Household Recycling

Most households produce around 1 tonne of waste each year.  There are many direct and hidden costs attached to the disposal of this waste and sending it to landfill is not a sustainable solution.

• A large proportion of our household waste is made up of various forms of packaging.  This is not just the packaging around your new hi-fi! - it also includes milk bottles, sweet wrappers, toothpaste dispensers, etc.
• Most of this packaging is made up of paper, plastic, glass and metals. Scarce natural resources are used to make/refine these materials
• We are paying twice for packaging; firstly for the packaging on the new product, and secondly for it to be taken away as waste
• Also, disposing of household waste will become even more expensive as we run out of holes in the ground!

Contact your local authority to establish the level and type of recycling services that are being provided in your area.

We can all do more to help ourselves and the environment by following some simple rules.

• Try to purchase products that are loose rather than pre-packaged
• Minimise the amount of packaging you purchase by refusing carrier bags or wrappings where possible
• Buy in larger containers if practical, thus reducing the overall amount of packaging you take home
• The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 1998 require that companies minimise packaging.  Contact your Local Authority Trading Standards office if you think a product has been over packaged

• Many shops today offer refills for the products on sale. Take advantage of these refills