How to reduce waste

There are three key factors when thinking about how to reduce waste - the 3 R's:

• Reduce - buy less
• Reuse the things you buy
• Recycle what you don't need anymore

Here are some simple changes you can make at home to help reduce what you throw away.

Home composting and garden waste

For information about composting and garden waste collections see:

• Garden waste

Food waste

Most food waste is avoidable, and reducing what you throw away is not only good for the environment, it will save you money too.

Home composting uncooked fruit and vegetables and peelings, planning meals ahead and using up your leftovers are all easy ways to waste less.

Donating to charity shops

Good-quality, unwanted goods can be donated to charity. Some shops may offer to collect larger items for free.

Collecting for charity

Many items can be collected for local charities to help them raise money.

For example: plastic milk bottle tops, which cannot be put in your recycling bin, are collected for recycling by various eco-initiatives to raise money for charities like Chestnut Tree House. See:

• Milk bottle tops for charity - on the Chestnut Tree House website

Recycle more

Remember that a lot of your household waste can be recycled rather than be sent to landfill, see:

• Find out what you can recycle

Reusable nappies

In West Sussex over 77,000 disposable nappies are sent to landfill every day. These can take hundreds of years to decompose, as well as taking up a lot of space in your refuse bin.

Reusable cloth nappies are more environmentally friendly, and are cheaper in the long run to use.

To avoid blocking your drains, follow Southern Water's advice on:

• The Unflushables (eg items such as wipes, nappies and cotton buds and others) - on the Southern Water website
• What not to flush away - 'Bag it and Bin it' campaign - on the Southern Water website

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