Reduce

The best thing we can do with waste is not to produce it in the first place! Reducing our waste by not producing so much is something each one of us can do.  As consumers we can use our purchasing power and choose products which are produced sustainably, use little or no packaging and are durable. Buying only what we really need also helps to reverse the trend of today’s throw-away society.

Reuse

Repair broken appliances, donate old clothes to charity and trade or swap unwanted items at community recycling events or online exchange sites.

Reuse means passing something we no longer want on to others, or giving an item a new lease of life as something completely different.  Either way, reusing our waste can save us money and help the environment, by reducing the amount of rubbish we produce.

PeriodSmart

PeriodSmart aims to save single use plastic, waste and money by encouraging reusable period products.

Why reusable period products?

People with periods use more than 11,000 disposable menstrual products in their lifetime. As well as being expensive, it’s bad for our environment as unflushable products are flushed down the loo or end up in landfill.

The average woman and AFAB person will have 450 periods over their lifetime.   With a cost of around £10 for disposable products per period, this adds up to approximately £130 each year and £5000 over a lifetime. 

Disposal of single use menstrual products – tampons, applicators, liners and pads – generates around 240 tonnes of waste in Causeway Coast and Glens each year.

Most menstrual pads are made from 90% plastic, which can take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills or the ocean.  A big-brand pack of 14 period pads contains the same amount of plastic as 5 carrier bags. 

Around 1, 680 panty liners, 6,000 tampons and 3,375 pads are wrongly flushed down the toilet every day in our Borough.  Once flushed, these items make their way to our beaches, coastline and sea through sewer overflows.  Overflows are used when there is heavy rainfall or a lack of capacity in the sewer system – and when is it not raining here?

Period products are the 5th  most common item of rubbish found on our beaches.  More common than single use coffee cups, straws and cutlery.

What are the benefits of reusable period products?

 ✅ You’ll save money

✅ Reduce the number of products you use

✅ Reduce waste

✅ Won’t run out and have to rush to the shops

PeriodSmart Voucher Scheme

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is offering a refund voucher for people living in the Borough who submit a receipt for reusable period products including:

 ✅ cloth sanitary pads

✅ menstrual cups

✅ period pants

To help with the initial investment to switch to reusable period products, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is offering refund vouchers which can be spent in Considered Co Zero Waste and Refill Store, Coleraine.  Terms and Conditions:

✅ Spend £20 on reusable period pants, pads, liners or menstrual cup and claim a £15 voucher to spend in Considered Co Zero Waste and Refill Store, Coleraine.

✅ Spend £40 on reusable period pants, pads, liners or menstrual cup and claim a £30 voucher to spend in Considered Co Zero Waste and Refill Store, Coleraine.

✅ You must be a full-time resident of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area.

✅ Vouchers can be redeemed through Considered Co Zero Waste and Refill Store, 8A Stone Row, Coleraine.

✅ Upon receipt of the voucher code, it is valid for 3 months and must be used within that time frame.

For full T&Cs, to talk to us and for an application form, please contact  recycle@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk  or phone 028 2766 0248.   

Repair Cafe

Check out NIRN's information and video on Repair Cafes, which features local group, 'Hands That Talk', based in Dungiven. 

If you'd like to find out about volunteering for a Repair Cafe, Causeway Volunteer Group has opportunities for Fixers & Menders (Repair Cafe).   

What can you do?

Charity shops sell second-hand goods which would otherwise be thrown away. Anything that can’t be sold is recycled if possible.  Every household has at least one item of clothing or a book perhaps which is no longer needed.  These items can be of tremendous value to the charity concerned, raising much needed funding but they can also become items of value to another person or household.  It is better to donate items directly to the charity shop rather than leaving them on the doorstep for collectors.

If you don’t want to give them away, try one of the internet market sites allowing someone to make use of items you no longer need.

Real nappies

With the average baby going through approximately 5,000 nappies, why not switch to modern, reusable cotton nappies, which now come with liners and Velcro fastenings?  Reusable nappies are better for the environment and once you have bought a set they will last your child until they stop using nappies. They are also good for your pocket and could save you around £500.

Visit http://www.goreal.org.uk/ for more information.

Recycle

Recycling has the following benefits:

1. It keeps waste out of landfill sites. By reducing, reusing and recycling items we save valuable resources instead of burying them in the ground. This also helps to cut down the number of landfill sites we need and combats climate change by reducing the greenhouse gas methane, which is produced by organic material rotting in landfill sites.
2. It saves energy, resources and helps reduce CO2 emissions. Recycling uses less energy than producing new items from scratch. Recycling an aluminium can for example saves 95% of the energy needed to make a completely new can and because we don't have to extract, refine, transport and process the raw materials we also cut CO2 emissions, industrial water usage, and air and water pollution.
3. It helps to protect natural resources. Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials and provides industry-ready materials without the need for mining, quarrying or logging. Most everyday products can be turned into new things allowing us to use waste materials again and again. Aluminium can be reused indefinitely without losing quality!
4. It helps to create jobs. Recycling is good for the economy and represents one of the fastest growing business sectors.
5. What can you do? There are extensive opportunities to recycle waste at home using your blue recycling bin, food and garden waste brown bin. 
6. Contact us for further information by emailing recycle@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk or telephoning 028 2766 0248.