Reuse

What does Reuse mean? Reuse is the second stage of the Waste Hierarchy. Product reuse involves the multiple use of an item in its original form, for its original purpose or for an alternative, with or without reconditioning. In many cases waste that cannot be prevented can be reused instead of buying new products. For example, you can reuse rechargeable batteries numerous times to avoid waste from single use batteries. This helps to ensure that we get the most out of our waste and saves valuable natural resources. The table below gives examples of reusing waste that you can easily take part in. Visit the Real Nappy section, which tells you WHAT real nappies are, HOW they are used and WHY they are worthwhile. Why is Reusing waste a good thing to do? Reusing YOUR waste: Saves the Earth’s natural resources. Saves energy and reduces the risk of climate change. Reduces the need for landfill. Where can I get help with Reusing my waste? You can find details of local and national outlets that offer products and services to help you reuse waste on the Sort It tool. How can I Reuse my waste? The table below gives examples of reusing waste that you can easily take part in. You can visit Sort It for more information on how you can reuse your waste locally.

Sort It Visit Sort It for more information on how you can Reuse your waste locally. Real Nappies Visit the Real Nappy section to find out WHAT real nappies are, HOW they are used and WHY they are worthwhile.

WHAT	HOW	WHY
Reuse	Reuse scrap paper and wrapping paper	Avoids paper waste
	Reuse food containers and drinks bottles for storing food and packed lunches	Avoids packaging waste
	Reuse postal packaging	Avoids waste from envelopes etc
	Reuse boxes and packing cases	Avoids packaging waste
	Reuse shopping bags or use cloth bags	Avoids waste from plastic bags
	Donate computers to be reused	Avoids electronic waste
	Trade, sell, donate or buy second hand books, comics, CDs, DVDs, games & videos	Avoids waste from unwanted goods
	Donate textiles to be reused	Avoids textile waste
	Donate or sell furniture to be reused	Avoids waste from unwanted furniture
Recharge	Use rechargeable batteries	Avoids waste from batteries
Refill	Use refillable products	Avoids packaging waste
Avoid disposables	Buy reusable alternatives, eg Real Nappies	Avoids waste from single use products
Buy recycled	Buy products made from recycled materials	Saves resources needed to make new products

The SEPA Waste Prevention Guide has been designed to provide local authorities, the community sector and individuals with the tools to tackle waste prevention at a local level. The guide covers information on communicating your waste prevention message, waste aware shopping, reuse, unwanted mail, home composting, community composting, product services systems, and useful contacts. You can view and download the guide from the SEPA website.