Wasting Less - A Consumer's Guide

Shopping with the Environment in mind...

Reduce

Buy only what you need. Before you buy any item, ask yourself if you really need it, or could you make do with what you already have?

Recyclables

Beverage containers (cans, glass, plastic, milk jugs and juice boxes) can be recycled through SARCAN.

Disposables

The "throw-away" convenience of some products is not worth the environmental price that is paid. Avoid paper towels, plates and cups, throw-away lighters and razors, and disposable diapers. Purchase the multi-use alternatives instead.

Also, consider reducing or eliminating your purchase of disposable fast food packaging.

Buy Quality

Buy durable, long-lasting goods. Initially the cost may be higher, but in the long run you can save. Consumer magazines and organizations can help you make an informed choice.

Rent

Rent seldom used items, such as tools or party ware.

Replace Hazardous Household Products With Non-Toxic Alternatives

Baking soda can be used as a scouring powder on tubs, sinks and ovens. Warm water and vinegar can be used to clean windows and mirrors, using an 8-to-1 solution. Twice weekly rinses with boiling water will keep drains open. Use a metal snake or plunger to unclog drains.

Be A Packaging Watchdog

Buy for the contents, not the container. Some packaging is necessary — you can't carry flour home in your hand — but these days many products have unnecessary or excessive packaging.

Buy fruits and vegetables "loose" rather than on a plastic-covered tray. Pencils and pens are examples of items that can be purchased "loose" at stationary stores, rather than in a bubble pack at the corner store.

• Buy larger size packages of regularly used items. Buying two small jars of peanut butter creates more garbage than one large jar. Buy a large container of juice and send single servings in a thermos for school lunches.
• Reuse plastic bags or containers from home for produce and bulk items.
• Avoid packaging made with two or more different materials, such as juice containers made of a paper laminated with plastic or foil.
• Ask store clerks not to double bag your purchases. Better yet, bring your own shopping bag to the store.

Manufacturers and retailers are sensitive to consumers' preferences. Write the company to let them know you are rejecting a product because it is environmentally inappropriate. Complain to store owners.

Tips For Reducing Household Garbage...

Reuse

• Many things around the house can be saved and reused — string, plastic containers, glass containers, gift wrap, shopping bags. If there are things you can't use, consider giving them to others who can.
• Magazines can be given to friends, or donated to hospitals, nursing homes, or doctors' offices.
• Books can be given to hospitals, donated to organizations such as Salvation Army for resale, or resold in used book stores.
• Yarn and cloth scraps, buttons, wallpaper ends and samples, toilet paper rolls, small boxes, egg cartons, yogurt containers, apple baskets, etc. may be used by nursery or primary schools or day care centres.
• Eyeglasses can be donated to organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind or sent to Operation Eyesight, 759 Warden Avenue, Scarborough, ON, M1L 4B5.
• Check out Freecycle.org, a great avenue for giving away things you no longer want or need.

Donate old clothes, toys, furniture and appliances to charitable organizations such as Salvation Army and Crisis Nursery. Household goods you no longer need might also be sold at garage sales or second hand stores.

Repair

Instead of throwing it out, fix it up! Repair broken toys, furniture and appliances to extend their useful life.

Share

Share with neighbours and friends those large expensive things that you use only once in a while, such as lawn mowers, other gardening equipment, and tools.

Cut Down on Food Waste

20% of the food we buy ends up in the garbage. Keep track of what you've got on hand so that you use groceries while they're still fresh.

Compost

Start a backyard compost with your kitchen and yard waste — banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, leaves, grass clippings, etc. You will reduce your garbage by over one-third and will produce an excellent soil conditioner for your garden. See our composting page for information on how to start composting.

Recycle

Search our "Where to Recycle in SK" database for information on materials that can be recycled in your community or a community near you.

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