Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Council backs Government moves to reduce waste

West Sussex County Council has welcomed the Government's new Resources & Waste Strategy that was published just before Christmas - particularly the ambition to reduce and recycle plastic and food waste - and says it is looking forward to seeing the outcomes of a number of consultations to be undertaken in the next few months.

"What we do know, is that we will need to continue to work in partnership with our District and Borough Councils, through the West Sussex Waste Partnership (WSWP), to drive forward challenging opportunities to tackle waste and improve performance," it says.

"The WSWP is currently running a number of campaigns that are designed to reduce waste. One of these initiatives is our Fight Against Food Waste! Residents and businesses can find out more about how to reduce the amount of food they throw away with our #FightAgainstFoodWaste campaign.

"Campaigns like this will help us to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill, and align us to the Resources & Waste Strategy's aim to halve global food waste at consumer and retail levels by 2030, and to work towards eliminating food waste to landfill by 2030.

"Work is now underway to review the government's new strategy further and understand how it will influence our services."

The average UK family throws away £700 of food every year. This includes around 48,000 tonnes of cooked potatoes.

Every year in the UK, 120 million chickens are thrown away and 13,000 tonnes of chocolates and sweets are also binned, simply because they are not used in time.

As well as providing some delicious recipes to utilise those leftovers, on its website, the Council is offering the following tips to help reduce waste:

* Keep a handy note on your fridge of your use by dates
* Don't forget that you can freeze your cheese with ease
* Prepare the right portion sizes and be clever when you measure
* Take the Council's food waste quiz
* Check your fridge temperature and make sure it's below 5 degrees C. This can make your food last up to three days longer

The Council is also advising residents on ways to reduce textile waste, which, according to WRAP, includes an estimated 300,000 tonnes of used clothing which goes to landfill in the UK each year. Non-biodegradable clothes, such as polyester and nylon, can take between 20 and 200 years to fully biodegrade. The advice includes:

* Repair - Why not make it your resolution to take up sewing. You don't have to be an expert with a needle and thread. Learning to sew on a button, sew up a seam or hem some trousers could save a trusty wardrobe staple and give it a new lease of life.

* Reuse - If something you love can't be repaired, why not turn it into something new? There are lots of handy tutorials online to inspire you and get you started on a new project. Why not try.... 'how to make an apron from second hand textiles', 'making a cushion from a jumper' or 'how to make a small zipped bag or pencil case from upcycled fabric'.

* Recycle - If all else fails and your textiles are beyond repair or reuse then you can take them to a textiles bank at your local Household Waste Recycling Site or nearest bring bank site. Clothes and shoes that still have some life left in them will be sorted and sent for reuse. Old, well-worn or torn textiles will be recycled by shredding and used in the 'flocking' industry as car seat fillers. The only items not accepted are pillows, duvets, carpets and rugs.

www.wastepreventionwestsussex.co.uk

17th January 2019