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Waste less

Recycling is great, but it can lull us into a false sense of achievement: ‘I recycle, so I do my bit’.  What we should all really be focusing on is producing less waste in the first place.

Reducing waste lowers the demand for new goods to be made, and avoid the carbon impact associated with manufacturing products in the first place. It also reduces the amount of items going through the recycling collection, sorting and treatment process, which in itself has a carbon impact attached to it. This conserves natural resources, avoids emissions (providing cleaner air and protecting natural environments for us to enjoy) and reduces the financial cost to you and your local community.

Wasting less is easier than you think – there are lots of simple changes you can make. The great thing is that many of them will also save you money. Individually, the actions below may not seem like much, but remember; there are one million people living in the SLWP region, so by acting together we can make a real difference:

There are one million people living in the SLWP region, so by acting together we can make a real difference.

Reduce

• Only buy things you really need. Sounds simple, but we often get swayed by adverts and special offers, don’t we?
• Buy fruit and vegetables loose – avoid any items that are heavily packaged

• Carry a ‘bag for life’ with you so never get caught out
• Sign up to paperless billing or banking – register with the Mail Preference Scheme and Royal Mail Opt Out Service to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive
• Plan your meals carefully to reduce food waste – get creative and use up your leftovers: visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for lots of hints and tips
• Swap single-use plastics for re-usable containers like water bottles and coffee cups
• Find and support you nearest refill shop – check out the South London Partnership Zero Waste Map.

Reuse

• Donate items that are still in a good, usable condition to charities or charity shops – find your local charity shops on the Charity Retail Association website. Remember – only take donations during opening hours (leaving items outside a closed charity shop is fly-tipping and you could receive a fine)
• Give unwanted items a second life by donating them via the Freegle or Freecycle websites or take them to your local council-run Household Reuse and Recycling Centre (HRRC) and tell site staff that you have something for the ‘Community Reuse Shop‘

Community Reuse Shop at Kimpton Park Way HRRC, Sutton

• Re-purpose glass, plastic and cardboard containers to give them another life
• Re-use wrapping paper or gift bags
• Reuse plastic takeaway containers to store food
• Convert old clothing, towels or sheets into cleaning rags/cloths
• Buy second hand rather than new – support your local charity shop or Community Reuse Shop
• Consider hiring instead of buying – this can be useful for items you may only need occasionally, from dinner jackets to power tools. With locations in Sutton and Morden, The Library of Things is a social enterprise that rents out items at affordable prices
• Swap your normal household batteries for rechargeable ones.

Repair

• Buy better quality items designed to last and designed to be easily repairable
• Find and support your nearest repair shop – check out the South London Partnership Zero Waste Map
• Try carrying out simple repairs yourself – YouTube is a great place to find ‘repair hacks’ for almost everything you can imagine!

• Have a go at replacing buttons and mending faulty zips or fallen hems rather than buying new clothing – see the Love Your Clothes website for hints and tips
• If you lack the confidence or skills to carry out a repair yourself, pop along to a local repair event where support and guidance will be on hand. Check the following websites for details: Green Croydon, Transition Town Kingston, The Wheel Merton and Sutton Repair Cafe 

Recycle more

Despite your very best efforts, some waste is almost inevitable – there are very few homes that have managed to become entirely ‘zero waste’ (although there are some that have proven it can be done). Whatever waste your household does produce, it’s important you recycle as much of it as possible:

• Make sure you’re using your council’s recycling collection service to its full potential. Most residents in the SLWP region can recycle the following from home: plastic containers (bottles, pots, tubs and trays), glass (bottles and jars), cans, tins, aerosols and tin foil, food and drink cartons, paper and card (newspapers, magazines, card, cardboard, egg boxes, toilet/kitchen roll tubes) and food waste (including all cooked and uncooked food waste, meat and fish bones and even tea bags)

• Remember to recycle around the home – lots of us are great at recycling in the kitchen, but less good when it comes to the bedroom or bathroom. Make sure you have dedicated recycling bins dotted around the home so you can recycle in every room
• Take your soft, flexible plastics (like carrier bags, film lids, cling film, bread bags and crisp packets) to a local recycling collection point. Use the postcode search tool on the Recycle Now website to find your nearest collection point
• Subscribe to your council’s Garden Waste Collection Service or start composting your garden waste (and some food waste) at home – check the Get Composting website for subsidised high quality compost bins delivered to your home and Veolia’s guide to home composting for some handy hints and tips
• Use your local council-run Household Reuse and Recycling Centre to recycle an even wider range of things including: electrical items, wood, scrap metal, engine and cooking oil and fluorescent light bulbs
• If you’re not sure if something is recyclable or not, use our handy ‘BinSmart‘ tool to check
• Make a conscious decision to purchase items that are easily recyclable – or come in recyclable packaging
• Visit the Recycle Now website for more information on recycling and why it’s important to do it.