Made do and mend

Most of us re-cycle a fair amount of the packaging that comes with our weekly shopping, and depending on where you live, your local council may well have provided you with an extra bin for recycling old newspapers, cardboard, bottles, tins, some will even take your plastic. But if you want to take it one step further, and keep even more of your rubbish out of landfill sites, then a little extra effort can go a long way.

First of all, find out what re-cycling facilities there are in your local area. In addition to roadside collections, there are usually recycling centres where you can get rid of the materials that you can’t put in your wheelie bin.

And because some councils rotate the weeks they collect general rubbish and re-cycling, it’s a good idea to start composting as much food and garden waste as you can so your bin isn’t over-spilling by collection day. According to www.biggreenswitch.co.uk around 30% of the rubbish in our bin can be composted to use on your garden or pot plants.

Of course, re-cycling isn’t just about disposing of your rubbish. Much of what we throw out is still in good condition and could be used by someone else. Think about how you get rid of your unwanted items like clothes, books, computers and mobile phones.

• You could give unwanted clothes and bric-a-brac to a local charity shop, or make some money for yourself by selling it at a boot fair.
• Why not donate your old mobile to charity for re-cycling, or see how much you could make by selling it for re-cycling online.
• Computers can also be given to charity, or if you are buying a new one, the shop you buy from should take it away for re-cycling free of charge.

And remember, if you are replacing your home entertainment equipment, make sure you have sufficient house insurance cover for your new items.

Get a house insurance quote from Privilege today.