Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

With climate change becoming an ever-growing concern, it is up to everyone to do what they can when it comes to being less wasteful and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

WWF Australia encourages us to live by the mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, which will help us reduce the amount of garbage we throw out. In turn, this will reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reducing the amount of rubbish that ends up in our oceans and waterways, harming our marine life.

Here’s some tips from WWF Australia about how you can Reduce, Reuse, Recycle at home:

• REDUCE your energy use – cut household emissions by up to 10% by using energy saving light bulbs, and by up to 50% by choosing energy-efficient whitegoods.
• REDUCE by making the move to clean energy such as solar hot water. This is good for the environment and for your electricity bill as well.
• REUSE by upcycling – over 90% of plastic and metals in mobile phones and batteries can be reused in new products. Upcycle by donating these old products to Mobile Muster and Clean Up Australia.
• REUSE your own drink bottle – single-use plastic bottles generate a huge amount of waste that ends up in landfill. Use your own stainless steel or BPA-free bottle while saving money as well.
• RECYCLE paper & card – this reduces waste to landfill by up to 27% and saves trees as well.
• RECYCLE by avoiding packaging that won’t go into your recycling bin, such as Styrofoam.
• REFUSE plastic bags – use cloth bags or a backpack when shopping instead. Australians use up to 4 billion plastic bags a year, which last from 20 to 1000 years in the environment and are a major threat to wildlife.