Newark & Sherwood District Council

Reducing

Disposing of rubbish is becoming an increasing problem. Recycling waste is a great way to ease the pressure on our bulging landfill sites but reducing and reusing your rubbish saves money and stops waste going to landfill:

Reduce your packaging

As consumers, we all have a big influence in what retailers will offer us. This means that if enough people choose products with the least amount of packaging, retailers will start providing products with only the essential packaging.

Re-use your own bags when you are shopping, buy products loose with no packaging and try a local green grocer, farm shop or butcher!

Reduce food waste

Only buy food that is going to get eaten. This may sound obvious but as much as 20% of the food bought is thrown away without even being opened. If you reduce this to zero then it is estimated that you’ll save around £425 a year.

Reduce junk mail

You can stop junk mail turning up on your door step by registering with the Mailing Preference Service who will delete your details from the mailing list of companies, reducing the demand for paper at the source. For unaddressed mail you can opt out of deliveries by e-mailing optout@royalmail.com

Nappies

Around 8 MILLION nappies need to be disposed of every DAY in the UK. Nappies sit in a landfill site for an estimated 500 years. You can use washable cotton nappies to not only save hundreds of pounds but also space in your bin and landfill sites.

Lightbulbs

Low energy lightbulbs save electricity and money and last about 8 times longer than normal lightbulbs. The Newark and Sherwood Energy Agency can provide you with more energy advice and tips for saving money.

Re-using

It may be possible to use some items again rather than throwing them away:

Clothes, furniture, toys and books

Charity shops are always grateful to receive unwanted clothes, books, toys and brick-a-brac. Hospitals too are often grateful for donations of good quality toys.

See if there is anywhere that sells second hand books or even furniture rather than buying new every time (and take any old items back to get reused again)

If one of your household appliances breaks down, see if it can be fixed rather than throwing it in the bin straight away and buying a new one.

There are a number of local charities and organisations that may be interested in your second hand furniture and appliances if they are in good condition. Some of these are:

The Furniture Project passes unwanted furniture on to someone in need.

Paper and card

Use scraps of paper as telephone message paper and when using the computer, print on both sides of the paper.

The Woodland Trust provides a Christmas card recycling scheme, visit  for details of the national scheme.

Paint

Donate left-over paint to your local charity.

Composting

Composting at home is a great way to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill. Everything from torn up cardboard to fruit and vegetable peelings, and grass cuttings to the contents of your vacuum cleaner, can all go in to help create a nutrient rich compost for your garden.

The Love Food, Hate Waste campaign provides tips for reducing food waste. 

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