By consuming less, we reduce the amount of waste we produce. We also reduce pollution and the environmental impacts from the production of the items in the first place.

Lots of little things make a big difference

Think before you print: only print when necessary, and make it double sided when you do. Use electronic versions for policy/strategy/guidance documents where possible.

Get rid of junk mail and unwanted subscriptions. Unsubscribe to services or opt for paperless communication.

Use a reusable coffee cup instead of paper cups for your hot drinks and receive a discount at EAT@NEWCASTLE venues.

Use a reusable bottle and drink tap water instead of buying bottled water.

Bring in lunch from home, made with the contents of your kitchen rather than buying a packaged lunch. Take your reduction mind-set back into your home by reducing packaging there as well and using resuable containers and buying loose food. Check out:

• Grainger Market for The Weigh House, Nil Living and various loose produce sellers
• Church of St Thomas the Martyr shop, Haymarket Lane for cleaning product refills
• Love Food, Hate Waste for food waste reduction guidance

Consider your purchasing needs. Is the equipment, furniture or chemical already available within the University? Join the Furniture Reuse mailing list to request and advertise furniture, office supplies, equipment and more.

Service equipment regularly to ensure it is in optimum condition and has a long life.

If buying new equipment is unavoidable, make energy efficient purchasing choices. Assess whole life costing. Sometimes the cheapest option ends up being the most expensive when it breaks and needs replacing often.

Put the principles of Green Chemistry in place in your experiment design. Green Chemistry utilises a set of principles to reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and application of chemical products.

The SIN (Substitute It Now!) List is a comprehensive database of chemicals likely to be restricted or banned. It is publicly available, regularly updated, and provided completely free of charge by non-profit organisation ChemSec.

Remember, reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best way to help the environment! But if you cannot avoid producing the waste, try reusing it...