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.
Reusable nappies
In West Sussex, we send over 77,000 disposable nappies 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.
Home composting
Home composting breaks down garden and some food waste, turning it into compost for your garden and reducing what gets sent to landfill.
We offer discounts on a range of home composters and accessories through our partnership with Get Composting - to find out more:
You can find out more about home composting, including what can be composted, here:
You must never home compost Japanese Knotweed. For information on Japanese Knotweed, including how to identify and prevent its spread, and dispose of it safely, see:
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.
You can find more tips on creating less food waste on:
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
Plastic milk bottle tops, which cannot be recycled using your green bin, are collected for recycling by various eco-initiatives to raise money for charities like Chestnut Tree House. See:
Recycle more
Remember that a lot of your household waste can be recycled:
Need assistance? Get in touch:
Recycling, Refuse and Waste
Page last updated: 19 November 2020