Four R's
of Recycling
Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle, Restore
REDUCE
Be aware of the waste
you generate
Use less stuff
Buy less stuff
Buy what you need not
what you want or think you need.
Avoid compulsive
buying: This takes real discipline
to recognize the
difference between want and need.
Ask yourself: "Do
I really need this?" before buying it.
Save 50% of your paper
budget! How? Use the other side. Don't waste: use both sides
of paper, avoid unnecessary photocopies, use message boards
at the office instead of individual memos, use old memos for
scrap paper and phone messages.
Reduce memos to one
page (double sided)
Buy to last
Buy in bulk when
possible
Buy items with less
packaging
Don't buy disposable
office products
Remove your name or
your companies name from junk mailing lists
REUSE
One person's trash is another's treasure!
Reuse items when
possible. Please don't throw things away. If you can't use
it, give it to a neighbor, friend or a charitable
organization.
Reuse envelopes
Reuse file folder boxes
for gift wrapping
Be conservative - think
about it first! Find a second use before throwing it out.
At home for instance:
an old t-shirt can be used as a dusting cloth or a rag. Old
towels can be cut up into smaller sizes and made into
washcloths or used as rags to wash the car or clean.
Reuse cloth towels
instead of buying paper towels.
Reuse other people
stuff by purchasing recycled merchandise at garage sales or
thrift stores.
RECYCLE
Recycle: change your
habits. Recycle at home, at work or wherever possible.
Close the recycling
loop! Buy recycled products.
Look for the recycling
symbols when you shop.
Buy products that use
recycled content in their packaging, this saves virgin
products.
Pre-cycle: don't buy
products that are over packaged. Avoid plastic and
polystyrene.
Use shredded waste
paper or shredded newspaper for packing material.
Use wet shredded paper,
wet newspaper, or wet paper towels in your compost pile.
Know what materials
your community recycles (purchase those materials as you
shop for foods and household goods and office products.)
Use the
CALMAX
(California Material Exchange) Program. For material
listings catalog information or to get on the mailing list
call (916) 255-2369 / (800) 553-2962.
RESTORE
Repair, fix, and reuse
Put back into mother
earth what you take out
Start a compost pile in
your backyard using: grass, broken branches, tree trimmings.
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