Waste & Recycling Services

Home Composting and Waste Minimisation

Reduce – not producing so much waste in the first place

In the supermarket

Many items in supermarkets are over-packaged, usually to promote the product. Most packaging is not needed to protect a product. For example, why do sheets of lasagne come in recyclable cardboard boxes, but all other pastas come in non-recyclable plastic bags? Does a whole coconut really need to be wrapped in plastic?
Buy loose fruit and vegetables instead of those packed in plastic trays which cannot be recycled
Buy drinks in plastic bottles which can be recycled, instead of cartons ( eg. tetra-paks) which cannot be recycled
Buy a bottle of concentrated squash drink, instead of buying it ready-diluted. For example a large plastic bottle of concentrated fruit juice costing £2.69 for 33 servings, work out at just 8 pence per drink. The packaging is also recyclable. But buying concentrated fruit juice in cartons at £1.72 for a pack of 8 drinks will cost 21 pence per serving. In addition these cartons cannot even be recycled. You could also drink tap water instead of buying mineral water. These tips will save you money as well as the environment!
Buy recycled products for example bin bags, toilet paper, printing paper or other stationery. Most supermarkets are now starting to stock recycled products buying them will help to improve their markets, the prices will reduce and more products will be produced
Use low energy light bulbs. They save energy as well as money on your bills. They also last 8 times longer so you won’t need to keep changing them and disposing of bulbs
Remember to bring old carrier bags to the supermarket with you, or better still, use a cloth bag. Some supermarkets have reward incentives for customers who bring their own bags or boxes. Did you know 150 million plastic bags are used in Britain every week?
Instead of buying new batteries, buy rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. Single use batteries are classed as hazardous waste due to the chemicals in them. Using rechargeable batteries prevents pollution and saves you money! These can be recharged 1000 times, so by buying a pack of 4, you are saving 4000 batteries from going to landfill

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In the garden

Buy peat-free recycled compost as it reduces extraction pressure on peat eco-systems. You can buy recycled compost that has been made from the green waste collected in Bexley at Foots Cray and Thames Road Reuse and Recycling Centres for £2.50* a 50 litre bag
Buy a home composter at reduced prices through the Waste and Resources Action Programme scheme that Bexley Council is linked to. You can put all your garden waste in here and get free compost to put back on your garden! Find out more information here
Information on reusing bedding plant trays (165KB, PDF file)
Cut plastic bottles in half and use them in the garden to protect plants from frost or to water plants directly to their roots
Scratched CDs make ideal bird scarers
Use egg boxes in the garden to plant seeds in

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In the home

Junk Mail - You can stop all that unwanted mail arriving through your letterbox by registering with the Mailing Preference Service, who will arrange for your details to be taken off the mailing lists of companies sending unsolicited mail. Register on 020 7291 3310 or visit the Mail Preference Services

Reuse – using items again instead of throwing them away

Refill a plastic bottle with water or squash and reuse over and over again
Use a lunchbox instead of wrapping food in cling film. Better still, use an old ice cream box
Use sheets of old newspaper to line your brown compost bin – this soaks up any excess liquid
Glass jars are useful for storing nails, screws etc. How about reusing jars and making home-made jam. If you put glass in your normal rubbish, it will go to landfill. In the Middle East, glass has been found by archaeologists that was made 3,000 years ago. So if you throw your wine bottle away, it could still be there in the year 5007!
Take unwanted clothes and bric-a-brac to charity shops or to local school/church fairs. If you want a bit of cash, why not sell unwanted items at boot fairs. Watch out for Bexley’s annual Give or Take Days where you can take your unwanted reusable items and swap them for something that you need
Thames Road and Footscray Reuse and Recycling Centres accept some working electrical goods for reuse. A local charity then collect the equipment and sell it on at reduced prices to raise money
Local reuse groups that provide collection services are as follows:
- Respond Limited are a not-for-profit charity that supply furnishings to those in need in SE London and Kent. They also have a warehouse in Thamesmead for members of the public to purchase household items. To book a collection or find out more please ring them on 020 8316 1099 or e-mail forum@respondbank.co.uk
- British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Store, The Mall, Sidcup. To organise a collection please ring 020 8302 5768
- Recycle – IT purchase or simply collect and dispose of, redundant computer hardware. For a collection please call 01322 434 000 or e-mail info@recycle-it.co.uk
- Emmaus Greenwich collect unwanted household items and offer a house-clearing service. To find out more, call 020 8854 3426 or email info@emmausgreenwich.org

* Current charges are valid until 31st March 2008.