Reduce, reuse, recycle for Highland

Top tips for your home

Reduce

• avoid excessive food packaging
• carry a reusable bottle or cup
• avoid throwing away good food
• start home composting
• buy concentrated products that use less packaging 
• try to hire rather than buy items you will only use once or twice 
• cut down on unwanted mail
• use rechargeable batteries
• avoid disposable nappies - The Nappy Network
• forget fast fashion. Repair, reuse and recycle the clothes you already have rather than buying new. Find out more from Love Your Clothes and take any unwanted clothes and textiles to a Recycling bank to be used by someone else

Reuse

Reuse can be sharing, repairing, donating and re-selling

• try repairing your household items rather than throwing them away
• take items to repair cafes and workshops
• pass on good condition, unwanted household items and clothing to reuse organisations
• give away unwanted, good condition items through social media marketplaces, notice boards, or "freebie" groups.
• go to or host swapshops or " swishing" clothes events
• find pre-loved items at car boot or jumble sales
• join and use a tool library
• donate unwanted items to charity and buy second hand items rather than new
• sell your unwanted items on online stores and social media or at car boot sales, via notice boards or in local newspapers

Recycle

• use your blue recycling bin to recycle as much as possible. Find out what you can put in your blue bin
• make use of your nearest Recycling Points and Centres
• many charities will recycle your old mobile phones
• charity shops will accept a lot of items you no longer want
• if you live in Inverness use your food waste collection service
• find out more on the circular economy from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• more tips to help you reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible at home and at work