Ways to reduce waste

WE discard with scant regard for what will happen to that polystyrene clamshell, an old pair of pants or half can of paint. Most of the stuff we cast off does not just disappear; they lie buried in dumps, soiling the ground and rivers with noxious liquids, and fouling the air with toxic gases and heat-trapping gases. The Earth is choking under all the chemical substances which we produce and dump.

Studies reveal that 80% of what we own is useless and redundant. So, think carefully before adding to what you already own. Be waste-wise and practise the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle.

Don't add to waste heaps

Separate paper, plastics, metals, glass and aseptic carton for recycling. If you cannot drop them off at recycling centres, leave them outside for the garbage collector. Recycling saves the landscape from dumps, reduces usage of energy and raw materials, and prevents emissions of methane.

Compost your kitchen and garden waste

Return the nutrients and energy found in leftover food and yard trimmings back to the soil instead of dumping them at landfills. Find out more at compost.org.uk.

Aim for zero-waste

It's possible if you recycle all your trash, and then compost the remaining organic waste.

Close the loop

There’s no point recycling rubbish if you don’t buy recycled products.

Say 'No' to plastic bags

They do not degrade, mar the landscape and clog up rivers and seas. Plastics are derived from petroleum, so producing them emits greenhouse gases, too. Decline a plastic bag if your purchase is small and easy to carry. Try not to accumulate any new plastic bags for a week; you will see that it is not that difficult.

Bring a bag

Keep cloth bags in your car so they are always at hand should you decide to go shopping or marketing.

Use them again

Those plastic bags used to pack vegetables in supermarkets can be reused. Don't try to remove the price sticker as this will tear the flimsy bags. Turn them inside out instead.

Trash-free takeaways

Those small plastic bags and polystyrene clamshells used by foodstalls cannot be recycled. So, use reusable food containers and tiffin carriers when you bungkus or ta pau. Keep the containers handy in your car.

Shop at the pasar

Produce sold at wet markets is fresher and cheaper, and does not come wrapped in cling film or polystyrene. Don’t forget to bring along reusable containers for fish and meats, and a basket for everything.

Go for fresh

Why buy fruit juices in cartons and create waste? Recycling aseptic packaging, which is made of 75% paper, 20% polyethylene and 5% aluminium foil, uses up lots of water and energy. Furthermore, current collection for recycling is poor. Juice fresh fruits instead. It will be free of sweeteners, colourings, preservatives – and trash.

Lose the packaging

Shop with a critical eye and avoid buying stuff with excess packaging. Or, choose those with reusable or recyclable packaging. Cosmetics and perfumes tend to be over-packaged. Write to your favourite brand and ask them to trim the packaging and set up a refill scheme. Demand legislations which obligate manufacturers to minimise or take back packaging for reuse or recycling.

Buy refills

Choose cleaning products and toiletries such as dishwasher soap, floor cleaners, washing liquid and shower gel in refillable packs, which results in less trash.

Buy in bulk

Avoid products packed individually or for single use, such as beverage sachets or biscuits in small packs. Those foils are not recycled, and so add to waste heaps.

Avoid aluminium foil and plastic wrap

Cover food in the fridge and microwave with a plate or use a container with lid. Repair before replacing Mend things instead of throwing them away and purchasing new ones. Buy things that are durable.

Make more use of it

Avoid one-time use products such as disposal cutlery, plates, razors and pens. Choose products that can be reused, such as paper clips and refillable pens.

Buy second-hand

No, you’re not a cheapo; you’re being ecologically responsible. You will avoid consuming all the energy needed to produce and ship a new product.

Creative wrapping

Keep ribbons and wrapping paper from presents and hampers for future use. Wrap gifts in colourful magazine pages or use a paper gift bag which can be reused.

Go paper-less

Send e-cards and emails rather than letters, memos and cards. The pulp and paper industry is the world's fifth largest industrial consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a tonne of product than any other business.

Eliminate your paper trail

Print and photocopy on both sides; circulate documents via the Intranet; don’t print out your emails; reuse envelopes; use waste paper as notepaper, and cut up old cards to make gift tags. Every tonne of paper recycled will save 17 trees, 2,080 litres of oil and 5cu m of landfill space. Recycling 1kg of paper can save 2.5kg of greenhouse gases.

Say no to flyers

Decline or return promotional pamphlets distributed at public places if you’re not interested in what’s on offer. Refuse junk mail if you don’t want to read it.

Refill water bottles

Buy bottled water only when absolutely necessary and always send the PET bottles for recycling. Recovering just one bottle can save enough energy to power a 60watt light bulb for six hours.

Mind your e-waste

Send old computers, mobile phones, CDs, batteries and other electronics to a responsible recycler.

Bag your trash

When hiking in forest trails, always take your trash back with you. No garbage truck plies that route!

Think before you throw

Before discarding something, first consider how it can be reused.

Bring your own

Keep spare cutlery in your bag so that when eating at food courts, you won't have to use the disposable ones given.

Decline needless freebies

Why take that free mug, plate, cap or pin when you have no use for it? They'll just clutter your home and eventually end up as junk.

Tool pool

Many electrical appliances and gadgets are unnecessary. Besides, they consume energy, clutter our homes, cause pollution when produced and create trash when no longer useful. Borrow or share equipment which you don't use very often, or buy them second-hand.

Old but wearable

Donate old clothes to the poor, a charity or a recycling scheme. Some companies send them to countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, where they are sold as second-hand clothes.

Reuse old T-shirts

Use them as rags or kitchen towels.

Design for the environment

Make products which can be reused and recycled, and do not end up as waste.

Practise 'Green Purchasing'

Always choose goods which produce minimal waste and cause the least damage to the environment.

Buy only what you need

Every purchase you make affects the environment at every stage of its lifecycle – the manufacturing process consumes resources, pollutes the air and uses up energy, and it becomes waste when it’s no longer useful.

Don't be a mall rat

Take a break from consumerism and the “buy till you drop” culture. Support Buy Nothing Day (buynothingday.co.uk). Better still, why not do it once a week, or monthly?

Be a green shopper

Consider the following before buying something: What is its recycled content? Can it be reused or recycled when you're done with it? Is it excessively packaged?

Let's make a swap

Put up a box in your office for stuff which you no longer need but which others might find useful, such as toys, kitchenware, books, magazines, CDs, VCDs, DVDs, decor items, novelties and souvenirs.

Live simply

Every product we use, whether it’s a paper cup, dress or car, leaves an ecological footprint. Think about living with less, so as to tread lighter on Earth.