Pa NEE Ne Te Page 6 — Real Estate This Week, Wednesday, October 28, 1992 Are you stili shopping for instant garbage? REUSE. RECYCLE. REDUCE. Thumbs on throwaways! The biggest problem with packaging is that there’s just too much of it! And packaging makes up about a third of all our municipal garbage - so if we can reduce the amount of packaging we take home from the store, we'll help make a big difference in the garbage problem. It’s worth it. Because we're only borrowing this land from future generations. Why buy disposable diapers, razors, single-use cameras, plastic cups, plates and cutlery, when about using rechargeable batteries. And stock: up on cloth towels and napkins, rather than using paper. 1A : The 3Rs way of shopping. First - Reduce . . . do you really need it? And if you do, is there an alternative you can buy in bulk that’s unpackaged? Next - Reuse . . . is the package returnable? Or can you reuse it around the home - like glass jars or plastic tubs and spray bottles? Finally - Recycle . . . is the package made from recycled materials? Can it go in the Blue Box - (don’t just accept the manufacturer’s claims on this one!)? TOWN OF HALTON HILLS the permanent kind are so much better? Think | Get the largest size you can of things you use a lot, like detergent, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, rather than buying smaller sizes more often (saves money too!). Look for unpackaged bulk items whenever possible — loose nails or screws instead of those blister packs; bulk cookies rather than the plastic- wrapped, boxed variety. oe Pee Who needs “single servings” anyway? Individually wrapped cheese slices (slice your own off the wedge); high-tech ‘‘microwaveable’’ meals (often there’s more package than product); some crackers and slices of meat or cheese in a plastic- wrapped plastic tray in a cardboard sleeve (why not make up your own ‘‘single snacks’’ and carry them in a reusable container?). Check your ; Packaging Popularity Parade! Bulk foods, unwrapped fruits and veggies: YEA! Returnable glass pop and beer bottles: YEA! Foil-lined juice boxes: BOO! Aerosol cans: BOO! Recyclable cans and bottles: YEA! Coated paper boxes and cartons: BOO! Boxes with cellophane windows: BOO! Reusable tins and glass jars: YEA! About two hundred pounds of moulded foam surrounding a portable tape player: HISS, BOO! Use your consumer clout! - Let store owners, managers and manufacturers know how you feel about 6ver-packaging. When the public speaks, they'll take notice! For more information call 873-2600 1 Halton Hills Drive, P.O. Box 128 Halton Hills, (Georgetown), Ont. L7G 5G2