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.

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:

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Page last updated: 14 May 2021