Habits

navike_en_no1.gifSerbia annually imports 100,000 tons of waste paper while we throw paper and in the garbage.

Serbia is a country which recycles the smallest amount of waste in comparison to other countries in the region.

In Serbia, plastic bags are used instead of the paper, biodegradable ones.

Only in Serbia there are no containers for different types of waste.

Most of us do not know that we are polluting the planet, and that habits are changeable!

Instructions for changing the habits are the following:

  1. Do not let the heat leak out from your house during the heating! When you're heating rooms open windows only briefly. If you keep them even slightly but constantly open during the day, the energy spent for maintaining the temperature would be equivalent to the amount of 1 ton of CO2!
  2. Move your freezer or fridge! Placing of these devices near stove or heating sources spends more energy. If you place these devices in the heated basement where the temperature is 30-35 oC, the spent energy doubles and causes extra 160kg of CO2 for refrigerators and 320kg for freezers in a year!
  3. Buy only products that you really need! Avoid single-use products such as wet wipes, razor blades, paper or plastic cups, plates, plastic cutlery, kitchen paper towel, paper napkins, photo cameras, and more.
  4. Buy refill packaging for maintenance of both personal and home hygiene, and for washing. In this way you will avoid paying for a new packaging, and thus better for your household budget.
  5. Avoid buying goods that are excessively packaged. For example, fruits and vegetables do not need to be packed in plastics.
  6. Re-use plastic packaging of margarine or ice cream for conserving of food that remained.
  7. Avoid unnecessary and excessive use of aluminum foil and cellophane. Rather use boxes with a lid.
  8. Clothes that you no longer wear or books that you do not need don't throw in a container, but give them to friends or charities, or offer to second-hand stores. Worn out clothing you can use for dusting, or cleaning of the house.
  9. Try to sell or give away old furniture and appliances rather than leave them next to a container. As the last option, call the city utility company to carry the stodgy waste.
  10. Photocopy on both sides of a paper.
  11. Print or make copies on the empty sides of printed paper that was intended to be thrown away.
  12. Before you print a document, read it and correct mistakes, not to print again later.
  13. Print only what is necessary.
  14. Keep documents and files in PC rather than on paper, and do not forget to do backup.
  15. Do not throw easily the old printer, fax machine and other office equipment, since it may be of use to someone.
  16. CO2 emissions from your car may even be reduced to 75% by combining petrol and electric motors in hybrid car.
  17. Cut down travelling by plane. When traveling to a tourist destination by plane you contribute to significant emissions of carbon dioxide that cause climate change. Therefore choose destinations closer to your home, or take the other means of transportation such as train, bus or boat. If you must fly, consider buying a coupon for the alignment of carbon (thus is funded the reduction of gases that create greenhouse gases, through projects for the production of wind energy, etc., to create clean energy that replaces energy from fossil fuels).

Home composting

If you have a garden, it is great opportunity to use household bio waste* for organic composting. It is necessary to separately collect grass, leaves, tiny branches, remains of fruits and vegetables, flowers, leftovers of bread, coffee, and tea bags. Thus sorted bio waste should be deposited to the composting area, covered with a layer of ground, and stirred occasionally. Compost produced in this way can be used as nutrition supplement in the garden or indoor plants because it has nutritive substances necessary for their development. At the same time making domestic compost minimizes the amount of organic waste that your household normally creates.

* Bio waste or organic waste is waste that is bio degradable which means that with biological treatment it can be refined into the quality compost. Compost is a substance similar to humus, being a result of biological decomposition of organic matter.

ADVICES

  1. Go on foot, ride a bicycle or use public transport. Fuel burned by your car engine generates averagely 2.5 kg of CO2 emissions per liter.
  2. Instead of plastic bag, use a bag of natural materials! If each customer took one bag less per month that could reduce the waste for hundreds of millions of bag per year!
  3. Enjoy in planting and growing plants! One tree will absorb a tone of CO2 during its life.
  4. Clean and change filters of the air-conditioners! Dirty filters block the proper flow of air in the system, which causes greater consumption of electricity!
  5. If you do not have to drive, drive with a few people in the same car or if possible use a car that saves energy. Drive with colleagues or friends in one car - even one third of drives makes driving to work.
  6. Buy goods of recycled materials or in packaging which is eco-friendly.
  7. Set the thermostat in the home or office! Raising the thermostat for 2 degrees in the summer (to 23) and decreasing it for 2 degrees in winter (to 21) can prevent the emission of 900 kg of CO2 per year. By lowering of temperature for only 1 degree, you can reduce your bill for 5 -10% and prevent the emission of 300kg of CO2 a year.
  8. Do not throw old cell phone, but rather give it to someone who does not have it.