Fact: If each one of the UK's ten million office workers used one less staple a day,
120 tonnes of steel would be saved every year. (Change the World 9 to 5).

Tip: You can do your bit by investing in a stapleless stapler. This will also save money in the long run as you need never buy staples again.

Waste: Reduce, Reuse Recycle

According to Save Cash and Save the Planet the average UK person will throw away their body weight in rubbish every three months. Another figure they have published is UK households throw away enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall hourly.

When rubbish is sent to landfills we lose the natural resources. This is damaging to the environment for a number of reasons:

1. It creates a demand for extracting new resources, which uses energy
2. It uses natural resources which are not infinite and they will eventually run out.
3. The environment then has to deal with decomposing the rubbish, which can cause the release of damaging chemicals and gases, as well as taking longer to do so when in a landfill.

We need to become a more sustainable society and leave resources available for future generations.

We need to start thinking of the resources we throw away, how they can be reduced, reused, recovered, recycled and if all else fails, how to best dispose of them.

Reducing
Minimise. Avoid. Prevent.
This can refer to any part of a products life cycle. When buying a new product think ‘Do I need it?’ ‘Can my existing one be fixed or upgraded?’ If you still need to buy a new one, choose one with the smallest environmental impact. Try buying things which are ethically traded, organically grown, and as natural as possible to reduce their impact.
The durability and life expectancy should also be considered. If an item is more durable and well made, it will last longer and prevent you from needing to buy another one. It may cost more initially, but it is often worth while financially in the long term. Companies are becoming greener, designing with upgrading and durability in mind.

Reusing
Buying from charity shops and second hand shops, passing on unwanted items to be reused by others and returning equipment back to manufacturers for them to remanufacture are all good ways of reusing products and materials.
Refurbishing furniture is a Human Kind way of redecorating and redesigning your home. Containers can be reused as plant pots or storage devices.
Reusing can also be incorporated into everyday essentials such as getting milk in glass bottles which are returned and reused.

Recycle
If it is essential to buy it in the first place, and it cannot be repaired or updated, and it is no use to anyone else it should be recycled wherever possible.
Although it uses energy to recycle materials it reduces the demand for raw materials, lessening the impact on the environment cause by extraction. The extraction of some materials can destroy the natural environment and local wildlife habitats. It also uses less energy to recycle products than it does to extract new ones.
Recycling has not been successful until it has come full circle. To ensure companies opt for recycled materials in their products society has to make a demand on them to do so. So, wherever possible buy products that have been made with recycled materials.

Finally
Know that each purchase, each product, each act that you do will influence and help make a future for us and generations after us. (www.wasteonline.org.uk).