Know your three 'Rs' (From Gazette & Herald)

Know your three 'Rs'

LANDFILLING of rubbish is becoming a hot topic of conversation.

The three Rs of how to deal with household rubbish are now being used by the younger generation in schools, just as in past years the old three Rs were used by teachers to describe general literacy and numeracy.

These 3Rs are, of course, reduce, re-use, recycle - in that order.

Before we even think about landfilling rubbish, or even recycling it for that matter, we should first try and reduce the amount we produce in the first place.

Here are a few tips on how you can easily reduce your rubbish at home.

Start a compost heap. One of the best things you can do to help the environment is compost your garden and kitchen waste. The district council can provide a subsidised container and provide information and advice.

Cancel unwanted junk mail. If you don't read it, you don't need it. You can get rid of 95pc of unwanted junk mail by registering with the Mail Preference Service. You can do this via telephone (local call) on (0845) 7034599, or by computer at mpsonline.org.uk.

Bag for life. Instead of being left with dozens of unwanted plastic carrier bags after you do your weekly shop at the supermarket, buy a couple of strong re-usable plastic, or fabric carrier bags. You may think the bags are free at the checkout, but you pay for them in the long run.

Buy for the contents and not the container. Some packaging is necessary but avoid over-packaged goods, eg fruit and vegetables on polystyrene trays. Think about those Easter eggs. For that small amount of chocolate, all the packaging gets a one-way ride to your nearest landfill site. Complain to retailers and manufacturers if you think goods are overpackaged.

Real nappies. In Britain, there are over 8m disposable nappies a day getting binned and chucked into landfill sites. Modern, trendy 'real nappy' alternatives are available and can work out cheaper. Contact Ryedale District Council's waste minimisation officer for advice.

Try to avoid other disposables where possible, such as razors and batteries. Re-usable and rechargable alternatives are readily available.

If you can, try to buy in larger quantities, rather than having lots of small containers to recycle, or dispose of.

Try some, or all, of these tips and you should see your rubbish reduce. If everybody adopted just a few of these tips, it can have a hugely positive impact on the environment. Going one step further, don't forget to re-use or recycle as much of your other rubbish as possible, instead of just throwing it away.

JOHN BROWN,

environmental co-ordinator, Ryedale District Council

Updated: 10:00 Wednesday, October 22, 2003