Reduce - the amount of the Earth's resources that
we use.
You can reduce the amount of waste you create by choosing what
rubbish you throw away.
Waste reduction starts at the supermarket. By making slight
alterations to your shopping list you can significantly reduce the
amount of waste created in and around the home.
- Buy only what you need
Reduce unnecessary waste by avoiding those pointless purchases.
Items that rarely get used can be borrowed or shared with
others.
- Buy products that can be reused
Buy
bottles instead of cans and rechargeable batteries. Items such as
this create very little waste, as they don't have to be thrown away
after they have been used just once.
- Buy all-purpose household cleaner
Instead
of buying many different ones for each cleaning role.
- Buy products with little packaging
So that less packaging ends up in your rubbish bin. For those items
you use regularly, buy them in bulk instead of in smaller amounts.
This will save you money as well as reduce waste.
- Use real nappies
Over a third of a
million nappies are buried in Essex landfill sites everyday. You
can reduce nappy waste going to a landfill site by using cloth
nappies, for more information please see our Real Nappy page.
- Reduce your CO2 output
Downwithco2 offers help and advice for people
wanting to save money on energy bills and reduce their
CO2.
Junk Mail
Want to stop unwanted mail and
telephone calls?
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) are free
services designed to give the consumer, and in some cases
businesses, the choice of opting out of receiving sales and
marketing information by mail, phone or fax. They are suppression
files, provided to the direct marketing industry so companies know
whom not to contact. Visit the
Mailing Preference
Servicewebsite to see
how you can reduce unwanted mail and phone calls.
The MPS can also be contacted by phone on 08457 034
599.
The Royal Mail also offer a
opt out service. To use this service send your name and address to
the following address: Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS, Royal Mail Door to
Door Opt-outs, Kingsmead House, Oxpns Road, Oxford OX1 1RX or
email: optout@royalmail.com. The
Royal Mail will then send an opt-out form to the address, which the
householder must sign and return. Once the form has been returned
Royal Mail will stop delivering unaddressed items
to the address within six weeks.
Reuse - don't just bin it, could
someone else make use of it?
Think Before You Throw
Many of the items that you would normally consider as rubbish
could be used for other purposes. So instead of throwing items
away, reduce waste by using them for other roles.
- Paper and Envelopes
Can be used as scrap paper for making notes.
- Cardboard, Newspaper and Bubble Wrap
Can be used as packing materials. Packaging products, such as foil
and egg cartons, can be used for art projects in schools and
nurseries.
- Jars and Pots
Can be used as small containers to store odds and ends.
- Plastic and Paper Bags
Can be reused in the shops, used as bin bags around the house or as
wrapping paper.
- Used wood
Can be used in woodcrafts for making small garden objects such as
bird tables. Alternatively it could be used as firewood.
DONATE IT, DON'T DUMP IT - Community
reuse schemes
Tendring District Council is pleased to support
schemes where surplus household items can be donated and reused
through the local community sector.
Local schemes
Tendring Reuse and Employment Enterprise (TREE)
Electrical items
recycled Quality used furniture
collected House clearance
service Collection and delivery
service Light
removals Free estimates
Contact: Telephone 01255
863007 Unit 2, Oakwood Centre, Plough
Corner, Little Clacton, Essex CO15
9ND Email
admin@tree1.org.uk
Web site www.tree1.org.uk
Bits and Bobs @ TREE
Non profit making scrap store working within
TREE. Membership is £10 per year. This entitles you to visit as
often as you like and take away bits and bobs suitable for use by
children in art and craft activities. Donations of items that can
be cut, stuck, coloured or created are always welcome.
Contact as for TREE
Tendring CVS Furniture Scheme
A scheme to take surplus furniture and provide it
to local people who need it. Contact
01255 476068
Tendring Re-Paint
Unwanted but useable tins of paint can be placed
in the special collection container at the civic amenity and
recycling centre at Rush Green, Clacton CO16 7AD. The paint is
distributed for local reuse.
Re-Cycle
Re-Cycle collects unwanted bikes and parts in the
UK and ships them to developing countries. Since 1997, when
Re-Cycle was registered as a charity, over 9,000 bikes plus spare
parts have been sent to six countries. For more details visit the
Re-Cycle web site at
http://www.re-cycle.org/
or contact them at 60 High Street, West Mersea,
Colchester, Essex CO5 8JE, email
info@re-cycle.org
or telephone 01206 382207.
Freecycle
The Colchester branch of the Freecycle™
organisation is open to anyone local to the Colchester area who
wants to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it
away. You can post it (advertise it) on line. Or maybe you're
looking to acquire something yourself. One main rule: Everything
posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.
Non-profit groups, schools and charities are also
welcome to participate too!
Contact:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colchesterfreecycleuk/
Give or Take - Recycling for the Community
Give or Take is a way of getting rid of things
you don't need or looking for things you do. You can give away
something, look at what others have to give away, or place an ad
for something you need.
Their web site,
giveortake.org, is a way of finding a good home
for something too good to throw away and there is a local Essex
wide site available via a link from the home page.
Local Charity Shops
There are many local charity shops that will
accept your clean unwanted items for resale.
Jumble Sales and Car Boot sales
Many items can be sold through car boot sales or
given to jumble sales. For information on some of the car boot
sales in the area, visit
http://www.bootgroup.com/.
On line auction sites
You will be surprised what some people will pay
for your unwanted item. http://www.ebay.co.uk/
Recycle - can the materials be made
into something new?
Recycling is an important factor in conserving natural resources
and greatly contributes towards improving the environment. Below
are some helpful hints about recycling in and around the home.
Household Recycling
Tendring District Council operates a weekly recycling collection
service, we collect paper, magazines, cardboard, cans and plastics.
For more information including how to check what day your
collection is please see our
Recycling Collection Service page.
Recycling in and around the home can be easy when you know how.
By thinking carefully about what products you buy at the
supermarket and how to recycle them is the first step towards
efficient recycling.
- Find ways of recycling different
materials
Many materials can be recycled, such as
paper, plastic, metal and glass. Other items such as furniture,
electronic equipment, building material and vehicles can also be
recycled but many people don't often think to do so.
- Buy products that can be recycled.
When shopping at the supermarket, buy products that can be recycled
easily such as glass jars and tin cans.
- Buy products that have been made from recycled
material.
You can tell if a product is eco-friendly by looking at the label
on the packaging.
- Avoid buying hazardous material.
It is difficult to recycle products that contain hazardous waste.
Try to find safer alternatives to household cleaners and buy
non-toxic products whenever possible.
- Recycle bins.
Make sure you have a
recycle bin in your home. Keep it in an obvious place so you won't
forget to use it. Tendring provides you with a recycling box that
can be used for paper, cardboard, tin and aluminium cans and
plastics.
Recycling In The Garden
By recycling garden products, you can help improve the
environment in your garden.
- Composting
Composting is a process where
waste degrades into compost, which can then be used in your garden
to help it grow. It is an excellent way to recycle garden and
kitchen waste such as plant trimmings and leftover food. Tendring
District Council is working in partnership with Essex County
Council and to provide subsidised compost bins to residents. For
more information on composting and to order a bin please see our
Composting page.
- Grass cycling
Grass cycling is an excellent way of recycling grass cuttings after
mowing the lawn. Simply leave the cuttings on the ground instead of
throwing them away, they will turn into nutrients and act as a
fertiliser in the soil.
Recycling In The Community
Tendring District Council provide over 70 local recycling points
in the area, to check where your nearest recycling collection point
is and what materials it takes - please see
Recycling Points in Tendring (pdf document).
Essex County Council provide 5 Household Recycling Centres in
Tendring to check their location, opening times and details of what
you can recycle there please see our
Household Recycling Centre page.
Other Related Information
Recycle for Essex - Ezine
Recycle for Essex have produced their first
Ezine, a quarterly publication which is full of useful recycling
information, tips and links.
Sign up to receive your free copy of the Ezine here.
Some of the information provided above was reproduced from the
Recycling
Guide web site, for more information on how to Reduce, Reuse
and Recycle please visit their site.
For other web sites of interest please see our
Related Recycling
links |