Make a difference this Recycle Week: reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

Small actions can make a big difference. This Recycle Week, from 14 to 20 September, take a moment before buying something or throwing things away and ask: can I reduce, reuse, repair or recycle it?

Waste less

Choose products with less packaging, refill containers and buy only what you need. Plan meals, store food correctly and use leftovers where you can. Any unavoidable food waste, including fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, plate scrapings, meat, fish and bones, should go in your food waste caddy which can be turned into renewable energy and fertiliser.

You can order a free food waste caddy online, and free compostable liners are be available from most local libraries.

Reuse and repair

Before getting rid of clothes, shoes, furniture or working electricals, consider whether they could be donated, sold, swapped or shared. Clothes and shoes can be taken to a community bank or by booking a free home collection with TRAID. 

A simple repair can also keep an item in use for longer. The Fixery offers bicycle and clothing repairs, while repair cafes like Twickenham Repair Café host monthly events to help with household items and practical repair skills.

Recycle correctly

Many everyday household items can be reused such as jars to hold pens, and bottles and boxes for storage solutions, but if you can’t reuse it – make sure it is recycled correctly. 

Rinse out plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and tubes (including toothpaste and tomato paste tubes), glass bottles and jars, tins, cans, cartons, foil and empty aerosols to go in your mixed container sack, bin or box. Keep paper and card clean, dry and loose and flatten it before putting it in your sack, bin or box.

Soft plastics, such as carrier bags and packaging films, can be taken to a participating supermarket collection point. See what can’t be recycled in your mixed container recycling and find supermarkets near you that do accept soft plastics. 

If electrical items cannot be reused or repaired, you can take large items to Townmead Road, smaller items to a local recycling bank or participating library, or use the kerbside collection. Present used, broken and unwanted small electrical items next to your weekly mixed container sack, bin or box, in a standard-size, open carrier bag. Never put electricals, loose batteries or vapes in household bins because batteries can cause fires.

Find out more

Check out the A to Z recycling guide or download our what bins do I use? guide whenever you are unsure. You can also check your collection day, read the presentation guidance and sign up for our waste and recycling newsletter. 

By reducing, reusing, repairing and recycling, we can save valuable resources, keep useful items in use for longer and help make Richmond cleaner and greener. That is how we can all Recycle for Richmond.