Year after year, tonnes of waste are deposited in landfills possibly ahead of their effective lifespan had they been reused, recycled or donated. Unwanted items at home can be re-purposed, so it's imperative to think of options for reuse before throwing them away.

Certain packaging, such as kitchen rolls and cereal boxes, can be given to schools, to be used in art and craft projects. Other similar items can be a convenient packing material to store items.

Old clothes can be re-claimed into other useful textiles. You can also opt to donate your old clothes which can be done through charity organisations and local councils. Clothes that are not in good condition can be recycled and used to produce new clothes or utilised as insulation for products. In the case of jars and pots, these can be cleaned and re-used as containers per one's needs. 

Old or unwanted but functional electrical equipment can be donated to schools or community centres for reuse. Electronic products have components that can fail, or need to be upgraded. By fixing them we can address this waste problem. Some opt to organise a car-boot sale to clear unwanted items and raise funds for charity.

If items that are to be consigned to waste can't be reused, it's imperative to dispose of them in a responsible way. Recyclable waste should be placed in the grey/green bags collected from doorsteps. Alternatively dispose of sorted recyclables at your nearest bring-in site. If your locality collects organic waste separately, dispose of it in white/transparent bags which are collected three times a week. Waste, which cannot be disposed of in these ways, should be taken to one of the six Civic Amenity Sites.

For more tips on how to reuse visit http://dontwastewaste.gov.mt/. Do your bit!