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October is National Reuse Month and we've teamed up with Longford County Council to help you make the most of what you already have!
Sourced on Pixabay.Now that it's officially National Reuse Month, we want to share some of the easiest ways that you can become more environmentally aware and reuse in your every day life.
Here are five ways that you can reuse at home and at work.
1. Drop the fast fashion.
Image via PixabayThe fast fashion industry accounts for mountains of waste every year. To put it into context, we now have five times the amount of clothes than our grandparents did.
In an attempt to reduce that waste you can reuse your clothes and keep them for longer. Try to up-cycle clothing items and give them a new lease of life by chopping sleeves, adding stickers or by dying your jeans.
2. Up-cycle your furniture.
Image via CanvaThere is definitely a revolution happening in the world of interiors.
Up-cycling furniture is a great way to reduce waste and create a more sustainable future.
Whether you call it revamping, re-purposing, reclaiming, re-imagining or salvaging - it doesn't matter, it's all up-cycling.
Up-cycling adds value to the item through clever design to make it more aesthetically pleasing and its re-using.
3. Donate to charity shops.
Image via CanvaThrowing things into the bin or hiring a skip may seem like a quick fix, but a trip to the charity shop could be a more sustainable solution.
Charity shops are a great place to donate and pick up a bargain, but make sure to only donate clothes suitable for re-homing.
Those who operate the shops stress that using them responsibly is key to ensuring they can work effectively to help the charities they represent.
Paul Hughes, spokesman for the Irish Charity Shops Association (ICSA), and shop manager with the Irish Cancer Society says:
"Charities are at the leading edge of sustainability and have been for 30 years in this country."
4. Ditch the disposable cups.
Image via CanvaA new levy to restrict the use of disposable coffee cups is to be introduced in the Republic of Ireland.
The so-called 'latte levy' aims to incentivise the use of recycled and reusable alternatives to single-use disposable packaging.
It also paves the way for use of CCTV to detect and deter illegal dumping and littering.
Ossian Smyth, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, said the government will enter into a public consultation process in relation to the levy, which will take about 90 days to complete:
"It’s not just about coffee cups, it’s any food packaging or any product packaging.
"If we find out that there is a good reusable alternative and we think it's feasible to move to that, we can put a small levy on something and encourage consumers to change. We’re starting with coffee cups."
The minister added that some cafés have already removed disposable cups and that it is working well for them.
5. Transport change.
Image via PixabayThere is a really great bike to work scheme in Ireland. Although it could be more difficult for people living in rural Ireland, cycling is a much better way to get to work if you can.
Choose public transport when you can and leave the car at home. Go electric, hybrid or low emissions and cut cost of fuel by half.
Electric vehicles can offer your business savings through refuelling, maintenance, tolls and motor tax and it shows your customers that you are contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable environment.
A lower carbon footprint is a big win for your brand image. Your business can make a positive impact on climate change by reducing a range of emissions associated with fleet transport.
Keep an eye out on iRadio.ie for more tips on how to re-use in your daily life.
October is Ireland’s National #ReuseMonth, reuse is about valuing our stuff, by using & reusing it for as long and as often as possible.
Longford County Council encourages #Longford people and businesses to reuse more and waste less.#YourCouncil pic.twitter.com/zYYyAuLIte
— Longford County Council (@longfordcoco) October 15, 2020
