Natural Living

Jo Wood on best ways to recycle

By Jo Wood

This month, Natural Health’s green guru Jo Wood urges us all to consider reusing, recycling and renewing.

This month, Natural Health’s green guru Jo Wood urges us all to consider reusing, recycling and renewing.
When Christmas has come and gone, and we’ve all spent, eaten and drunk far too much, it’s then time to clear away the unwanted gifts, recycle the packaging, and come face to face with the indulgent excess. With the ‘new year, new you’ mentality just around the corner, and January detoxing no doubt on everyone’s to-do lists, I hope everyone will welcome in the new year with a new attitude towards consumption and recycling.

Personally, I don’t know exactly how we are going to do it, but we’ve got to find a way to change things. There are now seven billion people inhabiting our beautiful planet, and that figure is growing by the second. Sadly our planet isn’t evolving at a pace which can accommodate this growth in population, in fact, quite the opposite; our planet is struggling to cope with this huge responsibility on its rounded shoulders.

Curb your consumerism

I don’t believe it’s the people that are the problem though, more the way we consume. We have to change our attitudes. We’re shopping, eating and consuming at an alarming rate. We take our daily lives for granted without a second thought. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m just as guilty as the next person, but over the last few years I’ve been making some big changes to my life, as I hope my column has demonstrated. In fact, I will have just moved into my new house when you read this, and you can rest assured I have been scouring markets, antique shops, reclamation yards, websites – you name it, in order to try and find one-off and unique pieces of furniture for my house. I’ve really enjoyed turning old pieces into new pieces, and giving them a new lease of life. It’s been such a creative process and great fun!

So how do we move forward as a nation to reuse, recycle and renew, and make it fun as well as a conscious part of our daily lives? How do we change a younger generation that is so used to consuming, and having such a disposable attitude to the way they shop, and the way they litter?

A good place to start is to lead by example, and to also start challenging the manufacturing processes. There is still far too much packaging on goods, and some which you still can’t recycle. Landfill is becoming out of control in this country; we are quite simply running out of space. But manufacturers also have a responsibility to start making more sustainable products; beautiful products which we will want to keep; products which we will want to keep to pass down to the generations to come.

Take up the challenge

We can change our attitudes – just look at how successful the ban plastic bags campaign was, for example. I’m always thrilled when I’m at the supermarket and I see my fellow shoppers with all their reusable bags. Now I have two further challenges for you over the next year.

Invest in refills and shop locally for products which you buy loosely, without excess packaging. Not only will this be cheaper, but you will reduce your packaging consumption.
My second challenge for you is when you are next out shopping, get into the habit of asking yourself ‘do I really need this?’ I guarantee this will somehow manifest itself in your subconscious and you will change your habits.