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Energy efficiency good housekeeping measures at home

Here are some useful hints and tips on greening in and around the home.

Reduce energy at home

These simple measures will save you money.

Heating

  • 50% of heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft, so insulating them can be the most cost-effective way to save energy in the home, you could save up to £100 on your annual heating bills! In some circumstances you can obtain a grant to help: check out the Energy Saving Trust website (external link) for further details.
  • Double-glazing cuts heat loss through windows by 50% and could cut your heating bill by up to £40 a year.
  • Turn the room thermostat down by 1 °C. This can save up to £30 a year (NO COST).
  • Keeping that dial on a low setting is enough to protect your home from freezing at minimum cost while you are away (NO COST).
  • Don't put curtains or furniture in front of a radiator - they will block the heat (NO COST).
  • Pull on a jumper or warmer layers rather than turning the heating up (NO COST).
  • Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping from your windows (NO COST).

Hot water

  • If your boiler is over 15 years old, it's probably time you replaced it with a new energy efficient one. High efficiency condensing boilers are the most energy efficient and will save you around a third on your heating bills straight away, and even more if you upgrade to modern controls. If we all switched to a condensing boiler, we'd save £1.3 billion a year!
  • An insulating jacket for hot water tanks only costs a few pounds and pays for itself within months. Fit one that's at least 75mm (3") thick and you could save £10-£15 a year.
  • Some coffee shops refill mug-sized flasks, so keep the flask (one-off price around £3.50) and you don't need to keep chucking away all those non-recyclable coffee-to-go cups.
  • Turn the thermostat on your hot-water tank down to 60 °C rather than add lots of cold water to your bath. Saving: £10 a year (NO COST).
  • Put the plug in the basin or sink, especially when running hot water. Otherwise you are pouring money down the drain (NO COST).
  • An ordinary shower uses only two-fifths of the water needed for a bath. Power showers use as much as a bath, and sometimes even more.

Cooking

  • Match the size of the ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying to heat air (NO COST).
  • Put a lid on saucepans, so the contents heat quicker and you use less energy (NO COST).
  • Cook several different foods on one ring with a pressure cooker or steamer.
  • Microwaves save money because you don't waste energy heating containers or air - as is the case in half-empty ovens.

Appliances

  • Look out for the energy saving recommended logo when you're buying new electrical appliances. The logo appears on a growing range of products - from light bulbs to laundry appliances, indicating the most energy efficient appliances which are also cheaper to run.
  • Switch off appliances such as microwaves, TVs, videos, stereos and computers, as they use energy even on standby. 85 per cent of the energy used by a DVD is wasted when it is not in use. Saves up to £11 a year (NO COST).
  • Unplug equipment once fully charged – e.g. mobiles, shavers and electric toothbrushes – otherwise they keep drawing electricity (NO COST).
  • By switching off stand-by buttons, you save energy. The blinking red eye consumes at least 50% of the energy it takes when the TV is on (NO COST).

Refrigeration

  • Avoid leaving fridge doors open. Each minute the door is open takes three minutes of energy to cool down again (NO COST).
  • Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge; allow it to cool first (NO COST).
  • Defrost your fridge regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If it seems to frost up quickly, check the door seal (NO COST).
  • If possible keep the freezer in a cool room or garage (NO COST).
  • Washing machine and dishwasher
  • Wash laundry loads on the low-temperature programme (NO COST).
  • Modern dishwashers often use less energy and water than hand washing, but they do use more detergent – choose a plant-based detergent.

Tumble dryers

  • In summer dry your clothes outside and enjoy the fresh smell that only comes from line-dried clothes (NO COST).
  • Don't dry clothes on a radiator, which stops heat reaching the room, creates damp and provides good growing conditions for mould (NO COST).
  • If you have to use a tumble dryer, don’t put really wet clothes inside. Wring them out or spin-dry them first (NO COST).

Lighting

  • Light-coloured walls, ceilings and floors, as well as mirrors, reflect daylight, making maximum use of natural light (NO COST).
  • Keep window ledges clear of clutter to get the most daylight in your home. Pull curtains back during the day and keep plants trimmed so they don’t block incoming light (NO COST).
  • Change your ordinary light bulbs for energy saving ones. Priced from around £5, energy efficient light bulbs last 12 times longer and for each bulb you fit, you can save up to £7 on your annual electricity bill.
  • For a report on how much energy can be saved in your own home, use our online home energy check. Alternatively, you can obtain a paper version by calling your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC) on 0800 512 012. Our staff at your local EEAC can also provide you with free, impartial advice on how to make your home more energy efficient and talk to you about the grants available in your area to implement energy efficient measures.

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Recycle at home

Become a recycling champion for Walsall by just putting out your green box once a week.

If you live in the borough and have a green box- please use it and if not please use the mini recycling centres and civic amenity sites located throughout the borough

Every resident in Walsall produces over half a tonne of waste each year. Currently most of this ends up in a landfill site, but these sites produce liquids and gases that can be harmful to the environment.

This means that the more rubbish you put into your bin the more damage is done to your local environment.

Each local authority must aim to shift the greater proportion of its waste from unfavourable disposal routes such as landfill, to environmentally sustainable routes such as recycling and recovery (e.g. incineration with heat recovery).

Walsall's target for the recycling and composting of household waste is

To recycle or compost at least 24% of household waste by 2005/6

  • Recycle with our kerbside recycling scheme
  • Use the mini recycling centres
  • Take other items for recycling to our rubbish tips (recycling and household waste disposal sites) or arrange a bulky collection
  • Start your own compost heap

Don’t live in Walsall ? Become a champion for your own area.

If you live outside the borough please use if available your own authorities collection scheme, recycling centres and civic amenity sites- you should be able to find information on kerbside collections, recycling centres and civic amenity sites on your local authorities website

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Reduce, reuse, recycle at home

Reduce

  • Plan a shopping list to prevent purchasing on impulse.
  • Purchase products that will not go out of fashion quickly.
  • Purchase things with less packaging.
  • Purchase things in bulk quantities eg. one large box of breakfast cereal instead of two small boxes.
  • Purchase durable items that will last you a long time eg. rechargeable battery.
  • Purchase refillable items eg. dish washing liquid.
  • Borrow, share and/or hire things that you only need occasionally.
  • Bring a shopping bag while shopping instead of requesting for plastic or paper bags.
  • Use cloth instead of paper tissue for cleaning.
  • Minimise the use of disposable items such as disposable crockery, non-rechargeable batteries etc.
  • Store perishable food eg. bread, fruits in refrigerator.
  • Cook just sufficient food for meals.
  • Pack breakfast or lunch in washable container instead of a one-time container.
  • Write to the respective organisation/s if a few members of the family receive the same reading materials/information.
  • Call the respective organisation/s to remove your address from their mailing list to prevent junk mail.
  • Switch off lights and electronic appliances when not in use.
  • Close the refrigerator door immediately after taking out necessary food, fruits or drinks etc.
  • Use one strong bulb instead of a few low-wattage ones.
  • Use the fan instead of air-conditioning if possible.
  • Turn off the water tap promptly.
  • Check for dripping taps and inspect taps and pipes to prevent water leakage.
  • Take a shower instead of a bath.
  • Wash only with full loads of laundry.
  • Wash the floor with a mop instead of water hose.
  • Wash the car with a pail of water instead of using the water hose.
  • Use a tumbler of water when you brush your teeth.

Reuse

  • Reuse used glass and plastic containers as receptacles.
  • Reuse your old mouse pad as an insulator for placing hot containers that have just been removed from stove or oven, or as a beer mat.
  • Use unwanted plastic bags to bag garbage.
  • Use old clothing as rags for cleaning.
  • Convert scrap paper into memo pads.
  • Pass old textbooks, story books, and toys to others.
  • Pass smaller size but good quality clothing to others.
  • Donate good quality but unwanted items to old folks' homes, charitable organisations etc.
  • Delete old files from diskette to save new files.
  • Repair and recondition faulty electronic appliances to extend their useful lives.
  • Clean and reuse ornaments for the next festive celebration.
  • Clean and reuse washable cutlery and crockery for the next party.

Recycle

  • Make recycled paper at home and decorate it for use as a greeting card or wrapping paper.
  • Segregate recyclable items for collection by waste collectors.
  • Participate in recycling programme/s and deposit recyclable items into designated recycling bins.
  • Purchase recycled products.
  • Purchase greenlabelled products.

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Reduce, reuse, recycle at school

Reduce

  • Purchase more durable devices and items eg. plastic folders instead of paper folders.
  • Purchase refillable items eg. mechanical pencils and refillable pens.
  • Pin notices on notice boards instead of making copies to distribute.
  • Cater sufficient drinks and food for school activities and events.
  • Use refillable soap and drinks dispensers instead of providing individual packets.
  • Switch off light, fan and electronic appliances when not in use.

Reuse

  • Use both sides of paper for writing, calculations and problem solving etc.
  • Pass unwanted textbooks and assessment books to others.
  • Donate old story books to the school library.
  • Delete old files from diskette to store new documents.
  • Compost organic waste into soil conditioners or fertilisers for planting in the school?s garden.
  • Reuse plastic and glass containers as pots for planting.

Recycle

  • Set up a recycling programme in school.
  • Participate in your school's recycling programme.
  • Purchase and use recycled products.

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Water at home

With more baths, washing machines and dishwashers and an increased interest in gardening, we use around 160 litres per person every day. That's 50% more water than we used 25 years ago. And it's surprising how much we can waste without thinking.

Here are some tips for conserving water inside your home.

Bathroom

  • Most people clean their teeth at least twice a day. But if you leave the tap running while you do so, you can waste a lot of water. Instead, turn the tap off while you brush your teeth and rinse at the end with a mug of water - a family of four can save a bath full of water every day by following this example.
  • Partially fill a sink to rinse your razor instead of leaving the tap running.
  • Take shorter showers, or, install water saving shower heads. . Fit a flow restrictor to the shower and restrict flow to six litres a minute for optimum flow and water saving. Suitable for mains or power showers.
  • A bath uses around 80 litres of water whereas showers use an average of only 30 litres. Save time, water and energy by taking a shower.

Toilet

  • If you are about to renovate your bathroom, you might consider installing a water-saving loo. Find out more about eco-friendly products and where you can buy them.
  • Flushing the toilet accounts for about a third of all the water we use in our homes. To cut consumption, reduce the number of times you flush.
  • Fitting a save-a-flush (a bag of harmless crystals) in your toilet cistern can save up to one litre per flush giving a saving of nearly 2,000 litres per person per year. Installing a hippo (designed to work in toilet cisterns with a nine litre flush or greater) can save up to three litres a flush - amounting to 5,000 litres per person per year.
  • Hippos are available free for customers of South Staffordshire water http://www.south-staffs-water.co.uk/Households.Or check out your own local water company to see what deals they have.
  • Flushing non-biodegradable personal items down the toilet can have a direct impact on the quality of our environment by ending up on our beaches and riverbanks. If this happens, it presents a potential health risk to humans and wildlife, as well as looking unsightly.
  • If you do use disposable personal items, such as cotton buds, condoms, tampons or sanitary towels, incontinence pads, colostomy bags and disposable nappies, carefully wrap them up and throw them in a bin – not down the toilet.

Kitchen

  • Run the washing machine and the dishwasher only with full loads. The average wash needs about 95 litres. A full load uses less water than 2 half loads.
  • Make it a full load when you use your washing machine or dishwasher. Miss just one wash a week and you’ll save over 5,000 litres a year.
  • Very 'water efficient' washing machines and dishwashers are now manufactured. Machines with 'A' ratings are the most economical.
  • Chill tap water in the refrigerator for drinking.
  • Wash vegetables in a bowl, not under a running tap. Soaking vegetables makes them easier to peel and a running tap wastes 10 litres a minute.
  • Filling the kettle to the brim wastes power as well as water - only boil as much water as you need for a cup of tea or coffee but make sure the element is covered.
  • Every time you boil an egg save the cooled water for your houseplants. They'll benefit from the nutrients released from the shell.
  • Use the dirty water when cleaning a fish tank on your houseplants. It's rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, which provides an excellent fertiliser.
  • Fix those dripping taps! A dripping tap could waste as much as 90 litres a week.
  • Here are some tips for conserving water outside your home.

Garden

  • Always water your garden either first thing in the morning or in the cool of the evening, so that less water is lost through evaporation and the lawn and plants get a longer drink.
  • Once a week is all the watering your lawn needs even in the hottest weather - don't give it a light sprinkling every few days as very little water will get down to the roots.
  • Use mulch or chipped bark to reduce water losses and prevent water thirsty weeds.
  • Set your lawn mower one notch higher. Longer grass allows less evaporation.
  • Hoeing stimulates the growth of plants, reduces water loss from the soil surface and removes weeds that take up valuable water and nutrients.
  • Watering cans or hand held hoses with a trigger gun attachment are an accurate and economic way of watering garden plants.
  • Use a watering can not a sprinkler system. A watering can uses nine litres of water whereas a sprinkler uses 540 litres per hour as much water as a family of four uses in one day.
  • Garden plants love rainwater, which can easily be collected in a water butt. Water butts provide a cheap way to collect rainwater, which is also better for plants than tap water. Water butts are easy to fit too – just follow these simple steps:
  • Select a downpipe that is not in a prominent position with plenty of room to stand a butt nearby.
  • Cut the downpipe at the desired height and fit a diverter.
  • Ensure the butt is on a water butt stand or firm base, preferably above the ground so you can get a watering can easily under the tap.
  • A firm base is important otherwise, when the water butt is full, it could affect the angle of the bypass diverters, causing them to overflow. It's best to purchase a water butt stand and most are universal.
  • Make sure your water butt or any other collection vessel has a secure, childproof lid. As well as protecting children it will also prevent debris and mosquitoes from entering.
  • Water Butts are available to customers of ·South Staffordshire Water (external link) at reduced prices, or check out your own local water company to see what deals they have.
  • Make sure your hose has a shut-off nozzle.

Cleaning

  • Use a broom, not a hose, to clear debris from sidewalks.
  • Wash your car with soap and water from a bucket not with a hose.

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Carrier bags

Most bags are used only once for carrying goods between the shops and home, which is such a waste, especially when you consider that the majority of free carriers are made from oil - an increasingly valuable commodity.

As the bags often appear light and flimsy, you might not think about their impact on the environment, but statistics for the UK show that each year:

  • more than 10 billion carrier bags are produced
  • if laid end-to-end, these would stretch to the moon and back five times
  • 80% of shoppers put everything into free carrier bags at the supermarket
  • 100,000 tonnes of plastic bags are thrown away – that’s the same weight as 70,000 cars
  • Carrier bags can take around 100 years to decompose in a landfill!

The good news is - it’s easy to play your part in reducing carrier bag waste.

  • use your shopping bag as many times as possible
  • remember to take bags with you every time you go shopping
  • keep spare bags in your car or at work so you’re never without
  • invest in stronger reusable bags, sometimes known as bags for life
  • let the check-out staff know you’ve brought your own before they pack for you

Most people say they simply forget to take and reuse their old carriers or reusable bags at the supermarket. As a nation we need to get into better habits, remember to take a bag when they leave the house, along with essentials such as their keys, wallet or purse. If you have to take a free carrier bag at the till, try to reuse it as often as possible.

Instead of picking up a free carrier bag, try and remember to reuse your old carriers, bags for life or a cloth bag or a rucksack. Whatever you choose, choose to reuse.

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Junk mail

About 21 billion items (550,000 tonnes) of junk mail are sent out every year. This includes:

  • direct mail - advertising messages individually addressed
  • door to door - unaddressed advertisements posted by hand
  • inserts - advertising material in magazines and newspapers
  • 90% of which goes straight in the bin!
  • For each tonne of junk mail produced 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water and 390 gallons of oil are used
  • Direct mail accounted for more than a quarter of spending on advertising in the UK last year
  • Credit-card firms alone spend hundreds of millions of pounds advertising their products and are responsible for about a quarter of the junk mail received
  • Some credit card companies get just 1 customer from every 1,000 items of junk mail sent out
  • Direct marketers send 65m letters every year to people who have died at a cost of £30m. Not only is this an issue that companies should address to spare people unnecessary distress, but it is horrendously wasteful as well
  • Unwanted, unread direct mail serves no purpose – neither to you nor the advertisers who send it. The last thing they want is to waste their valuable resources by mailing people who simply are not interested.

The Mailing Preference Service

The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service that allows you to have your name removed from, or added to, most mailing lists in the country. Signing up is simple:

  • Visit the website at www.mpsonline.org.uk
  • Send an e-mail to mps@dma.org.uk
  • Call 020 7291 3310.
  • Write to: The Mailing Preference Service, FREEPOST 22, London W1E 7EZ. Just state that you’d like to stop receiving unsolicited direct mail.
  • The MPS can remove your name from up to 95% of Direct Mail lists
  • Currently 1.2 million names registered
  • Registration covers all members of a household with the same surname
  • It will take up to 4 months for the Service to have full effect although you should notice a reduction of the mail during this period
  • Registering with the MPS is FREE

It will not stop;

  • mail that has been sent from overseas, un-addressed material or mail addressed to The Occupier
  • mailings from companies with whom you have done business in the past
  • mailings from small, local companies

Unfortunately contacting the companies who send junk mail does not necessary mean that the junk mail will cease. The only real way to stop junk mail is to change the law. Currently there is no legal requirement for companies not to use your personal information even when you have registered with the Mail Preference Service.

Royal Mail’s Door to Door Service

Royal Mail also run a scheme whereby consumers can register to opt out of receiving unsolicited and undressed letters and leaflets delivered by them.

To stop unsolicited, unaddressed mail (addressed to occupier and householder etc) being delivered by the Royal Mail, you can:

Write to Royal Mail Door-to-Door Opt Out Dept., Room 130, Wheatstone House, Faraday Rd , Swindon , SN3 5JW

Call 01793 483 853

Email: mediacentre.customer.service@royalmail.co.uk

Other options

  • As an alternative to throwing mail away, return it marked "Not known at this address." Or "Junk mail, not wanted: return to sender" This will usually get you deleted from the mailing list.
  • When you get junk mail through the post, look for any pre-paid envelope that may be included. If there is one, put all the junk mail that will fit in it and send it back.
  • When filling in product warrantees, competitions and catalogue forms tick the opt-out box so your details are not passed onto other companies.
  • Always check the small print on forms. Some forms ask you to tick the box to receive offers from the companies affiliates and some ask you to tick to not receive details.
  • Select the option to not have your name shown on the public copy of the electoral role, which is sold to mailing firms.
  • Write to your MP asking that the law be changed so the public have to opt-in rather than opt-out to receive junk mail.
  • If you are receiving mail for someone who no longer lives at your address contact Redirect Mail.
  • If a company keeps sending you junk mail after you have asked them not to, complain to the Information Commissioner who will assess your case. The Information Commissioner has a form which you can download which should prevent you getting further mailings.
  • To stop unaddressed, unsolicited marketing mail, you can also: Write to the Direct Marketing Association (UK)

And of course remember to recycle any unwanted mail you receive.

Useful Links

Details of organisations who can advise you on junk mail issues visit

The Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
The Mailing Preference Service
FREEPOST 22
London
W1E 7EZ

Visit the website at www.mpsonline.org.uk
Send an e-mail to mps@dma.org.uk
Call 020 7291 3310

Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
Direct Marketing Association ( UK ) Ltd
Door to Door Council Manager

DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS.

Visit the DMA website at www.dma.org.uk
Call 020 7291 3300

DMA and Planet Ark Mail Suppression Campaign

The Direct Marketing Association have linked up with, the not-for-profit environmental organisation, Planet Ark to reduce unwanted post and promote recycling.

Website: www.controlyourpost.co.uk

The Postal Preference Service

The Preference Service is a UK-based company, run in association with the Royal Mail, which gives consumers the opportunity to not only opt-out of receiving junk mail but also opt-in to receive mail that interests them by filling in a questionnaire.

Parkshot House
5 Kew Road
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 2PR

Telephone: 0870 050 3553
Website: www.thepreferenceservice.com
Email: member@thepreferenceservice.com

Royal Mail’s Door to Door Service

The Royal Mail's Door to Door Service delivers unaddressed junk mail to your address with your normal post. If you do not wish to receive this mail please write to the address below.

Door to Door Opt-Out
Royal Mail
Room 130
Wheatstone House
Wheatstone Road
Swindon
SN3 5JW

The Change of Home Register

Redirectmail provides a service to UK domestic householders who want to stop receiving other peoples' direct mail by submitting their details to the Change of Home Register

The Change of Home Register
PO Box 38347
LONDON
E13 9WD

Telephone: 08701 994 993
Website: www.junkmailforwarding.com

The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC)

If you are continually sent junk mail after asking a company not to, you can ask the Information Commissioner to investigate your case under the 1998 Data Protection Act.

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 745
Website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Opt-Out of Junk Mail

Opt-Out of Junk Mail contains lots of useful advice on how to stop junk mail and includes a petition asking for a change in the law and a letter generator for all the various associations and companies you need to contact to stop receiving junk mail.

Website: www.junk-mail.org.uk

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Smart shopping

A recent survey has revealed that as a nation we waste £80.6 billion on unused goods and services every year. This works out to over £1,700 per person. Fittingly, the research shows that the humble lettuce is the main culprit with 61% of households throwing away a lettuce each week.

To help reduce waste the following shopping tips can be followed.

Practical steps to low waste shopping:

  • Make a list and stick to it. Buy only what you need – you’ll save money be resisting special offer goods that won’t keep!
  • Buy fruit and vegetables loose, not wrapped. Also check out the price per Kg - they’re often much cheaper
  • Remember: You pay for the packaging your food comes in the average household spends some £470 a year on packaging – one sixth of its total food budget, just for something that goes straight in the bin!
  • Buy non-perishable products such as household cleaners in large packages – just one container to throw away, and a cost saving
  • Choose goods with less packaging – one layer is enough! Avoid packages containing several individually wrapped items.
  • Buy refills for products you buy regularly. Save both money and packaging on goods like clothes washing liquid. Again save both money and packaging
  • Find goods that last not throwaways. For example, reusable dish cloths, razors and nappies
  • BYOB- Bring Your Own Bag. Reuse plastic bags, buy a ‘bag for life’ or use canvas bags. To help you remember to do this, keep them in your pocket, handbag or the boot of your car – they don't take up much space and it stops you accumulating bags at home.
  • An analysis of a typical shopping basket found that 26% of the cost is accounted for by food, the rest is packaging, processing, transport, store overheads, advertising and supermarket mark up.
  • Use your local markets and butchers to buy fruit and vegetables- Generally markets are lower cost, use less packaging and the products are more likely to have been produced locally meaning they have travelled fewer miles to get to you and you’ll get what’s in season.
  • Buy concentrated products when possible.
  • Post-consumer materials: These are finished products or other materials that have served their intended use and been discarded for disposal or recovery or to be recycled
  • Buy products that contain recycled materials, preferably post- consumer material. Choose products in recyclable packaging, such as glass, aluminium, steel or paper.
  • Rent or borrow instead of buying. By renting equipment you can avoid having to purchase items that you may only use a few times.
  • BUY ONE GET ONE FREE IS ONLY A GOOD DEAL IF YOU USE THE FREE ONE!
  • Purchase reusable storage containers instead of plastic throw-away bags. Wash and reuse small plastic bags (freezer and sandwich bags) you already own.
  • Resist advertising and marketing ploys to buy items you do not need, and avoid impulse buying whenever possible.

For one thing, you'll save money every time you shop. Also, your town will save money. Because the cost of preventing waste is zero, while landfilling and even recycling, costs something. Reducing waste means more money for important services such as education, crime prevention, road maintenance and human services. Reduction therefore plays a major role in efforts to develop a sustainable society, one that makes efficient use of resources while minimising impact on the environment.

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