Smart Living

There are loads of simple changes you can make around the house to reduce the amount of waste you produce.

• Ditch cling film and foil and store food in re-sealable containers, such as Tupperware, instead;
  
• Why not hire the items you need? - if it’s the kind of equipment you only use occasionally e.g. high pressure cleaner, wall paper stripper, carpet cleaner - why clutter up the house? Look up hire companies in the telephone directory or internet – you’ll be amazed at the range of things you can hire;

• Buy ‘pre-loved’ - instead of buying brand new why not see if you can pick up a bargain by buying ‘pre-loved’ items? There are plenty of waste exchange websites like ebay, gumtree, freecycle and freegle and free ads papers where you can pick up unwanted items such as furniture, books, tools etc for a fraction of the cost of buying new;
  
• Sell unwanted items - before you bin those completed computer games, old hamster cage or that dress you haven’t fitted into for years why not make a bit of money from them? Your unwanted items may be just the thing for someone else, try selling them on an exchange website or at a local car boot sale?
  
• Make your own lunch - instead of buying an expensive prepackaged sandwich or salad for lunch why not make your own at home. Use reusable containers such as tupperware to keep your food fresh. This will reduce the amount of packaging waste you dispose of and save you money;
  
• Borrow – why not join a book or toy library so you can borrow them instead of buying. Better still why not borrow and swap items with family and friends;
  
• DVDs, computer games and CDs – hire them instead of buying them new, great services are available online and can be cheaper than hiring them from the high street. Your local library may have a good stock too;
  
• Repair - before you throw away broken items, ask yourself can they be repaired? Broken or faulty items such as bicycles, furniture, computers, electrical appliances shoes and clothes could be repaired at a fraction of the cost of buying new.