Reducing Your Waste And Saving Money in the Process
By Amy Sawyer
Reducing the amount of waste that we produce is more important than ever. As the planet comes under pressure from an increasing population living resource-intensive lifestyles, the environmental benefits of reducing waste are clear. However, what many people don’t realise is that reducing waste can also help them to save money at the same time.
Here are just a few of the ways in which reducing your waste can also be a superb way to save money.
Avoid Buying New Gadgets
In the modern consumerist age that we live in, everyone seems to be concerned about having the latest and greatest gadgets. However, there is often no need to upgrade to the latest generation of device, and the gadget that you have is more than likely capable of doing everything that you need it to do.
When you reuse something yourself instead of getting rid of it and buying a new one, you are reducing waste and saving the money you would spend buying a new device. So try to be content with what you have got and only splash out on new toys when you really need them.
Recycle Your Mobile Phone
If you have an old mobile phone lying around that you never use, don’t throw it away and recycle it instead. There are lots of places where you can recycle your old mobile phone, and you may be able to make some money at the same time because many of these places pay for old handsets.
Sell Your Items on eBay
If you have items in the home that are just getting in the way, don’t chuck them out. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, so list them on an online auction site like eBay and sell them instead. You never know who might be interested in buying the odds and ends that are taking up space in your home.
Reduce Paper Waste
Whenever you are about to print a document, ask yourself if you really need to. Could you send an email instead of a fax? Could you scan an image and save it on your computer instead of printing it out?
It is often easier and more convenient to save documents on your computer or tablet than printing them out, and the savings in the amount of money that you spend on paper and ink can be significant. And if you do have to print off some documents, try to print using both sides of the paper to reduce waste even further.
Plan Your Food Shopping Carefully
£50 of food is thrown away by the average family each month in England, according to Love Food Hate Waste. To reduce the amount that you throw away, and thereby make some significant savings, plan your weekly shop carefully and make sure you only buy what you really need.
Use Washable Nappies
If you have a baby in the home then you will know that you can get through a lot of nappies in the average week. To avoid all of these nappies being sent to landfill, try out washable nappies instead. These are better for the environment and reduce waste, and they are often claimed to be cheaper to use than disposables.
Drink Water from the Tap
Even if you recycle your bottles after buying drinking water, you are still creating more waste than you need to. Tap water in the UK is free to drink and perfectly safe, so try to cut down on the amount of water you buy and see how much you can save in a year.
Save Waste, Save Money
These are just a few suggestions for ways that you can save waste and money at the same time. You could also pack your sandwiches in a plastic Tupperware box that lasts for years rather than wrapping them up in plastic bags every day, using energy-saving light bulbs in every light in your house and generally recycling and reusing as much as possible. Try to lead a waste-conscious lifestyle, and you could find that you start to make some significant savings. And if you really do have to throw things out, try to use a licensed skip company listed on Skip & Bin that will process waste properly and recycle it to divert as much from landfill as possible.
