Reduce – your food waste
Staggering fact time. According to the Soil Association, an estimated five million puddings, two million turkeys, and 74 million mince pies go to waste each Christmas! Shocking stat isn’t it. As well as saving you loads of money, cutting down on what food you buy for Christmas could make a big difference to the planet. But if you don’t fancy reducing your trolley-load, remember that your freezer is your friend. Consider rustling up some turkey soups and curries to enjoy throughout January. Mince pies often freeze well and who said you could only eat them at Christmas.
Re-use – your old electricals and clothes
Admit it, most of us have clothes or items around the home that are damaged or don’t work. But before you sling out that toaster, or recycle those faithful old jeans, head over to one of the monthly repair cafes in Hart, where gifted volunteers will often be able to breathe new life into them. Repair cafes are free, but visitors can make an optional donation should they wish to.
Recycle – your electricals and batteries
Once the fun of the big day is over, you might decide that a good old declutter is on the cards. Here in Hart, we now offer a collection of small electrical items with the waste and recycling rounds. Discarded electrical items are one of the world’s fastest growing waste streams, so it’s important that we recycle them appropriately. If you have small electrical items, such as kettles, hand blenders and hairdryers that are beyond repair, you can leave them in a carrier bag on top of your waste or recycling bin for collection.
Please be aware that batteries cannot be collected in the electricals or general recycling and have been known to cause bin lorry fires, so please drop off your batteries in a designated battery collection point, found in many shops and supermarkets.
For more information how you can live more sustainably and save yourself money, check out the Impact Hart website.
Check out our tips on a sustainable New Year in the winter issue of Hart News
Act locally, impact globally.
Impact Hart is the local online hub, created for residents, businesses and community groups and is the place where we share advice and support around climate change, helping us reach our goal of being a carbon-neutral district by 2040.