YOU Can Help By Doing The Three R's...

Every year, the average
New Zealander throws away:

* 160 cans
* 107 glass bottles
* 45 kilograms of plastic
* 2 trees worth of paper products

A typical household rubbish bag could contain up to 93% recyclable material...
*55% garden/kitchen waste, which can be composted
*21% paper, which can be recycled
*8% plastics, some of which can be recycled
*5% glass, most of which can be recycled
*4% metals, most of which can be recycled
*7% other

How YOU can Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Reduce means... having fewer new things - this saves you money and reduces pollution and waste going in to the environment. Reducing also means choosing things with the least amount of packaging.

• Say 'no bag needed thank you' when you are shopping - take your own bag or back-pack to use instead

• Be careful with your things and if they get broken try fixing them before buying new stuff

• Before buying new things, think whether you really need them - or maybe a second-hand one will be just as good!

• Get refill packs of cleaners and detergents (refill packs save about 60% of the plastic needed for a new squeezy bottle - and saves money too)

• Take a home-made lunch to school - rather than buying lots of things that have heaps of packaging.

Reuse means... thinking before you throw things away - Can it be used again? Would someone else be able to use it? If you can't reuse it, maybe someone else can. Swap, sell or donate items such as toys, clothing, furniture, sports gear, tapes and records.

• Use old shopping bags again. This way you won't need new ones - and you will be saving resources.

Clean out jam jars and use them to put pens and things in. You might like to decorate some jars and put flowers in them - this will make a great present for someone.

• Give away clothes you don't like or have grown out of, and buy clothes from the second hand store - you will find some great bargains!

• Collect used writing paper and photocopier paper with only one side used. Use the other side for scribble pads, drawings, notes... or even for writing more letters.

Recycling means... sorting your waste so it can be turned into new things.

• Start a compost bin - Food scraps go in the compost bin and worms LOVE food scraps. The worms eat up the food scraps and make new, healthy soil, which is good for putting in the garden. If you would like more information about composting you can contact your city, district or regional council or to Forest and Bird.

• Kerbside recycling - some cities have recycling bins that you can buy from the city council. This makes it very easy to recycle at home because all you need to do is put all the things for recycling in the bin and then put the bin out on the kerbside to be collected. Contact your local council for a brochure about what you can recycle - make sure you put the bin out on the correct day!

If your city or town does not have kerbside recycling or a recycling depot, you will need to write LOTS of letters to the Mayor, who is in charge of your city or district council. Your letters will need to explain that you need a kerbside recycling collection.