Reusing, repairing, and recycling are good ways to cut waste. It can also help you reduce spend on new items. Here are some tips on how you can reuse, repair and recycle.
West London Waste Authority (WLWA)
The WLWA provides advice on reducing your waste. They also have some great schemes to get involved in. Visit the West London Waste website.
Unwanted clothing
TRAID collects clothing donated by the public. They take the clothes to a warehouse to be hand sorted. The sorted clothing is then sold to the public in one of their 11 charity shops around the UK. If you have unwanted clothes, you can book a free collection with TRAID.
Laptops and computers
Rather than throwing away a laptop you can donate to Harrow Sustain IT. It's a project run by Voluntary Action Harrow. They clean and fix unused laptops. Then, they donate them to charities and voluntary groups. You can donate most unwanted items to local charity shops. Find your nearest charity shop.
Items for repair
The Repair Directory is a service that finds local repair shops in London. If you have an item that needs repairing and aren’t sure where to go, take a look at the Repair Directory.
Water refills
Find out where to get free refills of water in London by using the Refill App. If you are a business and would like be listed on the App, visit the Refill website.
ReLondon
This is a partnership between the Mayor of London and London boroughs. ReLondon aims to improve recycling in London. Find out more on the ReLondon website.
Reducing Single Use Plastic
We have collated some tips to help you reduce your use of single use plastics:
Carry a reusable bottle
In the UK we use over 35 million plastic bottles every day. Carrying a reusable bottle is a great way to cut your plastic use and save money too.
You can use the Refill app to find a place to fill up your water bottle for free when you are out and about. Many cafés, restaurants and bars are also happy to refill your bottle too.
Take a reusable coffee cup
2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away every year in the UK. And less than 1 in 400 are recycled. Carry a reusable cup with you. Some cafés even offer discounts if you use your own cup.
Carry reusable shopping bags
Since the plastic bag charge was introduced in England, there’s been an 85% drop in their use. Many of us are used to carrying an extra bag with us. If you still find it hard to remember, try a foldaway one that you can carry in your normal day-bag.