While reusing and recycling is important, the first stage of the waste hierachy is the most important: reducing consumption of raw materials in the first place.

As most greenies know, the amount of energy reclaimed by saving something from landfill is only a tiny proportion of the energy required to have made the thing in the first place and then ship it around the world. By reusing things we already have – either fixing broken things or reusing some waste for a different purpose (as is the aim of this site), we’re reducing our requirement for those new things but we should really be reducing our requirements first, then reusing the things we still need; not just reusing things all the clutter we’ve gathered in the first place.

With this in mind, I’ve decided to try out a new feature on Recycle This: how can I reduce my use of this? if you’re in any way prone to procrastination, the thought of having to reduce everything can stop you doing anything: it’s a lot easier broken down into smaller steps. It’s pretty obvious how to reduce consumption of some things – that random plastic thing that you’re not quite sure what it is but my, it’s pretty (candle holder? bottle opener? plant pot?) from Ikea, just stop, that doesn’t need to be bought – but other things are sometimes a bit harder – and I thought it might be worth trying to get a bit of crowd wisdom/support for those things. And hopefully the suggestions will help other people with their reducing too.

So do you have anything you’re finding it hard to cut down on/wean yourself off? If so, drop me an email – reduce@recyclethis.co.uk and I’ll try to make this a regular thing. Conversely, if you found a really good way to cut back on something, get in touch – it might help someone else give up that same thing too!

We can kick off with one of my bugbears:

• How can I reduce my use of cat food pouches and tiny, teeny cans?

Cor, this has been a long time coming: check out the new look Recycle This!

I’ve been meaning to give it an overhaul for ages and had hoped it could go live for our third birthday in April … but better late than never.

I think as well as being a lot fresher and cleaner, this new design makes a lot better use of the available space and makes things easier to find too. On that point, we’ve swapped the old (WordPress) search for one powered by Google – the old version looked prettier but was useless!

There are a few little “quirks” of this new design that we’re sorting out – if you spot anything amiss, do let me know. Feedback is very much appreciated too. I’m hoping to add some more features to the site over the next few months as well – I’ve got ideas but if there is anything you’d like to see, get in touch. :)

It’s been a while since we launched a new website and it’s happening a bit later than planned (because I’ve been doing last minute tweaks but mostly have been asleep ;) ) but here it is…. Things To Do Today!

Every day, Monday to Friday, we’ll give you four Things To Do Today – perhaps a recipe for some yummy biscuits, a beautiful video to watch, an interesting article to read or just a helpful reminder about something you could, or should, do.

The emphasis is on doing and making positive things instead of just consuming stuff and wasting time.

Obviously you don’t have to do all that stuff but if, like me, you sometimes need a bit of inspiration about what to have for tea or what your next fun craft project is, the site will hopefully provide you with a wealth of ideas.

Suggestions are, of course, welcome – contact details are on the site.

Hope you like it,

-louisa & john :)

P.S. Happy New Year and all that jazz too ;)

• Fruit juice?
• Catalogues?
• Animal bedding?
• Lemon rind?
• Ash from a fire?

Ever wondered if you can or can’t compost something?

We’ve launched a new site to help answer those tough composting dilemmas.

You can search for a specific item or just browse through the categories to your heart’s content.

Hope you like it : )

-Louisa & John