Tips to Reduce your waste....
- Grow your own fruit and vegetables. If you haven’t got the space, consider getting an allotment (Telephone: 0161 770 4059/ Email: parks@oldham.gov.uk)
- Store food in the fridge in a re-usable container rather than wrapping it in cling film or foil
- Buy cotton cloths for the kitchen clean-up instead of disposable kitchen roll
- Only print when you really need to. If you do print, use both sides of the paper
- Reduce the packaging waste e.g. buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than those wrapped in plastic on a polystyrene tray
- Send letters by E-mail to reduce paper usage
- Make your own lunch instead of buying from a sandwich shop. This saves on packaging, and could also save you more than £4 a day or about £1,000 a year
- Hire DVD's and videos instead of buying them
- Buy refillable packages like fabric conditioner and washing powder
- Don’t buy new books - your local library will
stock a range of up-to-date novels that you
can borrow - Join a toy library to borrow toys instead of buying new ones
- Avoid single-use cameras
- Avoid using 'disposables' - goods that are used once and then thrown away. There are products designed to be re-used or have a longer life, like re-chargeable batteries, handkerchiefs and low energy light bulbs
- Join the 15 per cent of parents who now use cloth nappies for their babies; contact The Real Nappy Association. In Oldham there are over 3,000 babies born every year, and before these little people can walk they are already adding to the waste mountain! In Oldham alone we produce 16 tonnes of disposable nappies every day. There is an alternative to the disposable nappy - the reusable, washable nappy. These nappies are now shaped like disposables and come in a variety of styles and colours that are easy to wash and quick to dry and the financial savings to the parent can be as high as £800 per child. For more information please contact the Oldham Real Nappy Network on 01706 848631 or e-mail nappyholic@yahoo.co.uk. The Oldham Real Nappy Network hold regular meetings on the last Wednesday of every month from 1.30pm-3.30pm in the Parentcraft Room, 1st Floor Maternity Unit, Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Road, Oldham. Please come along to find out everything you need to know about Real Nappies!
- Give cinema or concert tickets as gifts instead of disposable goods
- Hire tools or borrow from friends or family for odd jobs, rather than buying your own
- Use canvas shopping bags -say 'no' to unwanted plastic carrier bags
- Stop subscribing to magazines that you don't have time to read (and save yourself a few quid)
- Use the Mailing Preference Service to stop getting junk mail; contact tel: 020 7291 3310
- Put a sign up in your window if you don’t want free newspapers
- Repair appliances rather than buy new ones
These are just a few ways to reduce your waste. If you find any exciting or unusual ways to reduce, we want to know!