Solihull residents are being encouraged to join a national week of action to reduce the waste they generate – and make at least one change to their habits.
Solihull Council is making the call during Zero Waste Week between September 2-6, which raises awareness about the importance of reducing waste and consuming responsibly.
The Council offers a wide range of services to encourage residents to recycle more and provides advice and tips on how to be more sustainable on Your Future Solihull, the Council’s climate change and sustainability website.
Some of those ideas have been collated by the Council for Zero Waste Week to help residents get involved in the week-long campaign. Residents can share the actions they have taken on social media using the hashtag #ZeroWasteWeekSolihull.
Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Planning, Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, said:
“Whether it’s cutting back on plastic packaging and opting for reusable containers, making use of leftovers at dinners instead of putting them in the bin, to using our free kerbside collection service for recycling small items, I encourage all residents to make at least one change this week to get wasting less.
“Just one small change individually can collectively make a big difference. The longer an item or material stays in use instead of being thrown away, the better it is for the environment, helping us to preserve resources and tackle climate. It often means we can save ourselves money too.
“We have an ambitious target to become a net zero carbon emission borough by 2041, supporting our vision to create a greener and more sustainable Solihull, but ultimately we need everyone to play their part.”
Some of the actions residents can take for Zero Waste Week include:
- Small electrical kerbside collections: The Council offers a free and easy-to-book kerbside collection service for small electrical items and other materials that cannot be collected as part of regular collections, from batteries, to paint and shoes. Book a collection here.
- Recycle more: Recent changes to recycling means residents no longer need to separate glass from other recycling – making recycling easier. Residents can recycle more by taking a trip to Bickenhill Household Waste and Recycling Centre (tip). From mobile phones, batteries, to light bulbs, find out what you can recycle and book a slot here.
- Reduce food waste: The average UK family household throws away eight meals a week, costing around £720 a year. Plan weekly food shops with a shopping list to only buy what you need, make use of leftovers, or visit Love Food, Hate Waste for more ideas on how to reduce food waste.
- Reduce clothes waste: The UK sends an estimated 336,000 tonnes of used clothing to landfill every year – that’s the equivalent weight of over 1,000 Boeing 747 airplanes. This can be reduced by reflecting on whether we can repair, reuse, or buy and dispose of our clothing differently. Clothes and textiles can be collected through the Council’s small items collection or at Bickenhill Household Waste and Recycling Centre, while many high-street shops also accept unwanted clothing in return for vouchers.
- Reduce plastic waste: According to statistics, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year and 40% of that is single use. Help reduce single-use plastics by using reusable bottles or containers, switching from plastic wrapping to reusable containers or wraps, or buying loose fruit and vegetables when at the supermarket or grocery store.
- Get composting: Composting is a great way to make use of food and garden matter whilst saving money by creating a nutrient-rich compost for garden plants, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. We have teamed up with getcomposting.com who provide home compost bins, water butts and other green products.
For more information about the Council’s climate change and sustainability campaign and how to get involved, visit the Your Future Solihull webpages, or sign up to the Your Future Solihull newsletter.