Saving the earth in 10 easy steps
1 Get a green cone. Partially buried in your garden, the solar-heated unit takes all cooked and uncooked food waste and breaks it down into its natural components. It can reduce household waste by about 25 per cent and costs €165. See www.greencone.ie
2 Have worms recycle and convert your organic rubbish into compost. They eat half their body weight daily. Remember they require attention or you'll be left with the blood of a thousand worms on your green fingers. A three-tray wormery costs about €150 while half a kilo of Tiger composting worms cost €30. See www.eco-ireland.com
3 Cut down on packaging refuse by buying loose fruit and vegetable. Or better still, grow your own vegetables, raised on your own compost.
4 Don't throw away old computers, phones or other technology. Try selling them on www.ebay.ie or donate it to charity. Many dumped electrical goods still work or need basic repairs. Companies such as Dell (www.dell.ie) run product donation programmes.
5 Don't dump bulky household goods. Sunflower Recycling operates a collection in inner-city Dublin. They'll take unwanted furnishing, household and electrical goods for upgrade or recycling at a cost of €30 for one item and €10 for subsequent items. Call 086-8339684 or see www.sunflowerrecycling.ie
6 Lobby banks and utility companies to stop sending paper bills in favour of electronic versions.
7 Flattening or squashing used packaging means you can fit more into your recycling containers. Many stores sell funky devices to facilitate the task.
8 Make your own lunch instead of buying it. Not only will it reduce refuse, it'll be nicer, better for you and save over a fiver a day, or €1,200 a year.
9 Put a "no junk mail" sticker on your letter box. It will either reduce your rubbish or alert you to companies who don't care what you want.
10 Remember plastic is recyclable. True, not all kerbside collectors will accept plastic bottles for recycling, but you can locate your nearest plastic bottle recycling facility at www.repak.ie