Most of this rubbish is buried in landfill sites which are rapidly filling up. Reducing the amount of waste we produce can save us money and divert waste from landfill.

Doing nothing about the waste we produce is not an option, we have to take steps to produce less.

Reducing waste is easy. Listed below are some ways that waste that can be reduced at home.

Love Food Hate Waste

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign offers lots of advice on reducing food waste.  Top tips include:

• checking date labels on food,
• using or freezing food before it reaches its use by date,
• checking cupboards and fridges before shopping to avoid unnecessary purchases,
• planning meals for the week ahead,
• controlling portion sizes before cooking; and
• using leftovers creatively

To find out how you can save £50 a month by reducing food waste please visit our pages.

Smart Shopping

By making a few changes and getting smarter in the way we shop, we can all reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill. The smart shopping page gives some ideas to help us reduce the waste created by our shopping habits.

Packaging

Packaging plays a vital role in protecting and preserving our products and much has already been done to optimise it. This work has been going on for many years e.g. washing-up liquid bottles are 58% lighter, cardboard boxes are 14% lighter and drinks cans are 50% lighter than in the 1970s. We can also do our bit to reduce and recycle packaging by following some of the tips on the smart shopping page. The packaging page provides more information on packaging, why sometimes it is useful and what is being done to reduce it.

Reusable Nappies

Reusable nappies are now available in a number of different materials and styles to make them easy to use. Purchasing and washing reusable nappies is a cheaper option when compared to buying disposable nappies. Reusable nappies are also breathable, with no harmful chemicals or gels. With 8 million nappies thrown away each year in the UK, they're also a better option for the environment. Visit real nappies for information on reusable nappies.

Junk Mail

Currently households in the UK receive at least one piece of junk mail every day.  Much of this can be stopped by registering with some of the opt out services available. These can be found on the junk mail page.