Climb the waste hierarchy: reduce The waste hierarchy has clear priorities: top of the list is reduce, next is reuse, and then comes recycle.
So recycling is good and Somerset’s 56.2% recycle rate is excellent. But reuse is even better, and – by preventing waste at source – reduce is best of all.
Reduce Week 2022 is from Monday 21 to Sunday 27 November, just ahead of Christmas wastefest and around spend- all Black Friday and spend-nowt Buy Nothing Day on 25 November.
Reducing the waste we make has many obvious benefits, from saving money, materials, time and energy to cutting carbon and avoiding clutter and mess.
Reduce Week highlights easy reduce steps we can all take to save money and live better by cutting back the tonne or so of rubbish and recycling each Somerset family creates every year.
Reduce can range from using up leftovers so not a scrap of food is wasted to taking a long hard look at so- called cheap deals, and switching from physical to digital for Christmas gifts.
For more, watch for Reduce Week on Facebook, Twitter and NextDoor, join the Talking Café at 1pm Wed23Nov: facebook.com/watch/?v=7960152316 57314, visit somersetwaste.gov.uk/ reduce-week, and see overleaf for how you can contribute your ideas and know-how to enter a free prize draw.
Question: how do you reduce?
We want your ideas – and pictures or videos – on reducing waste, from tips on using up food to better festive giving and cutting back packaging. Share on social when you see “how do you reduce?” posts or email suggestions to [email protected]. Best ideas will feature on social media and beyond, and go into a free prize draw for a refurbished tablet or laptop.
Find Fixy at an event near you
Fixy reuse van supports Somerset repair cafes, prompts reuse, seeks volunteers and collects tech to pass on. More: somersetwaste.gov.uk/fixy. Find Fixy:
- Thu17Nov 9-3 – Market, High Street,
Street BA16 0EN.
- Sat19Nov 10-12 – Glastonbury Repair Café, St Benedict’s Church BA6
- Wed23Nov 12-4 – Brittons Ash Community Hall, Taunton TA2
- Sat26Nov 10-4 – Eat Taunton
- Sat3Dec 10-12 – Repair Café, Village Hall, Porlock TA24 8QD.
And future repair cafés include:
- Mon, Thu 10-12, Sat 10-1 – Share and Repair, 18 Silver Street, Ilminster.
- Tue 10-11.30 – Sewing Repair Hub, 9 Fore Street, Chard TA20
- Sat19Nov 10-12 – Wivey Repair Café, Community Centre, Wiveliscombe.
- Sat26Nov 10-1 – Repair Café in the
Blackdown Hills, Parish Hall, Hemyock.
- Sat26Nov 11-2 – Engine Room, 50-52 High Street, Bridgwater TA6 3BL.
- Sat26Nov 9-12 – Community Hub, 9 Fore Street, Chard TA20
- Sat26Nov 30-2.30 – Langport
Repair Café, All Saints Hall, North Street.
- Sat26Nov 10-1 – Repair Café, Quaker Barn, 30/32 High Street, Wincanton.
- Sat26Nov 10-1 – Repair Café, Village Hall, Wedmore BS28 4EQ.
Your festive fortnight dates … Christmas and New Year mean kerbside waste collection changes. No collections on Mon26Dec or Mon2Jan so both weeks’ pick-ups are one day later, including Fridays on Saturday. No garden waste collections in festive fortnight. Usual services from Mon9Jan. Recycle sites unchanged except all close 25-26Dec and 1Jan, and Crewkerne has extra day open on Tue27Dec. More: somersetwaste.gov.uk/festive.
… and your Christmas tree choices Unless you make your own with recycled materials, or keep a false tree for many years, a real tree is the best eco-choice. Later, it can be composted or dropped off at any recycle site. Garden waste subscription? Decoration-free trees up to six feet can go out with your first 2023 collection. Or arrange a charity tree pick-up with donation, such as from St Margaret’s Hospice or Dorothy House Hospice Care. To book a collection, go to just-helping.org.uk/register-tree.
Do more online, waste less time With My Waste Services at somersetwaste.gov.uk, you can manage these and more 24/7:
- Log missed collections after 7pm
- Order any recycle container free
- Order paid bulky waste pick-up
- Sort clinical/assisted collections
- Pay for asbestos/plasterboard
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