The best way to clean up our environment and reduce our waste habits is to follow a simple rule. Reduce, reuse, recycle. By doing this we will be able to stop adding waste to the already large landfill and save our precious environment.

Reduce-
Cutting down on waste is the first, and most important step toward saving our environment. We have become accustomed to a lavish lifestyle where it is accepted to throw things away when we no longer need them, and this is adding to the existing large landfill.

Food is a large factor that contributes to waste in our country. Food waste takes up a lot of valuable space in landfill and rots away to produce a methane gas which is a dangerous greenhouse gas. It is not only the food we don’t eat, but the energy that goes into growing, harvesting, fertilizing, production, transportation and packaging of wasted food that all adds to the waste. By reducing this waste we can directly affect climate change and ease pressure on our resources.

Reuse-
We must try to reuse things as much as possible. Instead of just throwing it away, try to find another use for it. Remember what is one person’s trash, may be another’s treasure. Mobile phones, computers, old clothes and even excess paint and be recycled. Ask around to see if anyone needs your unwanted items.

Recycle-
Now that you have exhausted all other options it is time to recycle your unwanted goods. Recycles reduces landfill and saves limited resources and energy, all of which helps to tackle climate change.

Today it is easy to recycle our waste and there are even forms of kerbside recycling to collect common recycled materials. Aluminum is an easy to recycle and make, only producing 5% of carbon emissions.

There are many recycle centres and causes around such as Planet Ark, each aiming to help clean up our environment.