There are lots of ways you can reduce the amount of waste you produce in the first place, from only buying what you need to finding ways of reducing the waste you have.
Home composting
Composting kitchen and garden waste at home could cut down your rubbish by around a third and provides a free and eco-friendly alternative to using peat-based composts.
To order a bin, or for more information, visit the Get composting website or call 0844 571 4444.
Smart shopping and storing
- Try to avoid excess packing where possible. Buy fruit and veg loose; re-use carrier bags and look for concentrated products which have far less packaging.
- Avoid buying more food than you need. You can get lots of advice of how to avoid food waste and save money on the Love food hate waste website or the Food savvy website.
- Planning your meals and only cooking what you think you can eat also helps.
- Keep a close eye on the use by dates in your fridge and plan to use up your food before it goes off.
- Use your freezer wisely. Freeze suitable items like bread and raw meats to use another time and freeze leftovers from meals where you can.
Junk mail
Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive, get a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker or register with the Mailing Preference Service.
