Environment

There is a need for society to minimise the amount of waste we create, as the amount of waste produced is increasing every year. As consumers we are putting increasing pressure on the world’s natural resources by consuming more and more products. There is also the problem of disposing of the waste we create, the majority of our waste end up in landfill which impacts on the environment and once the waste has gone to landfill the resources are lost forever.

The best thing we can do as consumers is to think before buying and binning products.

Top tips for minimising your waste:

1. Shop smart – think about what you are buying, do you really need it!
2. Consider the packaging – buy products with no or little packaging.
3. Buy loose – many foods can be bought loose such as fruit and vegetables.
4. Buy long lasting products – avoid disposable items such as disposable cameras and razors.
5. Buy refillable products – such as ink cartridges and cleaning products.
6. Buy in bulk – it's better to buy one big container than lots of small ones.
7. Stop unwanted junk mail – sign up to the mail preference service at www.mpsonline.org.uk
8. Use a bag for life instead of getting lots of plastic carrier bags.
9. Use rechargeable batteries.
10. Use re-usable boxes and bottles for packed lunches and storage of food in the fridge rather than foil or cling film.
11. Reuse jars and pots for storage.
12. Reuse the back of paper for scrap paper.
13. Reuse envelopes by using sticky labels to cover the old address.
14. Repair broken items instead of buying replacements.
15. Donate old clothes and shoes to charity shops.
16. Donate old furniture and appliances to charity or use www.freecycle.org.uk

Bradford Council is also encouraging waste minimisation though the real nappy project and encouraging home composting.