What does Reuse do for you?

[ladywaterwind]

Here are some beneficial things reuse does, as well as some stats on reuse programs in various states.

• Reusing items -- by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them -- also reduces waste. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.

• Saves natural resources. Waste is not just created when consumers throw items away. Throughout the life cycle of a product—from extraction of raw materials to transportation to processing and manufacturing facilities to manufacture and use—waste is generated. Reusing items or making them with less material decreases waste dramatically. Ultimately, less materials will need to be recycled or sent to landfills or waste combustion facilities.

• Reuse has vast potential for creating new markets for materials, new jobs, and opportunities for vocational training.

• Currently, Florida is leading the nation -- reusing 660 million gallons of reclaimed water each day to conserve freshwater supplies and replenish our rivers, streams, lakes and the aquifers," said Secretary Michael W. Sole

• During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day

• Since 1977, the weight of 2-liter plastic soft drink bottles has been reduced from 68 grams each to 51 grams. That means that 250 million pounds of plastic per year has been kept out of the waste stream.

• Between 2 and 5 percent of the waste stream is potentially reusable according to local studies in Berkeley, California, and Leverett, Massachusetts.

• There are more than 6,000 reuse centers around the country, ranging from specialized programs for building materials or unneeded materials in schools to local programs such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army, according to the Reuse Development Organization.

• Reduces costs. The benefits of preventing waste go beyond reducing reliance on other forms of waste disposal. Preventing waste also can mean economic savings for communities, businesses, schools, and individual consumers.

— Communities. More than 6,000 communities have instituted "pay-as-you-throw" programs where citizens pay for each can or bag of trash they set out for disposal rather than through the tax base or a flat fee. When these households reduce waste at the source, they dispose of less trash and pay lower trash bills.

— Businesses. Industry also has an economic incentive to practice source reduction. When businesses manufacture their products with less packaging, they are buying less raw material. A decrease in manufacturing costs can mean a larger profit margin, with savings that can be passed on to the consumer.

— Consumers. Consumers also can share in the economic benefits of source reduction. Buying products in bulk, with less packaging, or that are reusable (not single-use) frequently means a cost savings. What is good for the environment can be good for the pocketbook as well.


Sources:
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/sourcred.htm
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/reuse/
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/reuse/index.htm

[derketchup]

Reusing is just smart. I reuse plastic water bottles several times before throwing them out. Not only am I saving the earth about 5-10 plastic bottles a week, I'm also saving my pocket-book about $5 a week, too!