The COVID-19 lockdown has increased the amount of rubbish the average UK household produces. How are you managing yours?
Following the welcome return of spring, my garden quickly resembled a jungle in no time.
I recently took to tearing up those unwanted weeds and even chopped up our old Christmas tree, only to find that we had no way to dispose of our garden waste.
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With the majority of us more isolated during the pandemic, many waste recycling centres are now closed and, alongside staff shortages, this has led to a change in rubbish collection across the country.
What can we do to help?
Being mindful of the use by and best before dates can be a great way to minimise rubbish and avoid unnecessary trips to the supermarket.
It can also help to store your products at the right temperature and avoid placing hot food in your fridge or freezer.
Keep an eye on your local council’s website for updates, as there are regular alterations to services and your rubbish may be collected at a different time.
There are also helpful tips about what you can and can’t put in the recycling. After missing a collection we found our blue bin quickly began to overflow.
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It’s surprising how fast it collects and swiftly becomes unmanageable. If this is the case for you, there are many bottle banks across the UK available for you to recycle glass and jars.
Reducing household rubbish
In an attempt to reduce our household rubbish, we’ve been trying to find another use for items that we would otherwise throw away.
Reusing take away containers to freeze food and cleaning glass jars for extra storage is a great way to cut down on unnecessary packaging. If you’re feeling a bit crafty there are many websites out there that offer more interesting and creative ways to use your rubbish.
Try shopping at a zero-waste store and bring a reusable container to store your product. Over the past few years many shops have opened across the UK that offer a more environmentally friendly way of shopping, which helps prevent your bin from overflowing.
You might also be lucky enough to find products that other stores may not have in stock at the moment.
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What are you doing with your general household waste and recycling? Has the lockdown had an impact on you?
Let me know in the comments.
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