The Witness of Our Buildings

Information sheets to help Friends make our

buildings less damaging to the environment

VII. RE-USE AND RECYCLING

We have developed a throw-away society. Our products go through a linear process, being produced, used,
and thrown away, either into landfill or to desecrate towns and countryside. We need to develop circular
thinking, so that products go round and round, being used again and again, either in the same or in a
different form. Resources are not endless and will be depleted eventually, and the waste we produce
pollutes the earth, air and water. We should have respect for the planet which supports us, and use all its
resources with care. We should aim to reduce our consumption, re-use what we can, and recycle the rest.

The following are some suggestions which may apply to you:

• Always use the absolute minimum of any commodity, eg. water, washing-up liquid, paper. Using less
initially is greener than simply recycling.
• Do buy recycled goods wherever possible, including glass, toilet paper, paper towels and napkins (though
cloth ones are preferable), and stationery.
• There are countless charities from whom labels can be purchased, so that old envelopes (from which
stamps have been removed) can be reused. Many charities will be pleased to receive the used stamps,
along with aluminium foil, unwanted books, and some even accept greetings cards.
• Leftover knitting yarn can be used to knit blankets or children's jumpers for Oxfam. Otherwise the yarn
can be taken to one of their shops for other knitters to use.
• Charity shops are grateful for good quality discarded items, not only clothing.
• Less good quality items should be donated to your own or some other charity jumble sale.
• Unwanted furniture can be collected by charitable projects which distribute it to poor people, e.g. the
homeless, ex-prisoners, refugees, who have been allotted unfurnished accommodation and have no
money to buy furniture in the shops. Citizens Advice Bureaux, local Councils, or Quaker Social Action
should be able to give details of any such organisations in the locality.
• Do not buy new, when it is possible to repair, repaint, etc,
• Try to use secondhand wood instead of buying new.
• Use recycling workshops for electrical appliances which are faulty or no longer needed. Some projects
will extract the CFCs from your old refrigerator, others will repair electrical goods for use by the needy.
• Buy returnable bottles (and make sure they are returned) when possible. When these are not available, all
empty glass bottles and jars should either be taken to the bottle bank or given to the bottle collection.
• All clean paper - notices, handbills, newspapers, etc. - and most cardboard is suitable for recycling.
• Alternatively, deposit old magazines in waiting-rooms (doctors, dentists, stations, etc.).
• The blank sides of used paper can be used for notes, notices, etc.
• In some places, charities themselves arrange collection of old newspapers and magazines as the paper can
be sold and thus increase the charity's funds.
• Acquire a water butt for the garden, as this will enable you to save rainwater for later use. Banks for
aluminium cans should be available, along with those for paper and glass.

Re-use and Recycle (July 1997) Page 1

• It is possible for steel cans also to be recycled, using magnetic extraction.
• If the above recycling facilities are not available, the local Council should be approached to provide
them.
• Garden refuse and biodegradable kitchen waste (including tea leaves, but not the bags) should be
composted. Include autumn leaves, which should not be burnt, as many small creatures live in them.
The local authority may also have recycling facilities for compostable material.
• A bird table is a way of using up food scraps and encourages birds to frequent the garden.
• Say "no" to disposable cups, use glass or crockery instead.
• Also say "no" to plastic carrier bags - try to carry a bag with you and recycle by reusing. Should you
unfortunately find yourself with a supply of these bags, some charities will be glad to have them for
wrapping goods which they sell.
• Hazardous waste needs to be disposed of carefully, and it is usually not suitable for us to recycle or reuse
-get advice from the local Council.
• The Meeting House could also be used as a collection point for unwanted blankets to be donated to
charity for distribution either to the homeless in this country or refugees in the developing world.

Duncan Wood, in Eco- Renovation by Edward Harland, 1993

References
Harland, Edward: Eco-Renovation, Green Books, 1993
Kruger, Anna: E is for Eco-Home, Gaia Books, 1991
Vallely, Bernadette, et al: Green Living, Thorsons, 1991

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