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Remember - don't let your Halloween pumpkin go to waste:
- Add it to your compost heap: it will break down quickly
- Recycle it with other food waste: chop it up before putting it in your kitchen caddy or sit the whole pumpkin next to your black food waste bin on your collection day
 Dispose of paper with personal information
From time to time, you may receive letters containing sensitive information such as your address, phone number, or bank and credit card details.
If you no longer need these documents, they can be recycled along with their envelopes in your green bags.
To recycle them securely, you need to remove any personal information by tearing or cutting it out. Keeping documents as intact as possible makes them more likely to be successfully recycled.
If you have to shred a document, make sure the shredded paper is placed in a used envelope or cardboard box before putting it into your green bag. Loose shredded paper can easily be blown away and lost during the recycling process.
 Great start for Earley Repair Café
Did you know there’s a repair café in Earley?
Last month, the Earley Repair Café officially opened its doors and in their first session, volunteers looked at 47 items and saved many of them from ending up in landfill.
The community project, led by the town council, is run by volunteers who help fix a variety of household items, such as clothing, soft toys, small household appliances, sharpening tools, bikes, electronics and more. They also offer advice to get them back in working order.
Their next session is scheduled for this Sunday (10 November), from 10am to 1pm, at the Centrepoint Community Centre, located next to Lower Earley Library on Chalfont Close.
While all repairs are free, donations are welcomed to help support its running and expand its services.
Oher upcoming repair café sessions
 Reduce waste this shopping season
Every November, we may be prompted to buy a bit more than usual in the excitement of Black Friday deals and early Christmas shopping.
However, this surge in shopping leads to a significant increase in waste. Statistics show that the UK produces and being thrown away an extra 30 per cent of waste throughout the holiday period.
In this and upcoming issues, we’ll share top tips on how to make small changes to our festive routines that can collectively have a huge positive impact on the environment.
Gift giving
Gift giving is an important festive tradition, but sometimes presents run the risk of remaining unused and eventually being thrown away. Here are some thoughtful, sustainable gift ideas:
- An experience you can share with a loved one, such as concert or theatre tickets, guided tours, staycation packages or visits to historical sites
- Taking a course together to learn a new skill or hobby, like cooking classes or a course at our Dinton Activity Centre
- Donations to a charity on behalf of your friends and family
- Buying unique, second-hand things from your local charity shops
Wrapping paper
Wrapping paper is one of the biggest sources of waste during the festive season. Each year, around 50,000 trees are cut down to make Christmas wrapping paper.
To reduce this waste, consider:
- Decorating your presents with reusable or natural decorations, such as reusable string, ribbon or a sprig of holly or mistletoe
- Using reusable gift bags or boxes, instead of disposable ones
- Wrapping gifts in unwanted magazines, fabric, old maps or comics
 Reuse and repurpose festive decorations
Instead of going out and buying new decorations, we can find ways to give a new lease of life to what we already have. That way, we can save money, while also reducing waste:
- Bring your fairy lights to one of the repair cafés across the borough, if they aren't working. Refer to the article above to find one near you
- Take care when unboxing the packaging of your artificial Christmas tree, as you may want to use the box for storing the tree after Christmas
- Use natural decorations such as ivy, fir cones, mistletoe and holly, which can be composted if they are glitter free
- Paint and embellish worn-out decorations to create a new look or repurpose them to make your home even more festive. Do a search online for some creative ideas.
Reminders:
- Glass baubles are not recyclable. Dispose of any broken ones by wrapping them with unwanted paper or cloth and putting them in your black wheeled bin
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