We Can All Tap into This

From dripping taps to turning old food into fertiliser. Today KAREN McLAUCHLAN takes a look at how we can all reduce waste and reuse the resources around us to improve the environment.

HOW many of us leave the taps running each morning when we go to brush our teeth?

In a matter of minutes more than 10 litres of water have been wasted, going straight down the plughole.

If the entire adult population of England and Wales turned off the taps while they brushed, we could save 180 million litres a day, enough to supply nearly 500,000 houses.

There’s plenty each and every one of us can be doing to reduce waste – and that doesn’t just mean water.

We could be reusing everything from paper to potato peelings rather than throwing in the bin.

And even the smallest changes reap real rewards for the environment.

Households in England produce 25 million tonnes of waste every year. On average every person in the UK now produces about seven times their own weight (500kg) in waste a year.

From water and waste paper to reusing carrier bags and composting – the opportunities are endless. So what can you do?

Waste water is a key area where you can do your bit.

Population growth, modern lifestyles, increasing numbers of us owning washing machines and dishwashers, and hot summers meaning more of us are turning on garden sprinklers to keep lawns looking lush – have all led increasing demand for water.

So it’s vital to make the most of the water we have.

Northumbrian Water says in just one hour a garden sprinkler can use almost as much water as a family of four uses in one day – around 600 litres.

And a dripping tap can waste more than half a litre every ten minutes.

So making a few simple changes to your daily routine can save water by the bucket load.

But something as simple as reusing supermarket carrier bags can also make a big difference.

Every year more than 10 billion carrier bags are produced in the UK and if they were laid in a line they would stretch to the moon and back five times.

About 80% of shoppers put everything into free carrier bags at the supermarket. 100,000 tonnes of plastic bags are thrown away, which is equivalent to the weight of 70,000 cars.

Most people only use them once which is such a waste, particularly when most are made from oil – an increasingly valuable commodity.

If they become litter they can be a danger to wildlife. When thrown out with the rubbish they end up in landfill sites where they can take about 100 years to decompose.

So why not reuse your carriers or buy stronger long-life bags?

Meanwhile composting is nature’s way of recycling and helps to reduce the amount of waste we put out for the bin men.

By composting kitchen and garden waste you can easily improve the quality of your soil and be well on your way to a more beautiful garden.

Grass cuttings, garden weeds and leaves can all go into the compost heap.

Cardboard, paper towels, cardboard tubes and egg boxes can also go into the mix.

Waste from your kitchen, such as fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds and vegetables, will all rot down to make compost.

Middlesbrough Environment City is just one organisation helping people give waste a new lease of life.

To date, more than 2,800 home composting bins have been supplied to residents of Middlesbrough thanks to its Turn To Compost initiative.

Packaging is another area where reductions can be made.

The UK produces around 10 million tonnes of packaging waste, most of which ends up in landfill sites.

Try to buy products without layers of packaging and use refills for products such as washing powder and conditioner rather than buy another new container.

(c) 2007 Evening Gazette – Middlesbrough. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.