Reduce and reuse household waste

Think about what you throw

It takes a bit of conscious effort but put waste to the front of your mind whenever you’re buying, using or disposing of an item. Consider…do I need this item? Is there a better alternative? Can I reuse this item or pass it on? How is it being thrown away?

To help you, we’ve created the Binterrogator (PDF, 140KB). It’s a simple, easy-to-use tool that you can use to track what you’re using and throwing away. You might be surprised and you’ll certainly realise there are some items you don’t need or can replace.

Avoid single-use plastic items

Think about the items that you use once then throw away. Then think if there’s a replacement you could use instead. Plastic drinking water bottle – reusable water bottle. Plastic bag – cloth bag. Plastic / wooden cutlery – reusable metal cutlery. Food caddy bags – bread or cereal bags. There are many more!

New parent? Consider cloth nappies

When you’re a new parent, the amount of waste from nappies is astonishing. But it doesn’t have to be. Cloth nappies, yes, they mean more washing but think of the space in your bin! Cloth nappies are not like the ones you may have grown up with. They’re smart, easy to use and reliable. Surrey even has some cloth nappy trial kits available to borrow from libraries of things, so you don’t have to commit up front without being sure.

If you care, repair…

Many items that get thrown away can be repaired. Surrey is full of people with great repair skills – from clothes to electricals to furniture to bikes – that do a great job of reducing waste in the county. Surrey is also home to 23 repair cafes – regular events where you can take your broken products to get repaired, usually for free or for a donation.

Before you bin it, think…can you reuse it?

Many items that go in your bin could be reused, instead of using up another new product. Keep any plastic bags to use them again, save cereal bags and use them in your food caddy and don’t bin your leftovers – save them for tomorrow.

Pass it on!

There are plenty of ways to pass on items that you no longer want or need, giving them a new life and you peace of mind.

• Take it to one of Surrey’s community recycling centres (CRCs). Let staff know if you have items that might be reused. If they can, it might end up in one of the five Revive shops at CRCs where second-hand goods are sold on with some of the profits going to local charities.
• There are second-hand shops across the county that will happily take your reusable items.
• Got furniture or appliances that could be used again? There are various charities and social enterprises in Surrey that will collect and deliver furniture and other bulky items including appliances.
• If you’ve bought too much food and want to see it go to a good home, donate it to a community fridge where members of the public can take food for free.
• Want to book a free collection of household items that you no longer need? Anglo Doorstep Collections takes a wide range of items and will do just that for you.
• Sell or give away items for free, either online through websites such as Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Vinted and Freecycle, or in-person at a car boot sale.

To find locations including CRCs, second-hand shops, furniture reuse charities and community fridges around Surrey that can help you reduce waste, check out our zero-waste map.

And to find out more about reducing food waste, composting at home and reducing, reusing and repairing clothes and electricals, visit our webpage on reducing, reusing, repairing and recycling more.