Happy New Year!
We hope you had a lovely Christmas and a good New Year!
Our Waste and Recycling team would like to say thank you for your ongoing support and engagement with our teams on the roads, for liking and commenting on our waste and recycling social media stories and for reading these bulletin updates.
Last year was tough for us all but so many of you took the time to make our key workers feel appreciated and gave us all a little lift in challenging times.
 House Tidy Time
It’s New Year and the Christmas tree has come down. You might be feeling a bit blue about the finished festivities but the New Year is a chance to look forward to the future. Many residents at this time of year like to take time to have a house sort out.
Extra gifts you accidentally bought, gifts you have had for years and never used and duplicates of items which you only need one of, all offer a potential opportunity to recycle or give away to someone else who can enjoy it instead.
There are a few options, depending on the items you wish to give away but unopened gift sets are great donations to charity shops (please check with the charity first and only give donations whilst shops are open).
There are clothing recycling facilities in Broxtowe and Nottinghamshire which make use of old clothes from nearly new to well worn. Brand new items not wanted, can be re-gifted another time. Whilst some aren’t a fan of re-gifting, it is very similar to recycling and just as good for the planet.
You might be surprised by how many household items can be recycled using local recycling centres. See our A-Z Guide for details.
 Veganuary Packaging
If you are taking part in Veganuary this month, you might be pleased to know your efforts aren’t just good for your health but good for the planet too. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent!
Being vegan can also help you reduce your packaging waste as many meat products are sold in single-use plastic. Meat trays (plastic and polystyrene) cannot be recycled in your local council's kerbside recycling bin, bag or box. Meat trays (plastic and polystyrene) should be disposed of in your kerbside residual waste bin.
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) says “Alongside losses in the supply chain, households in the UK throw away 240,000 tonnes of beef, pork and poultry products (not counting bones and fat) on an annual basis. This is over 10% of purchases – and a huge waste of resources and value for customers.”
Vegetables and fruit have packaging waste too but cutting down on meat can help reduce meat packaging waste as, instead, your household focuses on meat-free alternatives.
 Garden Waste Collections
According to the Water and Environmental Engineering Group at the University of Southampton, the average household garden creates about 288kg of garden waste per year!
Many of you were inspired by more time at home last year and rediscovered your green fingers. Spending time in your yard or garden is not only good for your garden but good for you too, keeping you moving, helping you stay connected to nature and making sure you take your mind off any worries you might have. It’s also a great activity to do with the family to have shared experiences and make some memories.
If you want to keep your green fingers busy in 2021 too (and manage the 288kg of garden waste your garden may create), our Garden Waste Scheme is a great way to ensure you can always have your garden waste easily collected, all year round.
More information about garden waste subscriptions for 2021/22 will be shared in future bulletins, our website and social media in February.
Healthy eating the green way
 Most fruit and vegetables are sold in the supermarkets in plastic packaging. During the pandemic, you may feel safer to buy items this way, knowing that you can wipe down the plastic before opening and eating. But there are ways of reducing waste when eating healthy which don’t affect your health and safety at the moment.
Salad items don’t tend to last as long as some vegetables and dried or tinned foods, but careful meal planning can help reduce food waste. When making a meal plan, make sure the first few meals use the foods which go off quickest. Start with salads using items like lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes, then move onto vegetables which last longer. By the end of the meal plan, you will be onto tinned and dried foods, which last the longest.
When making meals, even healthy meals (not salad) can be frozen once cooked to last longer. Things you cannot freeze include lettuce, herbs, cucumber and other salad items.
Be inventive when cooking healthy meals. If you have a spare apple and are making a salad, cut it up and add it in for a sweet flavour. If your bananas are starting to turn brown, make a smoothie. Spare eggs? Make a vegetable omelette! Catch items about to go to waste and research how to use them before they go bad.
Free Bulky Waste Weeks
 Thank you to everyone who booked onto one of the four bulky waste weeks this winter, they all booked up quickly and have been well used by residents. We are pleased to offer this service as it gives those, who can’t get to a local waste and recycling centre, a chance to get rid of bulky waste items.
Fly-tipping is still a serious problem we face and many of you are just as frustrated by this activity as we are. If you see any cases of fly-tipping in your area, please report it to our Neighbourhood Wardens:
Fly tip fact: To clear up a transit load of fly tipped waste costs the same as planting a large specimen tree in a park.
Email: Neighbourhood.wardens@broxtowe.gov.uk
Telephone: 0115 917 3142
More information can be found here: https://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/for-you/litter-and-street-cleansing/fly-tipping/
2021 Go Green Challenge
 This January, we are launching a reduce, reuse and recycling challenge for residents. If you sign up, you will get 6 weeks of great challenges for people of all ages to try, emailed direct to you as special email bulletins.
From reducing food waste, understanding plastic better and becoming recycling pros, there are tips and challenges to inspire great recycling action in 2021.
If you have children, it is a great way to get them engaged in learning and taking action to reduce their carbon footprint as well as understanding the impact of actions and behaviour on the planet. Read more and sign up for the emails today!
Recycling Fact: In November 2020, based on sample size of 864.98 tonnes, 11.9% of our recycling load was contamination which is 102.98 tonnes. Surprisingly, 6 tonnes of glass was found in this sample size. This glass could have been recycled using our kerbside glass collection – for more information see our glass collection page.
|
