In 2004 West Dunbartonshire Council's residents and small businesses produced over 60,000 tonnes of rubbish, the majority of which ended up in landfill. Most landfill sites are old quarries and gravel pits, but due to the fact that the average person in the United Kingdom produces about 450 kg of waste per year, this space is fast running out. EU legislation requires West Dunbartonshire to reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill sites by 30% by 2008. Landfill sites are unsightly and can be extremely hazardous to the environment, releasing gases that contribute to global warming and chemicals that can pollute water ways. Disposing of our waste in this way is also very costly, and the Council could be made to face severe financial penalties if we fail to make significant reductions in the amount of waste going to landfill. Taking steps to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle your waste can help minimise the amount of waste we are sending to landfill from West Dunbartonshire.
Top tips for Reducing Waste
- Reduce Unwanted Direct Mail - Residents of West Dunbartonshire may wish to reduce the amount of unwanted direct mail they receive by registering with a free service to remove their name from mailing lists in the UK. The Mailing Preference Services (MPS) is a free service which has been operating for over 20 years to enable consumers to have their individual names and home addresses removed for UK mailing lists. If you would like to remove your name from mailing lists register with the MPS at www.mpsonline.org.uk or by calling their information line on 0845 703 4599.
- Buy products with the minimum amount of packaging. For example, when you buy fruit and vegetables in the supermarket, do not take a plastic bag for each item. Instead place the fruit and vegetables loose in the trolley.
- Buy re-usable products instead of disposable ones, such as re-usable instead of plastic razors and rechargeable batteries.
- Try to avoid disposable plastic bags by choosing 'life' shopping bags that can be used over and over. Many supermarkets offer bags for life for around 10p and when they need replacing they replace them free of charge. If you have to use disposable bags then re-use them as many times as possible.
- Buy products with packaging that can be recycled in your blue bin refuse collection scheme or your local recycling centre.
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Compost your garden, fruit and vegetable waste in your compost heap or home compost bin.
- Use real cotton nappies which are washed and used again rather than binned. Additional information can be found on the real nappies page.
In an effort to reduce the food waste we throw away the Scottish Waste Aware Group launched a national campaign on 1st November 2007 to raise awareness of the environmental and economic impacts of food waste. The 'Love Food Hate Waste' campaign focuses on Scottish households and encourages people to share their hints and tips on reducing food waste by using an interactive website with food waste diaries and a forum for exchanging ideas on how to avoid wasting the food they buy. There will also be help from chefs and food champions on how to plan and prepare food, information on storing and portioning and recipe ideas for leftovers.
To find out how to how to plan and prepare food, information on storing and portioning, recipe ideas for leftovers and more about the campaign visit the wasteawarelovefood home page or visit our news page for the full article.
Top tips for Re-Use
- Each household uses 3 to 4 glass bottles and jars every week. Glass jars such as marmalade jars and coffee jars can be cleaned and re-used as storage jars. If you cannot reuse glass, please remember to recycle it at your nearest Recycling Centres.
- If you are a gardener, large plastic bottles can be used in the garden to protect young plants and provide water reservoirs for older plants.
- The Council provides a subsidised reusable nappies programme. Further information can be found on the real nappies page.
- Pass on unwanted items for re-use. For example, unwanted books and toys can be passed on to children's wards in hospitals or to community groups or charity shops. Larger items such as furniture may be useful to someone else in your family even if you no longer want it.
- Furniture in good condition can be donated to Home from Home, who redistribute it to residents in need of affordable, second-hand furniture, visit the Furniture and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment page for further information. Home from Home can be contacted on: 01389 733733.
- Carpets can be donated to Spruce Carpets, who refurbish them and redistribute it to residents in need of affordable flooring. Spruce Carpets can be contacted by telephone on 0141 425 1555 or visit their website.
- Plastic bottles can be re-used time after time by refilling.
- Household batteries like those used in personal stereos are very difficult to recycle as there currently are no facilities to recycle these kind of batteries in the UK. Instead, you should buy rechargeable batteries and use mains power where possible.
Top tips for Recycling
A large majority of what we put in our waste bin can be recycled or composted and many residents now have kerbside or doorstep bins to enable them to recycle easily. Recycle all your waste paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and food and drinks cans using your blue bin or box. Recycle your garden waste by using your brown bin. For further information visit the refuse collection page.
You can also visit your local Recycling Point or Household Waste Recycling Centre for the collection of items such as glass, textiles, engine oil and white goods. Household Waste Recycling Centres can be found at: Dalmoak Recycling Centre, near Renton; Ferry Road Recycling Centre, Old Kilpatrick and Stanford Street, Clydebank. There are numerous Recycling Points throughout the West Dunbartonshire area. For further details on where you can recycle specific items, please contact the Waste Aware team on: 0845 111 0050 or visit the Waste Aware Scotland website.
Our A to Z guide to reducing, reusing and recycling waste has many further hints, tips and information on items that can be recycled and what happens to your waste. Download the A-Z Recycling Guide (pdf).
Our handy poster gives a list of what can be recycled in your blue bin, bag or box. Download the recycling poster print it on scrap paper and place where all the family can see it!
