Reducing your household waste

Whilst recycling is better for the environment than throwing items away, it still uses energy and resources. It is better to reduce waste where possible and reuse what we can.

If you follow our top tips and make the most of your recycling, you’ll reduce the amount of waste you throw away and you’ll be able to fit all your household waste in your black rubbish bin with the lid closed.

If you need extra recycling boxes, you can sign in to MyAccount to order them online.

• Only buy what you need – write a shopping list and stick to it
• Supermarket offers don’t always save you money – if you do get a ‘buy one get one free’ offer on fresh produce, freeze the extra items straight away to use later
• Choose products with the least packaging – for items with a long shelf life, buy the larger economy size. One larger pack usually uses less packaging than two smaller packs
• Buy fruit and vegetables loose to reduce unnecessary packaging, such as trays, wraps and bags
• Avoid single use plastic wherever possible – use reusable shopping bags, say no to straws, and take a reusable water bottle or coffee cup with you
• Store food in reusable sealable containers rather than using cling film or foil
• Try reusable nappies instead of disposables
• Buy rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones
• Donate good quality clothes, books and games to charity shops
• Upcycle furniture or donate for reuse
• Compost your garden waste at home

This project is a non-profit making community interest company that aims to stop usable items going to landfill.

The project accepts all sorts of items apart from large pieces of furniture, white goods and soft furnishings like sofas. Containers of paint that are half full or more can also be donated directly to the project or taken to a recycling centre.

The project is a member of the nationwide Community Repaint Scheme, which means they meet certain standards to make sure paint is safely collected and stored.

Contact the project directly if you’re not sure if an item can be donated.

Find out more about the benefits of reusable wipes and nappies, and how you can access the North Somerset Nappy Library, on our dedicated webpage.

We are working with Donate IT (a Somerset based non-profit project) and helping them to expand into North Somerset for the benefit of our local residents and the environment. 

Please donate any unwanted IT equipment at Weston library or Clevedon library for redistribution to those residents identified as being at risk of digital exclusion through Opportunity North Somerset.

• Donate IT guarantee secure data destruction 
• there is a direct benefit to the local community 
• unusable items are recycled into the circular economy to recover precious and rare earth minerals and metals

For more information visit the Donate IT website.

You can also repurpose unwanted smartphones and laptops via Hubbub’s community calling campaign.