Book Recommendation - Reduce Reuse Recycle - An Easy Household Guide by Nicky Scott

A few weeks ago, I attended the People and Planet Group meeting at my University.

At the last meeting, I was told about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle a book written by Nicky Scott, which is easy to read and highlights various ways you can recycle a number of household items, including reducing household waste output. The book is even printed on recycled paper.

The book outlines a number of recyclable items such as batteries, attic clearance, ceramics, old coins, old clothes, electrical appliances, your spectacles and much more.

After glancing through a copy bought by a People and Planet member, I knew I immediately wanted a copy of my own. I bought it at Blackwells bookshop for £2 reduced from £3.95, although it is still a bargain at the original price.

It is an enjoyable read and contains a lot of practical information that you can start using immediately. I have learned some new things from it such as recycling engine oil, recycling of fluorescent light tubes or lightbulbs, vending cups and even paint! As they say, you learn something new everyday!

Reduce the volume of your waste and save landfill

A few ideas on reducing the volume of your household waste are:

1. Use kitchen waste to make compost with the skins of fruit and vegetables such as potato peel and the rind of fruits such as oranges. You can also use your garden waste to make compost as well. Take a look in your local garden centre and invest in a small domestic compost bin.
2. When recycling plastic bottles or water bottles, collapse the bottles by taking the lid off and squashing the bottle down, the grooves on the bottle will help with this. Once the bottle is fully collapsed, put the lid back on and it will stay in place allowing room for other materials.
3. Don't throw your old clothes or shoes away, give them to charity or take them to a clothes or shoe bank in order to be recycled or re-used by someone who needs them.
4. Cut up and collapse cardboard boxes so that they use up less space. You can also do this to small boxes such as pizza and other food packaging.
5. Re-use your padded envelopes and use them to send fragile items in the post.
6. Look for products that contain minimal packaging instead of unnecessary and excessive packaging, which only serves to drive up the cost of production anyway. Also look for packaging that can be recycled or re-used.
7. Re-use the packaging from products around the house, for example use empty ice cream containers to store food in the fridge or freezer or re-use plastic containers from takeaway or for storage in the fridge or freezer.
8. Instead of throwing out old cupboards and wardrobes, check to see if other people can make use of the wood in a building or DIY project. There are a number of websites online where you can exchange, swap or giveaway your unwanted items.