Waste is probably not the first thing that you think about when planning your activities this summer, however, it shouldn’t be the last. There are some things that we can all do during the summer holidays to make them go much more swimmingly!
North London Waste Authority (NLWA) through its ‘Wise Up To Waste’ campaign is on hand with some sizzling advice to help you reduce your waste and save you money and make the most of your summer holidays.
1. Summer reuse
If you're having a summer clear out of your house, shed or garage, don't forget that reuse is the most environmentally-friendly approach. If things are still in good condition or easy to put right then they may be useful to someone else – your trash could be someone else’s treasure! There are lots of ways to reuse your stuff in north London from furniture reuse schemes to paint reuse, simply visit our 'Reuse' section to find out more.
2. If you can’t reuse, recycle!
If things can't be reused, then make sure your recyclables go to the right place, whether that's through your kerbside collection service or at your local Reuse and Recycling Centre (RRC). Facilities at your RRC even let you dispose of specialist waste items such as domestic batteries or cooking oil – for a full list of what you can recycle in north London and details of your local RRC visit our 'Recycle' section.
3. Stop unwanted mail
Did you know that the average household in the UK receives around 650 pieces of unwanted mail each year? From signing up to the free Mail Preference Service (MPS), to getting your free pack and sticker, you can stop yourself from coming home to a post-holiday ‘pile-up’ of unwanted literature streaming through your letterbox, by following some simple steps. Visit the Wise Up To Waste Unwanted Mail page to show you how.
4. Summer fashion
Has your old swimsuit seen better days or perhaps your favourite t-shirt has been stained from one too many ice lollies! Approximately 100 million tonnes of clothing, that’s £140 million worth of clothing, end up in UK landfill every year. You can either take your unwanted clothes to a clothes bank or charity shop of the Wise Up To Waste textiles reuse page will teach you how to carry out simple repairs to your clothes. From mending a hole to sewing on a button, find out how you can repair and reuse the clothes you love and save money here.
5. Freeze and save your food
Food waste comes in many different forms, from leftovers on our plates or in containers that we fail to finish, to stale bread or the bunch of bananas left to decompose in our fruit bowl. All these create an estimated £680 worth of waste per household, per year – enough to make 1,000 meals. The key to avoiding food waste this summer is to be flexible and adaptable when it comes to meal planning. The freezer is an ideal storage solution after planned meal menus have been abandoned because of a spontaneous summer day trip. If you know you’re going to be away for a while remember to try and use up the items that will spoil or go off before you return. If you’re not going to manage to eat an item before you go, maybe you could freeze it – remember you can freeze food right up until its use-by date!
From composting and seasonal cookery classes to Waste Prevention and recycling stalls, check out a range of summer events across north London here.
Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA said:
“In the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) area, our seven constituent boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest produce 827,000 tonnes of waste every year. Valuable resources which could still be put to good use are too often simply thrown away – a lot of this waste accumulates over the summer period when people are on holidays either at home or further afield. Every year people throw away thousands of tonnes of food as well as items that could be repaired or reused, resulting in a waste of tax payers’ money as well as being bad for the environment.”
1. Summer reuse
If you're having a summer clear out of your house, shed or garage, don't forget that reuse is the most environmentally-friendly approach. If things are still in good condition or easy to put right then they may be useful to someone else – your trash could be someone else’s treasure! There are lots of ways to reuse your stuff in north London from furniture reuse schemes to paint reuse, simply visit our 'Reuse' section to find out more.
2. If you can’t reuse, recycle!
If things can't be reused, then make sure your recyclables go to the right place, whether that's through your kerbside collection service or at your local Reuse and Recycling Centre (RRC). Facilities at your RRC even let you dispose of specialist waste items such as domestic batteries or cooking oil – for a full list of what you can recycle in north London and details of your local RRC visit our 'Recycle' section.
3. Stop unwanted mail
Did you know that the average household in the UK receives around 650 pieces of unwanted mail each year? From signing up to the free Mail Preference Service (MPS), to getting your free pack and sticker, you can stop yourself from coming home to a post-holiday ‘pile-up’ of unwanted literature streaming through your letterbox, by following some simple steps. Visit the Wise Up To Waste Unwanted Mail page to show you how.
4. Summer fashion
Has your old swimsuit seen better days or perhaps your favourite t-shirt has been stained from one too many ice lollies! Approximately 100 million tonnes of clothing, that’s £140 million worth of clothing, end up in UK landfill every year. You can either take your unwanted clothes to a clothes bank or charity shop of the Wise Up To Waste textiles reuse page will teach you how to carry out simple repairs to your clothes. From mending a hole to sewing on a button, find out how you can repair and reuse the clothes you love and save money here.
5. Freeze and save your food
Food waste comes in many different forms, from leftovers on our plates or in containers that we fail to finish, to stale bread or the bunch of bananas left to decompose in our fruit bowl. All these create an estimated £680 worth of waste per household, per year – enough to make 1,000 meals. The key to avoiding food waste this summer is to be flexible and adaptable when it comes to meal planning. The freezer is an ideal storage solution after planned meal menus have been abandoned because of a spontaneous summer day trip. If you know you’re going to be away for a while remember to try and use up the items that will spoil or go off before you return. If you’re not going to manage to eat an item before you go, maybe you could freeze it – remember you can freeze food right up until its use-by date!
From composting and seasonal cookery classes to Waste Prevention and recycling stalls, check out a range of summer events across north London here.
Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA said:
“In the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) area, our seven constituent boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest produce 827,000 tonnes of waste every year. Valuable resources which could still be put to good use are too often simply thrown away – a lot of this waste accumulates over the summer period when people are on holidays either at home or further afield. Every year people throw away thousands of tonnes of food as well as items that could be repaired or reused, resulting in a waste of tax payers’ money as well as being bad for the environment.”
