Reusing waste materials

Reusing materials/items that you think are no longer needed, is an easy way of limiting the amount of waste that you produce in your organisation. Many, if not most of the items we use in FHE can be reused. Often all it takes is a bit of forethought, so ask yourself the following questions before discarding the item.

If an item cannot be used by you, can it be used by someone else in your organisation?
Circulate by email that you have an unwanted desk, chair, filing cabinet etc or place advertisements on notice boards or in an internal newsletter. Alternatively can it be used outside your organisation, for example a charity?
If the item is broken or obsolete can it be repaired or upgraded?
Sometimes the initial cost of the repair or upgrade is perceived to be a restricting factor, but the extended life of the item makes it worthwhile in the long term.
Is the item suitable to be used for another purpose?
For example boxes, originally used for the delivery of computer paper, could be used as recycling trays or for temporary storage of other items.

The following links provide some useful suggestions for reusing “waste”
www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/WasteAtWork.htm#_reduction
www.envirowise.gov.uk/envirowisev3.nsf/key/wmhome
www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk/recycling/index.htm
www.integra.org.uk/about/pub_trash.html
www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/eng/index.asp?locID=4826&docID=-1

A good example of reusing waste paper is provided by SEPA. (www.sepa.org.uk/nws/thenetwork/course/index.htm) Details of financial savings are also included.

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Reusing waste materials

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