Waste less

In Rutland, we produce an average of 7,900 tonnes per year of black bin waste. Shockingly, almost half of this is food waste - over 3,000 tonnes every year! To put this in context this equates to a whopping 27 adult blue whales of food waste going to incineration every year just from Rutland! Some of this is unavoidable, such as bones, skin, cores and stones. However, the majority could have been eaten, which is not only increasing how much we incinerate but also hitting our pockets.

View the Rutland Kerbside Waste Analysis for further details.

Did you know the average family with children wastes around £80 a month through throwing away food that could have been eaten?

When you waste food, you are essentially throwing away money that you could have used to buy other things. By being more mindful of your food consumption, you can save money and help the environment at the same time.

The Love Food Hate Waste website provides excellent tips and guidance to make the most of your food at home.

Many of the things we throw away haven’t always reached the end of their useful life:

• a simple repair could give an item of clothing or furniture a new lease of life - ask family or friends to help - someone is certain to be nifty with a needle and thread or handy with a hammer or screwdriver
• old clothing, towels or sheets that cannot be repaired, can be converted into cleaning rags/cloths to save you from buying disposable ones
• lots of shops offer repair services - look on your high street or search online or in local directories
• glass jars, plastic and cardboard containers can all be repurposed to give them another life
• remember to bring your reusable 'bags for life' when you go shopping - keep spare bags in your car or at work so you never forget them

If you switch to a ‘bag for life’ you can prevent plastic bags ending up in your bin.

Here's a few handy hints to help you remember to use your bags:

• take bags with you every time you go shopping
• keep spare bags in your car or at work
• let the check-out staff know you've brought your own bags before they pack for you

Before you throw away items you no longer need, think about donating to a charity shop or using a website like Freecycle to pass them on to others who could use them.

You could also think about selling any items you no longer need at a car boot sale or an online marketplace, such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

Composting is a great way to reduce your waste. Everything from grass clippings and weeds, through to plant-based kitchen waste, such as vegetable peelings, cardboard and paper, can be used. Home-made compost is wonderful for your soil and plants and great for the environment.

How to compost

Recycle Now and The Royal Horticultural Society have some great advice on how to get started and by following a few simple steps you can turn your kitchen and garden waste into compost.

You'll need to buy or make a composter to do this.

If you'd prefer to buy one, take a look at some of the products on offer through the Get Composting website.

What to compost

You can put a whole range of organic materials into a compost bin including:

• egg shells and boxes
• raw fruit and vegetable scraps
• tea bags, coffee grounds and coffee filters
• small amounts of garden waste like grass clippings, pruning and weeds
• old flowers and plants
• small amounts of sawdust and shredded paper

What you should not compost

Please do not put any of the following materials in your composter:

• cooked food
• meat, fish or bones
• dairy products
• diseased or poisonous plants
• nappies

If you reduce the amount of junk mail you receive, this will cut down how much paper you need to recycle.

Here's some tips to help you reduce the amount of junk mail you get:

• avoid joining mailing lists - when you complete forms or surveys, tick the box to say you don't want to receive more info or offers
• join the Mail Preference Service to have your name removed from direct mailing lists
• join the Royal Mail door to door service to reduce unaddressed junk mail
• display a 'no junk mail' sticker on your door or letterbox

Modern real nappies are a cost-effective way reduce the amount of waste you put in your black bin. By the time your baby is potty trained you could use 4,000 to 6,000 disposable nappies.

There's a huge range of modern real nappies available. The modern designs are slightly more expensive to use than the traditional cloth nappies but they are still much cheaper than disposables in the long run.

We have a real nappy trial kit you can borrow to see the different types and styles of nappies available. If you'd like to borrow the kit or for more information on real nappies, email: environment@rutland.gov.uk.