In the second part of this article, Antonia Chitty from www.acpr.co.uk looks at ways you and your family can cut down on waste, and how going green can save you money as well.

Waste
In just one hour the UK produces enough rubbish to fill Albert Hall. Incineration and landfill cause pollution, so look at ways you can reduce the amount of waste the family produces, reuse things and recycle. There's also pressure from councils for people to cut down the amount of rubbish they produce nowadays. For young families, nappies are one of the biggest sources of rubbish - why not find out about cloth nappies? Visit the Cloth Nappies section here on THM for more info

Try to buy fruit and veg loose - they can work out cheaper this way too, and you don't get so much unnecessary packaging. If you find trips to the supermarket a hassle, try to keep space in the freezer for staples like bread and milk. By doing one big shop and freezing some things you can cut the number of trips you need to make which will save time, money and petrol. If you use lots of kitchen foil or baking parchment, buy a reusable baking sheet. They can be used to line the grill or a cake tin, and then washed and used again time after time.

Reusing bags at the supermarket is good for the environment. If you used string bags instead of 12 carrier bags a week, you'd reduce carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing the bags by 600kg per year - the same amount as a car releases when it's used for four weeks.

Perhaps look at buying large packs of crisps, instead of small individual packets inside a multipack - it's quick and easy to put some in a reusable plastic box for the kids lunches. And the kids can have fun and help with their lunches too. At the weekend, why not have a 'baking hour' when you and the kids make some cakes or biscuits to go in their lunchboxes throughout he week. It's cheaper than buying biscuits, and again you'll cut down on the amount of rubbish going in the bin.
We fill about 300 million square metres of land with rubbish every year, that’s the same as covering the pitch at Old Trafford, Manchester United Football Club’s ground, 28,450 times.

Composting is another way to cut down on the amount of waste that goes in the bin; many local councils now offer cheap compost bins.

The amount of waste paper buried each year would fill 103,448 double decker buses. To reduce the amount of paper that gets thrown away, reuse envelopes by adding reuse stickers. Write to the mailing preference service Mailing Preference Service www.dma.org.uk  which will stop 95% of the junk mail you currently receive. A forest the size of Wales is cut down each year to supply the paper to feed the UK's junk mail habit.

Although the recycling process uses energy and water, it usually isn't as much as making a product from scratch. Recycling also cuts down on raw materials having to be extracted from the earth's resources. In the UK we recycle about 25% of the paper we use, compared with around 60% for the best country in Europe. If the UK recycled 60% of the amount of paper used in 1997, 8 million fewer trees would be cut down each year. There's only so much point in recycling if nobody buys recycled products. It can cost more, but the price will come down as demand increases.

Newspapers, magazines, glass bottles, cans and textiles can be recycled. Plastic is used as packaging because it is so light and cheap. But, because there are hundreds of different types, it is often difficult to recycle. If you can't recycle it at a place near you, the try and buy less of it - not an easy task but it can make a difference. Even spectacles can be reused. Many optometrists collect spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas (VAO) - a charity that sorts old spectacles then sends them out to be used in developing countries.

According to a recent survey, of the 40 million mobile phones that have been sold in the UK, only 20 million are in use. So where are they all? Some are gathering dust in drawers but others are being thrown away and end up in landfill sites. Not only is this a waste but also very polluting as the phones contain a cocktail of toxic materials. Mobile Takeback UK (www.mobiletakeback.co.uk) recycle unwanted mobiles and their accessories - just take your old phone to one of the participating retailers (includes BT, Vodafone and One2One) and they'll ensure that it's disposed of properly. Tesco collects old mobiles and donates £5 to charity for every phone recycled. For more details go to your local store or www.tesco.com/everylittlehelps. Tesco will also recycle inkjet cartridges from printers. Oxfam shops take unwanted mobiles, inkjet and laser cartridges for recycling too. By 2005 more than 150 million PCs and workstations will have gone to landfill. Computer Aid International refurbishes old pcs and redistribute them in the third world. www.computeraid.org


Coffee break
When you're next buying coffee or tea, check whether there's a fair trade product on the shelf. Fair trade organisations ensure that small farmers in poor countries receive a fair share of the money you pay for their product. These farmers are generally more likely to be using environmentally friendly practices. For more info look at www.fairtrade.org.uk. Rather than getting cartons of milk, see if there's a local milk round - milk bottles can be reused up to 100 times.

Think about the products used to clean your house too. Bleach and other chemical agents make a mess of the water supply when they find their way into rivers. Detergents contain phosphates which, when released into our lakes and rivers, can kill fish and other organisms. So only use what you need to - it's easy to use too much, particularly of the concentrated washing liquids now available. And look for greener alternatives, many of which are readily available on the supermarket shelves.

Pick a few ideas that appeal to you, or work your way through each section of this article to give your home an environmental audit.


Does it Add up?

Foil behind radiators on outside walls
Cost = £10
Payback time = 12 - 24 months

Fill gaps between skirting boards and the floor
Cost = £10
Payback time = 12 months or less

Energy-saving light bulbs
Cost = £10 per bulb
Payback time = 12 months

New fridge seal
Cost = £10
Payback time = 1 - 5 years

Lag pipes
Cost = £10 - £50
Payback time = 12 months or less

Put a jacket on your water tank
Cost = £10 - £50
Payback time = 12 months

Fit draught excluders (DIY)
Cost = £50
Payback time = 3 - 5 years

Fit draught excluders (Professional)
Cost = £125 - £250
Payback time = 6 - 12 years

Fit shelves above radiators
Cost = £10 - £50
Payback time = 1 - 5 years

Toilet Hippo
Cost = £0-£2.00
Payback time = 8-12 weeks

Source: Global Action Plan

To find out more about Global Action Plans programmes go to www.ergo-living.com
Environment and Energy Helpline (0800 58 57 94)
Ecotricity - 01453 756111
Good Energy - 0845 6011 410
Green Energy UK - 01920 486156