The First "R" - Reduce

We all try to follow the rules of the three R’s in the waste reduction hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle. The first step, “Reduce,” could be the most fundamental. As the more we reduce, the less waste there is to be reused and recycled.

Reducing what is produced and consumed is essential to protecting our environment. Here’s seven advisory hacks for your everyday life which will reduce your every day waste production this February.

The average person in the UK consumes the equivalent of a staggering 4.48 trees per year, but with access to so many different forms of technology, it’s practical and easy to live a paperless lifestyle. Show your concert ticket on your phone instead of printing it, take a picture of someone’s contact details rather than printing them, and if you really do need to print, always make sure it’s double sided when possible.

Following on from our #OneLesspledge blog post last week, it’s clear that plastic bottle pollution is growing fast. With over 13 billion plastic bottles being thrown away each year, we are all needlessly harming the environment. If we all swapped to reusable bottles, such as stainless steel, we could all do our part to limit ocean pollution. Find your reusable bottle here and ditch the plastic for good.

After a video surfaced (warning: graphic content) online of a sea turtle with a straw in it’s nostril, it became clear that straws aren’t only polluting our oceans, they’re also harming our sea creatures too. Straws are now given to us in most bars and restaurants we go to, however such a minor convenience is causing such extreme waste and pollution. Join the No Plastic Straw pledge and help defeat straw pollution.

According to one estimate, somewhere between five billion and one trillion plastic bags are used each year around the world. Plastic bags contribute a great deal to plastic pollution and just by using re-usable bags we can help tackle the problem. Plastic bags rip often rip or break and they also cost us five pence each time. Switch to a bag for life and help protect the planet.

Products such as fabric softeners, dry foods and toiletries are all available in bulk buy, yet many of us re-purchase the same product again and again in small volumes. This not only produces unnecessary waste and packaging, it also costs us more money. Always buy the highest measure or the highest concentrated form of a product when possible, it will last you longer too.