Waste not, want not!
It’s a staggering statistic that the average person in the UK wastes around £1,700 each year on food, luxury items, entertainment, travel, gadgets and hobbies – with men wasting around £240 a year more than women!
Gloucestershire Trading Standards Service virtual interactive VISION food hall has a host of useful recycling messages online, to visit the site click here.
According to the Soggy Lettuce report, carried out by Prudential, more money is wasted on food than any other category of good or service – a whopping £424 per person.
Lettuce is the Number 1 culprit - 61% of households admitted to throwing out soggy remains each week.
It’s bad enough that we’re wasting our money, but when you consider that the majority of these wasted purchases end up in landfill, it really is time for us all to start changing our shopping habits – for good.
Follow our simple tips - and slim YOUR bin!
- WRITE A SHOPPING LIST AND DON'T SHOP WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY!
Thinking ahead before heading for the shops is one of the best ways to reduce waste.
Start by writing a shopping list – and stick to it when you walk round the aisles. Ask yourself as you consider whether you are going to purchase a product “Do I really need this?” – and if you don’t, don’t buy it. And make sure you check the sell-by dates.
Try not to head for the shops when you’re hungry. It’s a well known fact that you will pile more things into the trolley in anticipation of eating them.
- LOOK FOR RECYCLED PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING
Look for the green recycle logo on products and packaging as nothing recyclable is really conserved until it’s been used once, recycled, and used again.
Always buy the recycled versions of household essentials like tissues, toilet rolls, kitchen towels and remember that many other products have recycled alternatives now... such as writing paper, pens, rulers, plant pots amongst many others.
- SWITCH TO PACKAGE-FREE OR MINIMALLY PACKAGED GOODS
Most fresh produce such as bread, fruit and vegetables have absolutely no packaging. Why not bring your own recycled bags and containers to the supermarket to put them in? Keep them in your ‘Bag for Life’ so they’re always handy when you go shopping.
Obviously lots of products have to be packaged for health and safety reasons. But try to buy the largest size you can use since it's likely to have the least packaging. Yoghurt is a typical example. Buy a big pot rather than lots of little ones and save on all that extra packaging.
- AVOID DISPOSABLES - CAMERAS, BATTERIES, NAPPIES (TO NAME JUST A FEW)
Disposable products are only convenient for a short time. They soon take up ever-shrinking landfill space and waste precious resources.
Disposable nappies are probably enemy number 1 as far as clogging up our landfill sites is concerned. Click here for a list of real nappy suppliers and resources.
Try to avoid throwaway plates, cups and utensils. For any picnic or party, your durables at home work just as well - and for a lot less money.
And instead of buying paper towels and coffee filters, try to stick with tea towels, and a metal or cloth coffee filter. And stick to reusable lunch boxes instead of sandwich bags, and Thermos flasks instead of cans and bottles.
- BUY PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE RECYCLED IN YOUR AREA
Recyclable products are those which can potentially be recycled in your kerbside box, composter, recycling banks and household recycling centre.
Get ‘recycle-savvy’ so you know what kind of products you can recycle and those you can’t – and what kind of packaging can be recycled and what can’t.
Click here to find out what you can recycle in your area.
- SHOP TO REDUCE HAZARDOUS WASTE…
Before you buy any harmful household chemical products – that’s anything with a caution, warning, poison or danger label – ask yourself if you really need it. After all, there’s probably a safer and cheaper way to do the job - that won’t hurt the planet.
But if you decide you absolutely do need a hazardous product, only buy the exact amount necessary. And be sure to follow the label directions carefully. If you need to find out how to dispose of your hazardous waste, visit www.chem-away.org.uk and take advantage of their online Chemical Disposal Service Finder.
Try this tip from Kim and Aggie from 'How Clean is Your House'.
Make an unbeatable duster by stirring together one cup of lemon oil with two cups of hot water. Dip lint free cloths into the potion and let them air-dry. Then store the dusters in a covered metal container until you're ready to dust. The oil picks up the dust and the lemon gives your dusting a pleasant fresh aroma.
- HELP KIDS BECOME WASTE-BUSTERS
Teach kids how they can help reduce waste, and they’ll get into smart shopping habits that will last a lifetime.
School lunches are a great place to start. You can help kids learn to avoid the single-serving trap: mini-portions, juice boxes etc. and aim for sandwiches, drinks and desserts in reusable containers.