The waste generated from our homes has a significant impact on the environment. A large proportion of domestic waste ends up in landfill, but this can be reduced by carefully looking at the amount of materials we order when carrying out improvement works, the amount of packaging that products come in, and reusing and recycling those materials where possible.
Reduce your water use
- Save water by installing a water butt in your garden. Collect rainwater from your home, garage, greenhouse or shed in water butts and buckets, and then re-use it in the garden. The average rooftop collects 85,000 litres of water every year. A water butt is a great way to put some of this to use. Visit getcomposting.com to view Cambridgeshire County Council's pages to view their offers on water butts.
- View Cambridge Water’s website with advice on ways to save water at home and in the garden and their free water saving gadgets.
Reduce your consumption
- Find out how to reduce your food waste with this leaflet: food waste leaflet [PDF, 1.5MB].
- Grow your own fruit and vegetables at home or get on the waiting list for an allotment.
- Fill up your water bottle on the go – download the Refill app for Android or iOS to find local drinking-water taps. Refill Cambridge is part of a national initiative to reduce plastic pollution by making refilling your water bottle easy.
Re-use and recycle
- Support local re-use projects to prevent useful paint, household items or computer equipment going to waste.
- Many small everyday items can be repaired rather than replaced. Check out your local repair café for more information.
- Compost your food and garden waste to turn it into nutrient-rich compost you can use in your garden. Collect food waste in a kitchen caddy to put it into your green bin or compost heap and find out about how you can buy a compost bin or get free soil conditioner.
- Find out what can be put in the blue bins to be recycled. [PDF, 0.7MB]
- Request an additional blue bin for excess recycling.
Our ‘Greening your home’ booklet will provide you with the information you need to make your home and lifestyle greener.
