Although recycling is a good thing, it is also a bit of a cosy trap.

It allows us to carry on living much as we always have done. Apart from possibly choosing goods that have recyclable packaging, we go on buying happily and then get that lovely virtuous glow when we put our waste into those special bins.

We really need to push the thinking on a bit now. What are you recycling? Is there some way in which you could re-use the

containers, which is much better than just buying more. Can you take it back for a refill? Can you in fact refill it yourself?

Take yoghurt pots, for instance. Yoghurt is a nice easy dessert, but the pots are not that easy to recycle. Why not refill them? We've filled, and frozen, pots of apple puree, home-made ice-cream and liquidised fruit-salad, which makes wonderful sorbet. You know the ingredients are good and the pots can be used many times.

Those other plastic pots with coleslaw, parmesan cheese and all those other

lovely treats from the delicatessen counter can be refilled too. I haven't yet tried washing them and taking them back to the shop to be refilled but I wouldn't imagine there would be much problem. They might whinge a bit about 'health and safety' but the risk is minimal, and yours by choice.

Our cat's biscuits live in a big plastic sweet jar which I take back to be refilled. The weight of the jar is deducted and it saves yet another plastic or paper bag.

There are plenty more possibilities and it would be interesting to hear of other people's re-using wheezes.

Updated: 12:04 Wednesday, February 25, 2004