Reduce and reuse : Maximise space in your bin

We can reduce our waste by recycling as much as possible, but there are other things we can do to reduce our waste further, by maximising the space in your rubbish bin to help protect our environment and planet.  

Have a look at our hints, tips and links below for ideas to help you throw less rubbish away. 

We are one of the top performing boroughs in the country for recycling our waste with a 50% recycling rate. This is excellent news, however we are one of the worst for the rubbish that we throw away. 

Rethink and shop smart

Think before you buy! Do you really need the item and if so, can you buy it more sustainably, or in a way that produces less waste or packaging. 

• Avoid single use items and shop smart!
• Use a refillable water bottle or coffee cup.
• Reuse your shopping bags.
• Get a fruit and vegetable box delivery using minimal packaging. Not only are they in season, but locally produced, supporting your local farmers and reducing the miles each item has to travel which is an extra win for the environment. Or try to choose items with less packaging than others at supermarkets and Farmers Markets.
• Shop in bulk if possible to reduce packaging, and avoid individually wrapped items where possible.
• Send an e-card or e-voucher instead of something that will end up in the bin.
• Avoid using or printing paper and use your smart phone or tablet to save documents and make notes.
• Avoid disposable single use plates and cutlery and buy reusable.
• Register with the Mailing Preference Service to reduce your junk mail. For more tips and information to reduce your volume of post visit  : Recyclenow website.

Zero waste and refill shop stations

Find a Zero Waste shop near you and bring your own refillable containers to shop for things like pasta, rice and dried goods as well as other yummy treats. Zero waste or refill shops have many benefits such as:

• Significant reductions in plastic waste.
• Supports local producers and artisans.
• Fresh and organic produce available.
• Less unnecessary packaging.
• Reduces carbon footprint .

Local zero waste shops include: 

• Filling Good, Maidenhead.
• Your Home, Your World, Warfield.
• Pantry Refill Company, Cold Ash.

Refill app

Refill’s vision is a world where everyone can choose to reuse wherever they eat, drink and shop. From a coffee on your commute, to drinking water on the go, or even shopping with less packaging, Refill puts the power to reduce plastic at your fingertips.

Anyone can download the free Refill app to tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill. 

With 300,000 Refill stations, offering refills for water, coffee, food containers and plastic-free shopping, 400,000 app downloads and 100 million pieces of plastic avoided to date, Refill provides an up to date and interactive map of zero waste resources on the go.

Buy better or alternative products

• Buy gift experiences instead of presents someone might not want.
• Hire items like tools.
• Avoid poor quality items, particularly plastic ones such as cheap children's toys, or cheap electrical items.
• Return hangers to the dry cleaners to use again.
• Invest in items that wont easily break or get damaged.
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of single life ones.
• Use beeswax wraps instead of clingfilm and tupperware instead of foil.
• Use washable make up pads and washing up sponges.
• Check out www.whirli.com, to buy new children' gifts and toys. You can then return them at any time to swap for a equivalent new toy. This is a great way to reuse and refresh your children' toys, and makes a great gift idea too.

For more hints and tips visit, the following websites :

• Recycle Now : Buying habits.
• Surrey Environment Partnership : Single use plastics.
• Surrey Environment Partnership : More hints and tips. 

You could also think about joining a local Facebook Group such as: Plastic Free Maidenhead or Plastic Free Windsor for more hints and tips on ways to reduce your rubbish. 

Love food, hate waste

We waste 6.5 million tonnes of food waste every year in the UK, of which 4.5 million is edible! 

Discover some simple hacks, tips and guidance to make the most of your food at home. Find out why it’s so crucial that we all do our bit to save our food from the bin - and protect our beautiful planet at the same time too. Every little thing you do, every day, makes a huge difference. 

By working together, it soon adds up if you times each small action by 66 million people living in the UK. And, you’ll save money on your shopping bill too! From simple meal planning, storage ideas and shopping tips, there is a lot more you can do to prevent this waste in the first place, rather than just recycle your leftovers. 

For top tips and information, go to the Love food, hate waste website.

Home composting

Almost half of our food waste could be composted, so a great way to reduce the amount of food and garden waste is to compost it at home. It saves money and resources, and can help to improve your soil and reduce your impact on the environment.

For more information about home composting visit the Recycle Now website.

To purchase a compost bin online visit the Get composting website.  

Nappies and wipes

Did you know that the average child uses over 4000 disposal nappies and produces a tonne in waste! Unfortunately items like nappies, sanitary pads and wipes can’t easily be recycled.

However there are some alternatives available to try. Reusable (real or cloth) nappies are a great alternative providing a host of benefits to you and baby, as well as the environment.

For more information on reusable nappies visit the Re3 website.

You can also use washable cloths as wipes, or there are biodegradable/flushable wipes and washlets available that are a better alternative to plastic based ones.

It’s never too late to start using reusable nappies with your child. Find out how to get started on your reusable nappy journey by visiting Women’s Environmental Network website.

Not sure which cloth nappy works for you? There are a variety of nappy libraries across the UK offering a loan service or ‘try before you buy’ schemes, as well as face to face advice and demonstrations. Schemes offering a nappy library/loan service include:

• The Nappy Lady.
• The Village Midwife.
• National Childbirth Trust.

Sustainable personal hygiene products

Around 22 items of menstrual products are used per cycle and around 11,000 disposable products will be used in a lifetime per person. Just in the UK this equates to around 4.3 million disposable items per year! This is not only harmful to the environment, but many of these items contain chemicals which could be harmful to our bodies. 

Making the switch to sustainable personal hygiene products is quick and easy as many clothing stores, health/pharmacy stores and online stores are now selling period pants, reusable sanitary towels and menstrual cups. 

Alongside the environmental benefits, switching to sustainable products can also save you thousands of pounds. A single cup costs about £15-£30 but can last up to 10 years, replacing the continuous cost of disposable pads and tampons which can add up to £4,800 over a lifetime. 

For more information visit https://www.wen.org.uk/our-work/environmenstrual/ 

Donate or sell unwanted items

Many items in our homes are often too good to throw away when we no longer require them. Common items include clothing, small electricals, baby and children’s equipment and toys and furniture. 

Donate or sell unwanted items:

• Donate – clothes, books, toys and more to your local charity shop or your local recycling bank. Make sure that you visit when the shop is open so that donations are not left outside, and place all items into the textiles banks, never leaving items around the textile bank.
• Baby and family equipment – The Baby Bank is a registered charity based in RBWM, collecting good-quality second-hand clothes including school uniform, equipment and furniture for families in need. 
  Since 2015 they have helped families all throughout Berkshire and the surrounding areas and are passionate about supporting families in extreme need. 
  From newborn starter kits to essential supplies and school uniforms, The Baby Bank’s goal is to ensure all children have the best possible start in life. To donate or find out how you can receive support, visit their website.
• Furniture – The British Heart foundation offers free collections for unwanted furniture, homeware and electrical items. Thames Hospice also collect furniture.
• Sell – many items can be sold or donated using online selling platforms or via a social media community groups or even at a car boot sale, garden sale, or jumble sale.
• Check out your local Mum2mum Market to buy and sell second hand baby items, for more information visit Mum 2 Mum market website.
• Upcycle - Upcycling is a great way to give furniture a fresh new look, meaning that you don’t have to replace furniture that no longer fits with your décor. Not only are you left with a fancy, good-as-new, piece of furniture for your home, but you can also sit back and know that you’ve just done something good for our planet as upcycling reduces the amount of waste being produced. 
  It also means that there is less of a need to produce new or raw materials, which has further environmental benefits. 
  Not sure where to start? Thames hospice have a popular workshop for customers looking to have their old furniture and home decor transformed, personalising furniture according to taste using painting, waxing, finishing and stenciling. 
  A sewing team can upcycle cashmere and mohair jumpers into cushions. 
  More information can be found on their website. 
  For those who want to try it out themselves, there are many information videos on platforms such as YouTube to guide you through the process of creating new and exciting furniture pieces.
• Textile repurposing – it’s not just furniture that can be upcycled. Textile items can be altered and adapted to create new, individual pieces of clothing from items that you may no longer wear but you want to keep. 
  Dyeing fabric a new colour, adding detail via beads or patches and using old jeans to create a new bag are only examples of what you can do with fabric. The options are endless. Dust off that sewing machine and see what new items you can create.

For more information visit the Recycle Now website : Donate, sell swap.

Toy library

Toy libraries are a great way to improve the local community and improve the access to learning tools for children. 

At a toy library, you can borrow from a vast array of well-made toys designed to support your child’s skill development and imagination. 

They provide local families a range of quality fun and educational toys, games, puzzles, and activities to borrow or hire for a minimal fee.

Whirli offer a toy loan scheme with a variety of developmental toys and tools to keep your little ones entertained.  

Coffee pod recycling

Home coffee machines are a great alternative to your favourite barista made coffee, with coffee pods providing a variety of coffee styles at the touch of a button. 

Did you know that most coffee pods are recyclable? Recycling points are located at Stafferton Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre, a well as local supermarkets.

Your pods will be recycled here in the UK. 

The bags of aluminium and plastic pods are taken to East Yorkshire where they are shredded to remove the coffee. 

The plastic and aluminium are then sent to specialist recycling plants. 

Aluminium pods are recycled in South Wales.  They are melted and used in the manufacture of drink cans and car components. 

Plastic pods are recycled in East Yorkshire. They turned into pellets which are used to make a variety of durable products, including building materials and packaging crates.

The coffee grounds are taken to a food waste recycling plant in South Yorkshire.  Here they are processed to become renewable energy (biogas) to power businesses and homes using a process called anaerobic digestion.  

The by-product of the process is a nutrient-rich bio-fertiliser, which is supplied to local farmers for use as a soil improver.

To find your nearest coffee pod recycling point, use the recycling locator on the Podback website.

Repair

It’s very easy to just throw away an item when it breaks, but have you thought about repairing or repurposing that item first. 

• Love your Clothes – sew that button back on, or for rips or tears take it to your local dry cleaners that can often repair items easily. The same goes for shoes that can be re-heeled. Or you could even try repairing the item yourself or even dyeing your clothes another colour to revamp your wardrobe!

For clothes that you just don’t want try swishing a clothes swapping party. 

• Bikes can be repaired and serviced at the Maidenhead Bike Scheme. They also sell refurbished bikes and for more information about what they do visit the Cyclehub website.
• Electricals and tools can normally be repaired. You can find repair shops in some local garden centres or search online.

For more information visit the Recycle Now website : repair and re-use.

Repurpose

Reuse some items in an alternative way. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Reuse plastic bottles as bird feeders.
• Reuse jars to store food items such as rice, or as a candle holder.
• Reuse takeaway tubs as lunch boxes or storage containers.
• Upcycle an old piece of furniture! For more information visit the Surrey Environment website : Upcycling.
• Reuse old clothing to make dolls cloths or hair bands for example, or an art project.

Dr Bike and Cycle Hub

Cycling is a great way to get around, whether it is your morning school run, commuting to work or just a weekend cycle around the many attractions in our borough. It’s an environmentally friendly, fun and healthy way to travel. 

Maidenhead Cyclehub is a local charity, passionate about cycling and the benefits it brings to individuals, communities and the environment. 

They aim to get more people cycling by providing servicing and repairs, organised rides, advice on bike routes and cycling safety, as well as selling affordable refurbished bikes. Since the charity was set up in 2015, the mechanics and volunteers have refurbished over 3,000 bikes, saving many unwanted bikes from going to waste.

Bikes can be repaired and serviced at Maidenhead Cyclehub and they also sell refurbished bikes at affordable prices. For more information about what they do visit the website.  
For news on upcoming free Dr Bike sessions follow RBWM on social media. 

Tool hire – Share a LoT library of things

Sometime we have a job that requires a specialist tool, but we don’t always have one to hand. Rather than buying it for just one job, why not borrow it from Maidenhead’s Share a LoT Library of Things. 

Share a Lot are a non-profit, volunteer-led organisation lending household and DIY items to the public for a nominal fee. Their intention is to enable borrowers to break away from the linear economy and reduce their environmental impact.

From adjustable hacksaws to tile cutters, they have a variety of tools and equipment to lend. They even have a travel cot and a highchair for when those little visitors need to stay overnight.

Useful items that you no longer require can also be donated for others to make use of. 

For further information or to borrow an item, visit their website.

Eco-Action Hub

ECO Action is a passionate group of volunteers working to inspire and support our community to reduce carbon, increase nature and improve wellbeing. 

The ECO Action Hub is your local eco-empowerment space in the heart of Maidenhead: a place to connect, learn, and take action. 

They work with fantastic local partners who focus on all areas of the Climate and Nature Emergency, from biodiversity to carbon reduction.

Located near the Central Atrium in Nicholsons Shopping Centre, Maidenhead, SL6 1LB, the Eco-Action Hub offers residents the opportunity to:

• Borrow tools and equipment from the Share a LoT library of things.
• Fix small electricals and textiles at one of their regular Repair Café’s.
• Make your home warmer with advice from a Draught-buster volunteer.
• Take part in a community event.

With an on site eco-café, pop in for a coffee and a chat about how you can become more sustainable.