Whatever you call it, no one likes it. Whether it’s litter on the streets, plastic on the beach or the bin that’s put out for the council to collect, refuse is ugly. It’s messy. It smells. We wish we didn’t have to see it. We wish we didn’t have to handle it. We wish it would just GO AWAY.
If only it actually did…
In most cases, the reverse is happening. The overflowing skip. The fly-tipped sofa in the layby. The sea turtle trapped in plastic netting that pops up on Instagram before you have time to look away. Wherever we turn, it feels like waste is everywhere. A better world has to be possible, right?
This is why Ref/use Lab exists: to celebrate innovative ways of thinking, living and working which reduce waste at source and make for a healthier, fairer world. On this website you’ll find:
🪛 SOLUTIONS: Want to find a cobbler who can mend your shoes or get the tyre on your kid’s bike fixed? Check out our directory of waste reduction initiatives.
💡 SKILLS: Got something broken and want to fix it? Find a local service or community-run repair cafe, where you can learn how to fix it yourself.
🏡 INSPO: Looking for ideas to reduce waste in your home or business? Look out for case studies showing what’s possible.
❓ UNDERSTANDING: Ready to dive deep into the bigger picture of waste? Like, what even is it? Where does it come from? And how come there’s so damn much of it these days? Check out our Waste 101 guide.
At the most basic level, Ref/use is about rubbish. If you want to understand more about where rubbish comes from, what creates it in the first place, and what the alternatives are, then start by checking out our Waste 101 Guide.
But, in the context of this conversation about rubbish, ‘refuse’ also has another, deeper meaning.
To refuse is to decline, to withdraw, to desist. After many years of delving deep into our bins and the systems and psyches that create them, it’s clear that, if we’re serious about tackling waste then we need to create alternative ways of living, working and doing business which refuse to participate in the systems that keep waste going. This might sound scary but it’s actually a really exciting project that is already in motion.
Don’t believe us? Check out case studies of inspiring businesses, organisations and individuals that are already doing this work. And let’s also remember that this isn’t just about finding radical new ways. Many of the solutions we need have been with us for years.
Think about the humble milk round or scrap metal merchant. They are not a shiny new concept and they rarely market themselves on their green credentials. But they are a perfect example of the kinds of upstream solutions to waste that we could learn a lot from.