Throw-away culture - what a mess we're in!

Our throw-away culture is risking health and squandering the world's natural resources.

Switzerland, Holland and Germany recycle 60% of their waste so why can't we?

For a sustainable future . . .

• Reduce - the amount of the Earth's resources that we use.

  • Be more efficient and simply just reduce consumption.

  • Don't be led astray by those adverts.

  • Think about what you need rather than what you want.

• Reuse - don't just bin it, could someone else make use of it?

  • Sell unwanted items e.g. at a local jumble sale or on ebay.

  • Give them away to a friend.

  • Freecycle - a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own town

• Repair - a stitch in time saves nine?

  • A timely repair can extend the life of many of the things we use, from a simple sewing job on a pair of trousers to a mid-life refit of new worktops for a kitchen.

  • Let's ditch the throw away society, appreciate what we have and...

  • Support local small repair businesses.

• Recycle - can the materials be made into something new?

Recycle Now

Information on the materials that councils collect and a postcode search for your nearest recycling bank

Information about the labelling of plastics and other materials