Barking and Dagenham Council is calling on residents to do their bit for the planet by reducing household waste.

We all need to do that little bit more for the environment and play our part for a greener world. Sometimes this can feel daunting, but it can be easier than most of us realise.

One way we can all do our bit is by quickly and easily reducing household waste. It’s important to recycle but also to cut back on how much waste we throw away in the first place.

Residents can try some quick and hassle-free ways to do this, which can also save some pennies. The three key words to remember are: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

Reduce 

We should all aim to cut down on as much waste as possible. You can reduce your waste by simply carrying a reusable bag when you go to the shops and buy loose items rather than items in packaging.

A great way to save money is to plan ahead when it comes to making dinner - write your shopping lists in advance and freeze your leftovers for later. Also, paying attention to ‘use by’ dates can help avoid food waste. Even putting a “no junk mail” sticker on your letter box can help cut down on paper waste!

Reuse

It’s important to aim to reuse our items as best we can. Before throwing an item away, try to think if it could have a different use?

Why not use empty jam jars to store cooking ingredients, use newspapers for gift wrapping, or using tins as plant pots? It’s also a great activity to keep children busy during the summer holidays – encourage them get creative and crafty too! 

Recycle

The last step is to recycle as much as possible and cut down on general waste. We hear a lot about the impact of recycling, but sometimes it’s hard to remember to do it – don’t forget that the Council now offers an extended recycling scheme, which means you can recycle more household items including glass and mixed plastics in your brown bin, or your blue eurobin if you live in a communal flat – find out more about what you can recycle here.

It can help to place reminders around the home, to catch yourselves before binning a recyclable item. You could also try to choose recyclable packaging where you can, such as buying a box of pasta rather than a bag or storing leftovers in containers rather than cling film.

If you’re a keen gardener, you can sign up for our Green Garden Waste Collection service here – the green waste that’s collected as part of the service is then composted.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said, “We’re committed to reducing household waste in Barking and Dagenham and we can all take these small steps to reduce our waste – together, they can have a big impact overall and help us achieve our aim of a greener Borough for everyone going forward.

Remembering to make these small and easy changes is a step-by-step process, but once we get into the habit we can notice big savings as well, which is always positive.

“Remembering to make these small and easy changes is a step-by-step process, but once we get into the habit we can notice big savings as well, which is always positive. And don’t forget to take advantage of our extended recycling scheme, which means you can now recycle more things at home while doing your bit for the planet – it’s a win, win!”

Residents can get more information on how to reduce waste here.

Residents can find out more about the extended recycling scheme here.