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Go green, live with a clearer conscience and, even better, save money
Reduce
Cut down on unnecessary waste by choosing products with less packaging and reusing plastic bags.
Reduce paper waste by returning or refusing unwanted post and asking to have your name removed from mailing lists and by reading news online instead of buying papers.
Reuse
Reuse as much as you can, such as plastic bags. Buy things that can be refilled, like water bottles, and find suppliers who offer refill schemes, such as bottles of clothes wash liquids. Find new uses for things; use glass containers as vases, yoghurt pots to grow seedlings; that kind of thing.
Give old magazines to doctors and dentists for their waiting rooms. Give old toys to charity, playgroups or hospitals.
Mobile phones can be reused by friends, family or charities, or recycled.
Old but usable furniture can be donated to charity, schools, community centres, friends or neighbours, or resold. Contact Furniture Reuse Network for further information on 0117 954 3571.
Recycle
Recycle anything that has the recycle symbol on it.
Remove labels, if you can, and take off lids, especially on plastic bottles as they are often of a different polymer type.
Empty the container then rinse it in your washing-up water.
Squash everything to reduce the space it takes up.
Remove paper clips, staples and plastic envelope windows from paper. Gummed paper such as stickers and envelopes can only be recycled if specified.
Paper or card contaminated with food and tissues can’t be recycled and need to go in the main rubbish or the composter.
Paper should be separated as follows: magazines, newspapers, office paper, cardboard, phone directories.
Find out from your local council whether they offer collection services and where your nearest recycling site is.
Batteries should always be recycled and never put in the rubbish bin. They’re classified as hazardous waste as they contain chemicals and harmful metals. For advice, contact the manufacturer or your local council.
Much of our daily waste is organic materials from animals or plants which can be composted to use as fertiliser. All you need is a composter to sit outside and a caddy to collect the waste in; both available very cheaply.
Recycle printer cartridges.
As well as recycling, choose products made from recycled materials to perpetuate the cycle.
Cut energy consumption with:
Changes to your lifestyle
- Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C can cut heating bills by up to 10%, saving around £40 a year.
- Make sure your hot water cylinder thermostat isn’t set higher than 60°C / 140°F.
- Close curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping.
- Always turn lights off in empty rooms.
- Where possible, don’t leave electrical equipment, like a TV, on standby; it still uses energy.
- Don’t leave equipment on charge unnecessarily; such as phones, mobiles, rechargeable camera batteries, hand held hoovers etc. Unplug chargers when not in use, as they can waste energy.
- Turn your PC monitor, printer and scanner off when you’re not using them and power your PC and mobile down at night.
- Wash clothes at 30° and you’ll use 40% less energy.
- Use half-load or economy programmes when your washer, dryer or dishwasher isn’t full.
- Have a shower instead of a bath; it uses 2/3rds less energy and water.
- Don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.
- When you make a cuppa, boil only the amount of water you actually need.
- Choose electronic equipment, such as TVs, with the Energy Saving Recommended logo.
Changes to your home
- A few simple measures can save around £300 on energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by around 2 tonnes.
- Use energy saving light bulbs. They use less energy, last up to 12 times longer than ordinary bulbs and can save you £100 over the lifetime of the bulb.
- Fix any dripping taps (particularly hot taps) so you’re not wasting water or energy.
- Draught-proofing doors, letter boxes, keyholes, floorboards and skirting boards prevents heat escaping in winter and could save £20 and 140kg of CO2 a year.
- Fitting a hot water tank with a jacket at least 75mm thick saves around £20 a year on heating bills and about 150kg of CO2.
- Insulating hot water pipes saves around £10 a year and 60kg of CO2.
- Insulating the loft with the recommended thickness of insulation can save between £180 and £220 a year and nearly 1.5 tonnes of CO2.
- 33% of heat loss is an un-insulated house is through the walls. Cavity wall insulation can save up to £169 on energy bills.
- Double glazing cuts heat loss by 50% and can cut heating bills by £80 to £100 a year.
- Upgrade your boiler to a high efficiency condensing boiler with modern controls.
- Choose appliances with the Energy Saving Recommended logo, which are the most efficient in their category and can save up to £45 a year.
Changes to your driving
- ‘Eco-driving’ means using your car more efficiently to produce less CO2 and cut fuel bills.
- Check your revs and change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel).
- Avoid sharp acceleration and heavy braking.
- Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption.
- The most efficient speed is usually around 55 - 65mph.
- Remove roof racks, bike carriers and roof boxes when not in use.
- Avoid short journeys if possible. A cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel and catalytic converters can take five miles to become effective.
- Plan your journeys to avoid congestion, road works and getting lost.
- Check your tyre pressure regularly. Under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.
- If it doesn’t look like you’re going to move for a minute or two, switch the engine to save fuel and reduce emissions.
More green facts to cajole you into becoming greener.
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