WOW---- WIPE OUT WASTE

It always starts out small. On Sunday, it was a forgotten box of French fries that found its way to the trash can, Monday saw an extra hour spent in traffic, waiting for an accident site to clear up. Tuesday meant an impulsive purchase at the chocolate stall in the local supermarket and Wednesday's meetings turned out to be completely inconsequential. The truth is waste accumulates.

By the end of the week, your waste-o-meter has probably hit the roof without you realising it and your inaction is costing you in more ways than you think.

Today, with the launch of the Wipe out Waste (WoW) campaign, Gulf News dares you to look deeper into your wallets, your habits, your calendars, your garbage bins! What precious time, resources, money or space could have been salvaged?

It is about changing your lifestyle, changing the way you think and leading a more efficient existence.

WASTE:-- Wipe it out!

People take electricity for granted. They leave their lights and air-conditioning on even when they are not using them. I use energy-saving light bulbs in my house. When the tube light is turned on, it collects energy, and when it is turned off it releases cool air.

- Adel Yousuf Al Attar, Emirati

Everything that I have to put in the rubbish bin is a waste. I found a place to recycle newspapers and plastic. However, with glass, it is much harder because I could not find a proper recycling place for it. People buy plastic containers and reuse them.
- Beverly A. Jensen, American

I think a lot of time is wasted from traffic congestion. Considering the number of hours people wait during the congestion, it will affect their work and their family time. I think that when road expansions are completed, it will wipe out traffic congestion.

- David Cole, Briton

People waste their lives. They throw away many important things in their lives, such as quality time with families because they use this time to go shopping instead. Not enough incentives are given to be with family. People need to start spending more time at home with their children or parents. People will also realise that it is fun.

- Kellie Drayton, Australian

People buy too many things that they do not need. When people want something, they buy it regardless of how much it costs, just to please themselves. Money spent should be controlled. This way it would make us feel better, as we know that our money is not wasted on things that we will throw away soon.

- Noel Malicdem, Filipino

I am surprised at how much money people spend. There are those who earn so little and yet still survive. However, the people who have a lot of money end up spending it on useless things. In some cases they even get loans to buy more things to better their image. It needs to come from within the person. Money should be invested for the future.

- Mary Wairimu, Kenyan