Lots of people already reuse items, most without even thinking about it.  Reusing carrier bags as bin liners, using your local library, passing a newspaper on to a neighbour or saving glass jars to store things in are all common ways in which people already decrease the waste they produce by using an item more than once.  Here are a few more ways to help:

Shopping bags
Every year, supermarkets give away an estimated 17.5 billion plastic bags- this is equivalent to over 290 carrier bags per person in the UK.  There are many ways in which you can reduce the need to throw away plastic bags-take a reusable bag to the shop with you, reuse the carrier bag you were given the last tim or refuse to take a carrier bag when you don’t need one. 

Some retailers are also trying to reduce the number of carrier bags they give away by:

• making a small charge for their bags (IKEA and B&Q)
• offering facilities to recycle worn out carrier bags (some Morrison, Tesco and Sainsbury supermarkets)
• producing biodegradable bags (Co-op)
• offering a ‘Bag for Life’ as an alternative to the carrier bag. 

Most supermarkets now offer ‘bags for life’ which are made of stronger plastic and usually cost in the region of 10p, but can be used over and over again.  Some supermarkets offer to replace these for free when they wear out and recycle your old one, or even give you loyalty points or money back for every bag of your own you use to take your shopping home!

Clothing- Charity Shops & Textile Banks
East Lothian has an extensive network of charity shops, for many different causes, where you can take all sorts of items that you no longer want, but that are still in good enough condition to be used again.  Common items that are accepted include clothing, shoes, books, bric-a-brac, toys, curtains, bedding and small items of furniture. 

To find out where your local charity shops are check the listings in the Phone Book or Yellow Pages, or visit the Association of Charity Shops website at www.charityshops.org.uk, where you can search for your closest charity shop by postcode. 

Each of the Recycling Centres or CA Sites and the main recycling points in East Lothian also have textile banks where you can deposit clothes, shoes (tied in pairs), bedding and curtains.  The Recycling Centres and Points leaflet contains a full list of all our sites and what can be recycled at each one. 

To request this leaflet please call the helpline on 01620 827 215 or view a full list of our recycling sites on the Recycling Centres & Points page.

Rechargeable batteries
By using rechargeable batteries you don’t need to buy new ones every time they run out, which cuts down on waste and reduces cost.  Although rechargeable batteries are more expensive to buy in the first place, they work out cheaper in the long run. 

Two manufacturers of nickel cadmium batteries operate take back schemes where you can send your used batteries back to the manufacturer to be recycled.  Both schemes only accept their own batteries back and provide freepost addresses to save you the cost of postage.

Energiser batteries- Energiser UK, FREEPOST LOL 2311, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4TT 

Panasonic batteries- Panasonic, The Resale Department, Panasonic UK Ltd, Panasonic House, Willoughby Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8FT. 

Visit www.battery.ukf.net for further information on rechargeable batteries and chargers.  Alternatively, if possible try to buy goods that can use mains electricity and avoid buying batteries

Refillable containers
Another way to reduce the amount you throw away is by purchasing refillable containers where you can:

Printer Cartridges- Laser and inkjet printer cartridges are collected by several charities for recycling, as they can be easily reused and present a good fund-raising opportunity.  Here are just a few charities that offer recycling schemes:

• Childline (0800 056 2416)
• Laser (01873 859 901) on behalf of Cancer Research or Oxfam
• CHAS- Childrens Hospice (0131 444 1900)
• The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (0131 668 4949)
• British Red Cross (01638 552 082) - inkjet only
• www.envocare.org.uk which lists all cartridge recyclers.

Many places now offer to refill inkjet printer cartridges- both Smart Cartridge and Cartridge World have stores in Edinburgh (see your phone book for details).  Capability Scotland, Cancer Research UK and Oxfam charity shops also have collection facilities for used cartridges.

Glass Milk Bottles- Milk containers, usually made of plastic, are a regular feature in the average household bin- easily spotted by the amount of space they take up. 

Wiseman Dairies (0131 339 1550) operates a delivery service in parts of East Lothian, which uses glass milk bottles.  If you ‘rinse & return’ every bottle delivered you will dramatically reduce the volume of waste you throw out every week.

Returnable Bottles-Glass juice bottles with returnable deposits are still sold in many of the smaller shops.  By returning the bottle to the shop, which returns it to the supplier, a new bottle doesn’t have to be produced with every bottle of juice.  This means the supplier saves money and fewer raw materials are needed to produce new glass bottles.  Currently, for every bottle with a deposit you take back to the shop, you will receive a 20p refund.

Household Items (furniture, white goods and electrical items)
Recycling First operates a furniture recycling project from their warehouse in Macmerry Industrial Estate and the ELVON shop at 12 Bridge Street, Tranent.  The project aims to collect good quality second hand furniture and redistribute it to families in need in East Lothian.  Items can be donated direct to the shop, or they also offer a free of charge collection service for household goods which are fit for reuse, including furniture, curtains, bedding, electrical items and white goods (washing machines, cookers, fridges and freezers) which are still in working order.  If you have a household item you no longer need but may be of use to others please call Recycling First on 01875 615 891.  More information can be found on www.recyclingfirst.freeuk.com.

Bethany Christian Trust also offers a collection service one-day a week in East Lothian for good quality furniture and working electrical items.  If you have items you would like to donate to the trust please call 0131 467 3993.  The Bethany Christian Trust also has a shop in Gullane High Street that sells some of the collected items and also accepts donations of clothes, bric-a-brac, curtains, bedding, books and jewellery.

Craft Materials
Borders Scrap Store collects, stores and re-distributes materials to improve the range and quality of materials available for art and craft.  They accept donations from local industry, but also from members of the public.  Items they have a particular need for include lace, ribbon, tissue paper, unused balls of wool, fake fur fabric, wire, cellophane, buttons, beads, cotton reels, felt, pegs, elastic bands and coloured straws. 

The group make the materials available to their members, which includes playgroups, schools, youth groups (brownies, scouts etc.), hospitals, church groups and play schemes. 

The group have a Scrap Store at Fisherrow Community Centre in Musselburgh which is open on Wednesdays from 9.30am – 1.30pm and can be contacted by calling 0131 665 8232.  Alternatively, visit www.intowork.org.uk/bitsandbobs.

Architectural Salvage
East Lothian Council Architectural Salvage Store is pleased to accept donations of suitable items, such as wrought and cast iron items, fireplaces and mantelpieces, roof slates and finials, clay and glass roof pantiles, stonework or timber panelling.  The main consideration is that they are worthy of conservation, are unable to be retained in their present location and have potential for renovation and re-use. 

If you wish to donate items to the store please contact the Council’s environment department on 01620 827 265, who will arrange for the items to be inspected, and if suitable, can also arrange transport. 

Items donated to the store are available to be used for properties within the East Lothian Council are which are either listed or within a designated conservation area.  Visit www.salvo.co.uk for more information on salvage stores.

Bicycles
The Bike Station is a community project which repairs and refurbishes donated bikes.  Located underneath Waverley Station in Edinburgh the Bike Station helps give bikes a new lease of life thanks to donations of bikes and parts from the public and the time of volunteers.  The Bike Station also have a well-stocked workshop so you can fix your own bike, repair one of the donated bikes, or buy one of the bikes they have recycled. 

To find out more visit www.thebikestation.org.uk or call 0131 558 1682.

Nappies
Modern real nappies offer parents a practical alternative to disposables -which can take between 200 and 500 years to degrade in a landfill site.  They come in over 30 types and patterns, are made of lightweight, fluffy material so they wash and dry easily and use Velcro, poppers or plastic grips to ensure they fit snugly.  There are also laundry services available that will wash real nappies for you and deliver clean ones to your door. 

Using real nappies does not only benefit the environment; it can also offer cost savings.  East Lothian Council, in conjunction with Changeworks, are running a real nappy project in East Lothian that provides parents with the opportunity to learn more about real nappies and to try out different types.  This lets parents decide for themselves whether or not real nappies are suitable and see first hand just how much they have changed. 

For more information visit the 'Reduce' page, contact Changeworks on 0131 538 4010 or email realnappies@changeworks.org.uk.

Other items can also be reused in various ways:
Spectacles- can be donated to Vision Aid Overseas- a UK based charity dedicated to helping needy people in the developing world whose lives are blighted by poor eyesight, particularly in those cases where spectacles can help.  Donations can be made directly to Vision Aid Overseas (01293 535 016, www.vao.org.uk) or through most opticians.

Tools-   The Trading Places Development Centre provides a workshop for disabled people at Macmerry Industrial Estate.  A variety of items are produced, repaired or refurbished at the centre, which gratefully accepts donations of all types of manual tools.  Most types of hand tools are accepted (garden, joinery etc.) and can be presented in any condition.  If you would like to make a donation please contact the project on 01875 614 928.

Mobile phones- like cartridges these are still valuable when you have finished with them and several schemes are available to have them recycled or reused.  Both the British Red Cross and Oxfam accept mobile phones for recycling at their charity shops.  Alternatively, you can use a freepost service to donate them to Oxfam by post  at: Oxfam Bring Scheme, FREEPOST, LON16281, London, W5 5BR.  In addition, some mobile phone shops offer a ‘take-back’ service for mobile phones and accessories.  Visit www.envocare.org.uk to view a list of all mobile phone recyclers.

Books in good condition can be given to libraries or charity shops.

Paper & Envelopes can be reused by writing on the other side of a sheet of paper or by putting a sticker over the address on an envelope to use it again.  This is especially worthwhile for expensive padded envelopes.

Computers- Several organisations accept donations of certain types of old computers in aid of charity. 

• Pass IT On (0131 476 1645, www.passitoncomputers.co.uk) adapts donated equipment (computers, printers, software and accessories) and redistributes it to people with disabilities.
• CyberCycle (0131 654 5714) accepts computers, printers and accessories. 
• Computers for Africa (0131 335 5807) accepts donations from individuals or organisations and sends them to well established projects in Africa. 
• Recycle ICT (0131 659 5558) accepts donations of computer and IT equipment that is used to train people in Edinburgh & Lothians in core IT skills.

Unwanted Items- Trading Exchanges
Several schemes exist to allow people to exchange items they no longer want, need or have room for.  Most are internet based-

• eBay (www.ebay.co.uk) allows buying and selling of all types of items,
• Urban Alternatives (www.urban-alternatives.org) runs an exchange forum where reusable items can be sold, exchanged or given away,
• Edinburgh Local Exchange Trading Exchange Scheme (www.letslinkscotland.org.uk) allows the exchange of goods and services without using cash,
• Yahoo Exchange Group (http://uk.groups.yahoo.com) has a membership scheme which allows the advertisement of unwanted goods
• Equip Scotland (www.equipscotland.co.uk or 0870 747 6202) runs a matchmaking service for items that may be of use to the voluntary community- individuals, organisations or companies can make donations.

Finally
Try to buy reusable items rather than disposables (razors, plates, napkins, tissues, cleaning products) and where possible try to buy recycled goods (paper, bin bags, kitchen roll, stationery, tins and cans)- by purchasing items that have been recycled you will be supporting the recycling industry and reusing something at the same time.