buy used CDs and tapes. Sell or donate those you no longer want.
- Cover favorite books with used maps, posters, gift wrap or fabric - they'll last longer.
- Donate old photographic equipment to schools to use in art classes or for their school newspaper.
- Make new furniture from old items. An ashtray stand becomes a plantholder, a painted garden trellis or old doors make for a striking headboard, an old trunk finds new life as a coffee table complete with storage, old window frames and trunk lids are reborn as picture or mirror frames.
- Donate your old furniture to a charity or theatre company, or give it a face lift by refinishing, painting or restoring it.
Special Occasions/Celebrations
- Having a large get-together? Instead of purchasing disposables, rent party dishes or have some of your guests bring their own.
- Create unique floral vases: use an old watering can or a teapot that's lost its lid, fill a cluster of tiny glass jars (e.g. baby food) with single blooms, tie several different sized tin cans together with raffia and fill with dahlias, place a used glass jar inside a hollowed out watermelon or pumpkin.
- Instead of gift paper, wrap one gift in another - scarf tea towel or handkerchief. Fill a mug with nuts, coffee beans or chocolates or a decorative basket or bowl with bath beads or pot-pourri. Make a cloth gift bag or gift basket and use it over and over again. For more green gift giving ideas call the GVRD at 436-6800 and request a copy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice.
Recycling Works!
In 1990 the per capita waste generation rate was 1.38. Throughout the GVRD a goal was set to reduce waste by 50% by the year 2000. Today, the per capita rate is .68. We've achieved our objective.
Please keep up the good work!
Tips compiled by the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
© Ridge Meadows Recycling Society