Beginners tips for reducing household waste

May 12, 2009 in section: Reduce by Mrs Green with 22,865 views 

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If you’re new to our site or just beginning to reduce your household waste, then this is the page for you!

If you’ve made the decision to reduce your waste by reusing, recycling and composting as much as you can, where do you start?

Here are our top ten tips for reducing household waste!

1- Find out what recyclable materials can be collected from your kerbside and made it your goal to recycle as much as you can. Check out the Recycle Now website to find details or contact your local council.

Learn more about this tip with our monthly challenge post.

2- Find out where your local recycling facilities are and see if you could start taking some things there when you are out and about. Find your recycling facilities on the Recycle Now website or contact your local council for details.

Learn more about this tip with our ‘monthly challenge post.

3- Stop taking new disposable carrier bags from the shops. Either reuse your own or buy some of our exclusive recycled reusable shopping bags. By buying these bags you will be helping to support our site.

Learn more about the devastating effects disposable plastic carrier bags can have on the environment with our ‘reduce carrier bags‘ article.

4- Stop junk mail coming into your home with the Junkbuster website.

Discover how much junk mail comes through your door every year with our ‘junk mail‘ article.

5- Set up a recycling centre in your home. Use old boxes, crates or bags in a place that is convenient for you to store things.

Find out more about our recycling centre with our blog post ‘no rest for the wicked‘.

6- Check out freecycle, SnaffleUp, eBay and Ooffoo if you have items in your home or garage that you no longer want. If you’ve got books to get rid of then try Amazon or Green metrolopolis.

7- Carefully open, store and reuse any envelopes or packaging that comes into your home.

8- Buy loose fruit and vegetables from the shop. Why not check out your local farmers market or sign up for a vegetable box scheme?

Read more on our ‘how to reduce plastic packaging on fruit and vegetables‘.

9- Start a compost heap! By doing this you will divert valuable food waste from the landfill and get some rich food for your soil.

Find out how to deal with slimy compost and how to keep fruit flies out of your compost.

10- Switch to paperless billing. This will reduce your paper footprint and might save you money too!

Find out how much paper your household produces with our article ‘how to cut your paper footprint.’

Already doing all these things? Check out our article for ‘intermediate recyclers‘ and find out what else you can do to reduce your landfill waste!

• Welcome back!
• Further steps to reducing your household waste
• Love your leftovers
• Household
• Tips for reducing food waste

• Say hello to another Gloucestershire zero waste family!
• compost awareness week - swarms of fruit flies
• Zero waste week
• Reduce plastic fruit and vegetable packaging
• Shop