Wandsworth residents halve rubbish in environmental makeover
13 June 2007
Families taking part in the What Not to Waste environmental makeover challenge have cut their rubbish by over half, turning themselves from 'wasters' to 'winners' in just six weeks.
The award-winning Recycle Western Riverside (RWR) makeover requires households to complete a series of three fortnightly missions to recycle, reduce and reuse as much of their rubbish as possible. Participants were rewarded for completing their challenge to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle at an awards ceremony held last week at the Roehampton Sure Start Centre.
The families are now recycling nearly half of their household waste, saving a staggering two tonnes of rubbish from being landfilled each year. Importantly the participants are now recycling the right things and have cut the amount of non-recyclable material put out in their orange sacks and recycling banks by over three quarters.
By composting their kitchen waste and shopping in a more environmentally friendly way the participants have reduced the food waste they put out for the bin men by almost 90%. And by putting 'no junk mail' stickers on their letterboxes and opting out of direct mail, participants have also slashed the amount of junk mail they receive by an impressive 75%.
Jackie McKeay, RWR Outreach officer, said "I am thrilled with the progress the families have made, and crucially all the participants now say they will keep up their commitment to recycling and reducing their rubbish. The 'What Not to Waste' makeover shows that everyone can make small changes to their daily routine and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill."
Participant Simonne Drake completed all the challenges and successfully reduced her household's overall waste by almost three quarters. She said: "I think there are two main reasons I've been so successful: I'm composting all my food waste, which originally made up two thirds of my black sack rubbish. I'm also using reusable nappies, which saves me money as well as helping the environment. "
Maria Seeborun, who also took part in the programme, managed to cut the amount of junk mail she receives by 96%. She said: "The programme has really made me think differently about what goes in the bin. We now buy loose fruit and veg and try to buy in bulk, I cook in smaller portions and freeze leftovers so I'm creating much less waste. It's a gradual process but it's all fitting into place and the whole family is now living a greener lifestyle."