What is Zero Waste Week? Zero Waste Week is a yearly event, started in 2008, made to promote leaving as little waste as possible through day to day life. Initially started on a blog, the founders challenged themselves to contribute no waste to landfills during the first week of September and asked their readers to do the same. Due to the feedback they received and the commitment of their readers, they decided to take the idea forward and turn it into a national event. Waste is our business and we actively encourage schemes and events that help raise awareness about safe and efficient disposal. Last week was Zero Waste Week, so with this in mind we thought it would be a good idea to talk about what the week was about, why it was done and what we do to help reduce waste. Easy waste to reduce It is not easy to cut some waste out of our lives, food and other items will come in packaging whether we like it or not and in most cases there is little we can do to get rid of it. The idea behind Zero Waste Week is not necessarily about stopping all waste, but rather getting rid of waste where you can - times when you may use something and dispose of it when you could have gone without. Below we have created a list of things you can do to easily cut down your weekly waste:
- Use bags for life, not plastic carriers
- Take clothes to a textile bank
- Try to repair something that is broken rather than just getting something new
- Recycle instead of throwing items away
- Buy loose vegetables instead of pre-packed items.
Overall effect The problem with waste, even if it is waste that is bio-degradable, is that it builds up and becomes unsightly and potentially a hazard. It is not just the waste itself that causes problems; think of the time, effort and resources that went into the making of the product that has been thrown away. If it is something that you could have gone without, you are making the product and the resources used more worthwhile. Zero Waste Week is all about supporting this notion and ensuring that time, money and resources are not ‘wasted’. How do we help? Our job is to collect and dispose of other people's unwanted waste; therefore we are at the heart of any waste issues. As a company we try to generate as little of our own waste as possible, but when we inevitably do and when we are disposing of the waste from our customers, we try to do our bit by making sure that all of the waste is disposed of in the best way possible. Of all the waste that we collect, 90% can be recycled in some way so we make sure to recycle what we can - you can read about how we dispose of our waste by clicking here. Try to create as little waste as possible, but if you do create waste then make sure to dispose of it in the most environmentally friendly way possible. For more information about Zero Waste Week, you can visit the official website by clicking here. If you have any large scale waste disposal or site clearance needs, be sure to contact us at WT Skip Hire on 01493 668118 or e-mail us at info@wtskiphire.co.uk. 