Waste is a symptom of a throw away society, the result of inefficient manufacturing and consumption patterns. Much of what we currently call ‘waste’ is actually a ‘resource’ that can be reused or recycled.

Our (over) use of resources impacts on the whole environment. Energy is needed for extraction of raw materials eg to cut down trees. Water, energy and chemicals are used in the manufacturing process. When wastes are disposed of in landfill, they contribute to the production of greenhouse gas (eg methane from organic matter) and so contribute to global warming. When we waste food we waste the water, energy and land used to grow our food. When we send our food to landfill we waste a resource that can be used to make a rich soil conditioner that can return nutrients to our very degraded soils and avoid the need for chemical fertilisers.

The best way to minimise our waste is to practice:

Avoidance – which is the key component to waste elimination. By avoiding waste we save resources and decrease the amount of waste for disposal. This means products designed so they eg are non-toxic, have usable components and can be recycled. 

Reusing –   equipment, furniture and containers and bottles or paper in printers etc, effectively extends the life of a product and decreases the amount of waste ending up in landfill. 

Recycling – which decreases the use of virgin materials and the associated pollution from extraction and again saves waste going to landfill.

IF A PRODUCT CANNOT BE AVOIDED, RE-USED OR RECYCLED THEN IT WILL NEED TO BE DISPOSED OF IN LANDFILL.