Top Tips for Reducing Household Waste

Did you know that the average person generates over 2 tonnes of waste every year? That’s the size of a small car!

With that amount of rubbish being chucked away each year, surely there is something we can do to reduce it? 

Well, as if by magic, there is...and this blog will teach you the ways like a young Yoda teaching his Jedi's. 

We are going to be letting you in on our Busy Bins top tips on the best way to reduce your household waste. 

From different ways to set up a compost heap, to taking a trip to buy bulky items, by following these tips, you can reduce your household waste and do your bit to help the environment. 

May the waste be with you!

The Importance of Reducing Household Waste

If every household in the UK. reduced its food waste by just 15%, it could save enough food to feed over 25 million people each year.

If that doesn't state the importance of why your should reduce your waste, then these other benefits may tempt you: 

• Environmental Impact: Reducing waste helps save natural resources and cuts down on pollution. When we make and throw away products, it uses up water, energy and materials. Reducing your waste, reduces this. 
• Economic Benefits: Reducing waste can also help you save up some extra cash. By buying less and using things more wisely, you are spending less on new products. Who doesn't love the smell of money!
• Personal Satisfaction: Who doesn't love a clean house & the feeling of that truly doing your bit to help the environment? Finding creative ways to reuse items can be extremely rewarding, & who doesn't love showing off to their friends their zero waste achievements. ..

Top Tips for Reducing Household Waste

Embrace Recycling

The first step is to embrace recycling. 

This doesn't just mean ensuring that all the correct recyclables go in the right bin, it means regularly checking & understanding product packaging labels to see the best way to recycle & taking a deeper dive into what you can actually recycle & how!

Tips:

• Sort your recyclables out.
• Search for local supermarket local recycling programs.
• Colour code your internal bins.
• Educate the family on what can be recycled. 

Benefits: Not only does it reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, it saves resources that would be needed for new materials to be made! 

Compost Organic Waste

If you have the room in your back-garden, why not look at setting up a little compost heap? Composting is a fantastic way of chucking away your food scraps that would end up in the bin, all whilst creating quality soil for your garden & plants.  

Tips 

• Home Composting: Look to purchase a composting bin. You can find some on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=composting+bin
• Kitchen Scraps: Collect your kitchen scraps & food scraps like vegetable etc. 
• Educate yourself: Get to the school of composting, learn what can and can't be composted! Clue: No PLASTICS!
• Get composting: It is that simple. Compost Bin, Soil, Food Scraps. 

Benefits: Composting helps with wasting food, creates nutrient-rich soil & supports a healthy garden & plants. So get your banana peels piled up! 

Reduce Single-Use Plastics

Time to dig out your old Tupperware again. Let's be honest, we all have a mountain of Tupperware stuffed away somewhere, so why not make most of it for once!

Reducing your single use plastics such as bottles of water & plastic bag usage can help to reduce your household waste production.

We have been counting down the days till the council come calling again, as your glass and plastic bin fills up day by day. 

Tips

• Bring Your Own Bags: Now we know that you have a cupboard or drawer full of shopping bags, so why not use them? 
• Carry a Reusable Water Bottle: We all need to drink more water, so by investing in a high quality water bottle, you will force yourself to drink more, all whilst reducing your plastic usage. 
• Select Products with Minimal Packaging: Opt for products with minimal or recyclable packaging. Support brands that use sustainable materials.

Benefits: Decreases plastic pollution, saves money in the long run, and promotes sustainable habits.

Buy in Bulk

The Bulkier the better!

The incredible bulk (Wash your dirty minds out right now)

Buying in bulk helps to reduce packaging waste. You may not think it, when you are lugging in the packaging for 25 tins of beans & 30 cartons of long life, but in the long run you are reducing the amount of packaging that you use. 

Tips

• Shop at Bulk Stores: If you have a Costco membership, use it! If not, look for other bulk shopping warehouses.  Shop at bulk stores, use reusable containers, and plan meals to avoid food waste.
• Start Small: Purchase bulk quantities of items you know you'll use regularly, such as grains, pasta, or cleaning supplies.

Benefits: Bulk purchasing not only saves your money, but, reduces fuel for transport, as less trips are taken to the shops, reduces packaging waste and improves your carbon footprint.

All in a days work ey!

Donate Unused Items

Donating unused items is a fantastic way to declutter your home while helping others in need. By donating your items, you are not only stopping your clothes from gathering dust & creating additional space, but, doing your bit for charity. 

If you wanted to make some extra cash along the way, you could use a selling platform such as Vinted. Who doesn't love a bit of wonga!! 

Tips:

• Sort through belongings regularly: We know when you have the kids sprinting round, it can be tough to find the time, however, sorting through your electronics, toys, clothes & textiles can help free up more space & relieve some stress!
• Use Online Selling Platforms: Vinted, Ebay & other selling platforms are perfect for this. 
• Local Charities: Every charity shop near you would appreciate some extra items, and why you are there why not get buying second-hand clothes? 

Benefits: Helps Those In Need. Reduces Waste. De-clutters Your Home. Make Some Money. 

Repair and Reuse

1 part of the 3 R's. We won't test you on the other 2, but you should know them by now if you have been reading these blogs...if you haven't, where have you been?

Deduct 2 house points immediately. 

Repair & Reuse is self explanatory & basic common household sense, however we as a nation are very much hard wired to chuck and replace items at the hint of a crack or tear. (Think of how many times you have thrown away an old phone, all for a sparkly new one all because the screen broke, which could have been repaired quite easily)

If you feel you don't have the basic repair skills, always remember, YouTube is your friend. When you aren't spending hours watching Funny Cat Moments part 10 TRY NOT TO LAUGH...search for how to fix a toilet or even better...how to fix an phone screen. 

Tips:

• Learn basic repair skills: This could be sewing, or even how to use a screwdriver properly. 
• Find local repair shops: If you just know repairing isn't your forte, find a local repair shop. 
• Re-purpose items creatively: Turn glass jars into mini planters or put your new found sewing skills to the test & create a tote bag from old t-shirts. 

Benefits: Extends the life of products Saves Money. Reduces Waste. Promotes Sustainable Living. 

Plan Meals and Shop Smart

When you are on the go all the time, planning meals can be the last thing on your mind, especially when you just need a quick bite to eat...but hear us out. 

We know the snickers bars & quick on the go milkshakes are tempting but in the long run if you make small changes you can see the real benefits. 

Planning meals and shopping smart can significantly reduce waste, save money, and ensure you’re eating a balanced diet all of the time. 

Tips

• Create a Weekly Meal Plan: Pick your perfect meals & get experimenting. You could spend a Sunday going through your cupboards, making notes of what you have got. Use this info to look up meal plans for the following week. 
• Make a Weekly Shopping List: This is the perfect way of keeping your shopping trolleys down to buy what you need. We are all guilty of buying impulse items that then end up rotting in the back of the fridge. 
• Avoid Impulse Buys: The hardest of the lot. Avoid the hungry, impulsive snacks or takeaways to help you reduce your food waste & increase the cash in your wallet!

Benefits: Reduces Food Waste. Saves You Money. Promotes Healthier Eating Habits.

Conclusion

Now that you have the secret sauce to recycling, reducing waste and improving your impact on the environment ...what are you waiting for? 

Use these tips to create a compost masterpiece from your leftover food, or get your weekly shopping together. Reducing your household waste doesn't have to be a boring, dull task...get creative with it! 

If you do have any other tips that you swear by, follow us on Social Media & let us know.

When these tips are just not helping you get on top of your waste, you know where we are.

We offer one off collections or a regular service to really help homeowners get their waste under control!

You Click, We Collect.