Waste Minimisation Factsheet
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - Rethink Rubbish!
Don't bin it - FREECYCLE it !
Your unwanted items could be just the thing someone else may want, why not pass it on using the
Freecycle network. All you need to do is:
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visit the Freecycle™ website;
locate your local community;
go to their web page, and
click on the 'Join This Group' button
Freegle
Don’t throw it away – give it away on Freegle! You might not need that old sofa or wheelbarrow any
more – but there might be someone just round the corner who does. Or if there’s something you’d
like, someone nearby might have one. http://ilovefreegle.org/
EcoBees
While keeping good stuff out of landfills is a clear priority, EcoBees do not just focus on this. EcoBees
have widened that scope to include reusing / recycling / giving anything (as long as it's legal and not
weapons) and this includes swapping & sharing such as car pooling… but everything offered must be
FREE!
Food
Recipes to use up leftovers - Love Food Hate Waste campaign website
Every month the average family throws away £50 of food.
Check out this short video to find out some of YOUR top tips for cutting down on food waste.
Junk Mail
The Mailing Preference Service
Unsolicited and unwanted advertising or 'junk' mail wastes energy and resources. The Mailing
Preference Service (MPS) helps UK residents reduce waste paper by removing their names from junk
mail lists.
MPS is a non-profit organisation funded by the direct mail industry. Registering with MPS is free, and
will stop most unsolicited advertising material addressed to individuals and delivered to their home
address by post.
To find out more, and to register to have your name removed from direct mailing lists, either
download the document in the related documents section or visit http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/
Unaddressed Mail - Royal Mail Door-to-Door Opt Out
To stop unsolicited, unaddressed mail (addressed to occupier, householder etc.) being delivered by
the Royal Mail, you can opt out of their Door-to-Door delivery service.
Please be aware that this may include some leaflets from central Government and local authorities.
If you choose to use this opt out scheme, please make sure you find the most up-to-date information
about your community by visiting our websites at www.south-derbys.gov.uk and at
www.derbyshire.gov.uk or visit libraries and help points.
This Door-to-Door Opt Out will not stop mail which is addressed to you, or mail which is addressed
to the Occupier with an address on it, such as electoral forms.
If you wish to opt out of receiving Door to Door mail items, please send or email your name and
address to the address below:
Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS
Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Outs
Kingsmead House
Oxpens Road
Oxford
OX1 1RX
email: optout@royalmail.com
Washable nappies
Did you know? Disposable nappies make up five per cent of total household waste.
In Derbyshire this equates to over 59m nappies every year that take between 200 - 500 years to
decompose in landfill sites.
Modern washable nappies are now available and have changed dramatically from old fashioned
'terry' nappies.
For further information on real nappies visit Derbyshire County Council's website.
Derbyshire County Council operate an incentive scheme and will contribute £25 towards the
purchase of a washable nappy system.
If you would like to try washable nappies but are unsure whether they are right for you, why not
borrow a nappy lending kit? For a small fee of £5 plus a refundable deposit of £100 you can borrow
one of the eight nappy lending kits that we are offering.
There are currently two types of kit available, containing a different range of nappies, depending on
how much you wish to spend. The kits can be borrowed for up to two weeks, giving you ample time
to try the different styles and makes on your child.
To hire one of the kits or for further information please contact Derbyshire County Council Waste
Management email: realnappies@derbyshire.gov.uk
Foreign Currency, Inkjets/Toner Cartridges, Mobile phones
Age Concern and Help the Aged recycle mobile phones, toner/inkjet cartridges and foreign currency.
Top Tips! - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - Reth!nk Rubbish
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Use refillable containers.
Buy returnable milk bottles, not disposable cartons.
Buy in bulk.
Buy goods made from recycled materials.
Buy goods with the minimum of packaging.
Buy rechargeable batteries and low energy light bulbs.
Avoid using disposable items: tissues, nappies, plastic plates and cutlery, dishcloths and
serviettes.
Avoid buying items which can not be recycled.
Avoid using cling film and aluminium foil to store food. Use re-usable boxes such as
margarine tubs.
Complain to manufacturers and retailers when goods are over packaged or over priced when
made of recycled materials.
Compost all organic garden waste with kitchen peelings.
Don't throw goods away before the end of their useful life.
Refuse free newspapers by putting a sign on your door.
Refuse carrier bags, use a re-usable shopping bag.
Repair rather than replace household goods, where safe!
Re-use envelopes, buy gummed labels.
Use both sides of paper before recycling.
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Related documents
The following document is in Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download software to view
PDF documents for free from the Adobe website (opens in a new window)
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Preference services - your guide (2265KB)
Waste Minimisation at Christmas
In recent years residents have made great progress in re-using and recycling more of their household
waste materials and these efforts are particularly important over the Christmas period when
significantly more household waste is produced.
Glass, cans, cardboard, plastic and seasonal items such as Christmas trees are produced in greater
amounts over the festive season. With a little thought, we can all limit the impact that we have,
helping to protect the environment, preserve precious resources and reducing the cost to taxpayers
of sending waste to landfill.
Below is a list of ideas to help you reduce, reuse and recycle waste over Christmas and into the New
Year.
Reduce - shopping for presents
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Think about purchasing waste free gifts like theatre, cinema, concert tickets or other
experiences. If you don’t need anything then why not help others and donate a gift to those
less fortunate – for example Oxfam.
Charity Gift Tokens are a not for profit organisation selling gift tokens which give the receiver
the chance to support a favourite charity and avoid wasteful production of unwanted goods
at the same time. You can also give vouchers for use in high street stores and book shops.
How about buying a gift that will last for a whole year? Examples include: sponsorship of an
animal, membership of an organisation or subscription to a magazine either paper or online
(don’t forget to either recycle magazines in your recycling facilities or why not offer them to
local dental and doctors surgeries).
Consider buying presents that are environmentally friendly or produced in a sustainable
way. Support your local charity shop, buy presents from charity catalogues and look for Fair
Trade alternatives.
Where possible avoid buying (or requesting) presents which rely on disposable parts,
including batteries. Always look for alternatives, for example coffee makers that use a
washable filter rather than throwaway paper ones, or a wind-up/solar powered radio.
Buying products that have a recycled content is just as important as actually recycling. It is
essential that markets for recycled products are developed. Look out for unusual gifts made
from recycled materials, such as glass tableware, stationery or photo frames.
Instead of sending a card, why not send a message or electronic Christmas card to friends
and family on the internet. Alternatively, if you normally send cards to multiple recipients at
the same address, such as in the workplace, why not place just one card in a communal area
and pledge the money you have saved to charity?
Set yourself a New Year’s Resolution - how empty can you keep your bin? Think about how
you can reduce the amount of waste you produce at home and at work. Try to buy longer
lasting items rather than disposable ones and avoid over-packaged items.
Stop any junk mail by signing up to the mailing preference service or postal opt out services.
To register, contact the Mail Preference Service or Royal Mail.
Reduce - Love Food Hate Waste
We spend, on average, £169 on our Christmas food and drink but at the same time the average
family is wasting £60 a month throwing away good food. So this year make the most of Christmas
with Love Food Hate Waste.
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Before you go shopping check your cupboards and freezer to see what’s there. Make a meal
plan to help save time and money.
Check the dates on food. The ‘use by’ date is for safety so do not eat it past this date. Many
food items can be frozen up until the use by date and then used later. Best Before is for
quality only and is still safe to eat after this date. There is just one exception - eggs should
not be eaten after their best before date.
Store your fruit and vegetables in the fridge to make them last longer. Things that you might
not get round to eating can often be frozen for another day.
We all have leftovers so don’t throw them away you could eat them for lunch or freeze for
another day. For recipes on using up your leftovers go to Love Food Hate Waste.
When shopping for Christmas presents use reusable shopping bags or reuse carrier bags.
Do not over wrap Christmas presents; use a Christmas stocking instead of paper for smaller
gifts. Or try the Japanese art of Furoshiki – using material to wrap presents in. You can even
turn the piece of material into a handy bag afterwards or wrap a present in a scarf giving two
presents in one!
Reuse
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If you are having a pre or post-Christmas clear out then you can take good quality items to
your local charity shop. Find your nearest charity shop.
Consider donating unwanted electrical appliances if they are in good working order. Several
Derbyshire furniture projects will accept a range of these items for safety testing and then
reuse by others. Contact the projects first to discuss your donation.
Consider buying a UK-grown real Christmas tree with roots that could be planted in your
garden or kept in a pot for next year. Artificial trees are a good alternative as they can be
used many times, but as they are usually made of a number of different materials, including
plastics and are difficult to recycle once no longer required.
Please use your brown bin for any leftover food waste or alternatively why not start
composting at home with all your vegetable peelings from Christmas dinner and by next
Christmas, you'll have free, nutritious compost to help make your garden grow. Discounted
compost bins are also available.
Choose decorations which can be reused, rather than flimsy ones which will be used once
and thrown away. You can also have fun making decorations from scrap materials.
Save envelopes and reuse them with reuse labels.
Save gift bags and use them next year.
Cut down on what you buy. Gift tags can be made from old greetings cards. Any kind of
unusual paper can be used to wrap gifts rather than buying specific wrapping paper.
Use pinking shears to cut old Christmas cards and make tags for presents next year.
Buy rechargeable instead of disposable batteries.
Shred wrapping paper from presents to use as light, protective packaging around future
gifts.
Like newspaper, wrapping paper is great for cleaning windows and leaving them streak free
instead of using a cloth. (Avoid using the shiny, plastic stuff though).
One for the kids: thin paper like wrapping paper is great for origami. Use it to make paper
decorations.
If paper is unwrapped carefully it might even be fit for use next year.
Recycle
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Think about what can you do with the waste you do create? There are now many things that
can be recycled such as shoes and clothes, cardboard, foil and plastics, as well as the usual
bottles, cans and paper. Work out where you can store recyclables until you can organise
them for recycling.
Make full use of your Easy Green Recycling Scheme during the festive period, if you need
extra space remove the internal caddy and place it out alongside the bin. You can also place
any additional cardboard alongside the bin on the collection day. For full details of the
scheme, see our recycling, composting and refuse collection - frequently asked questions.
You can also use your local recycling centre. For details of your nearest centre and what can
be recycled please see our recycling sites for more information.
If at home you have reduced reused and recycled and still have waste at Christmas then you
can take your waste to your local household waste recycling centre.
Try to plan journeys to recycling facilities around essential trips such as shopping, this helps
to minimise environmental impact and will save you time.