Reduce

Reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best way to help the environment. This is the most effective of the three R's and the place to begin.

"Reduce" is a comparative word. It says: cut back from where you are now. 

There are lots of ways to do this. For example:

• Buy products that don't have a lot of packaging. You can also look for things that are packed in materials that don't require a lot of energy or resources to produce.
• Instead of buying something you're not going to use very often, see if you can borrow it from someone you know.
• Cars use up energy and cause pollution. Some ways to reduce the environmental damage caused by cars include carpooling with friends, walking, taking the bus, or riding your cycle instead of driving.
• You can reduce waste by using a computer. Many newspapers and magazines are online now. Instead of buying the paper versions, you can find them on the Internet.
• Save energy by turning off lights that you are not using.

• Save water by turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth.

   

Reuse:

You can "reuse" materials in their original form instead of throwing them away, or pass those materials on to others who could use them too. For example:

• Bring cloth sacks to the store with you instead of taking home new paper or plastic bags. You can use these sacks again and again.
• Plastic containers and reusable lunch bags are great ways to take your lunch to college without creating waste.
• Don't throw out clothes, toys, furniture, and other things that you don't want anymore. Somebody else can probably use them. You can bring them to a centre that collects donations or give them to friends.
• Use all writing paper on both sides.
• Use paper grocery bags to make book covers rather than buying new ones.
• Use silverware and dishes instead of disposable plastic utensils and plates.

• Store food in reusable plastic containers.

   

Recycle

Many of the things we use every day, like paper bags, cold drink cans, and milk cartons, are made out of materials that can be recycled. Recycled items are put through a process that makes it possible to create new products out of the materials from the old ones.

In addition to recycling the things you buy, you can help the environment by buying products that contain recycled materials. Many brands of paper towels, garbage bags, greeting cards, and toilet paper, to name a few examples, will tell you on their labels if they are made from recycled materials.