Going green: Declutter this Christmas to help save our precious planet

As the holiday season approaches and we get ready to entertain friends and relatives, it’s common for many of us to want to do a clear-out. Decluttering responsibly not only frees up space in our homes but can support our communities too, setting a positive tone for the holidays. Recycle now offers a search function to safely dispose of most household items through schemes in your area https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item website. Here are some tips on how to deal with old items commonly found around the house to minimise waste.

1. Pots of paint

Leftover paint pots can pile up in a garage or shed and take up a lot of shelf space.

If the paint is still in good condition (paint separates after a few years making it unusable) you could donate it to a local school, theatre group, or community centre, to be used for art projects or to spruce up buildings. If paint has gone past its useful life, don’t pour it down the drain as it can contaminate water supplies and harm wildlife. Drop it off at your local waste disposal facility instead.

2. Old shoes

That pile of old shoes lying in the bottom of the cupboard can be donated to a charity like Barnardo’s, or to an organisation like Shoe Aid which specialises in recycling footwear. For shoes that are too worn out for donation, check if there are any shoe recycling programs near you. Some big shoe companies, like Clarks, Nike and Adidas have recycling initiatives where you can drop off old or outgrown pairs to be recycled.

https://www.shoeaid.co.uk website.

https://www.clarks.com/en-gb/sustainability/shoeshare website.

https://www.nike.com/gb/sustainability/recycling-donation/recycling-donation-where-does-it-go website.

https://news.adidas.com/planet/launching--choose-to-give-back---a-resale-program-enabled-by-thredup/s/ffbe00bd-0507-4262-8457-1c6f2ac9de08 website.

3. Cables and electronics

As technology advances, electronics, adapters and cables quickly become obsolete leaving us with old iPads and a tangle of cables in our drawers. You can take them to an e-waste recycling centre for disposal, or some shops like Currys run take-back programs for old electronics. You can also discard old cables, chargers and adapters in special e-waste recycling bins found in large DIY stores and supermarkets.

https://www.currys.co.uk/services/delivery-installation/recycling.htmlwebsite.

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/directory-record/1613530/computer-recycling-edinburghwebsite.

4. Clothes

Clothing you’re never going to wear again can often by found a new home using Vinted or eBay. You could also bring it back to the shop – stores like M&S and Primark operate ‘bring back’ schemes. Alternatively, you could donate it to charity or a local shelter, and for damaged or worn-out clothing that can’t be donated, there are textile recycling bins.

5. Jewellery

From broken necklaces to single earrings, old jewellery can really accumulate over the years. Local jewellers might be able to repair pieces or create something new from them, and second-hand stores might accept pieces in good condition. You can also mix and match – it’s quite fashionable to wear mixed earrings. Many charities have a freepost address so you can donate old jewellery to a good cause such as the British Red Cross or British Heart Foundation. Alternatively, the scheme cash for trash can help https://www.recyclingforgoodcauses.org/individual-donors/website.

6. Books

Books are wonderful objects to collect, but if you’re an avid reader it doesn’t take long for your home library to fill up. Donate unwanted books to local libraries, schools, or community centres, or you might have an old phone box in your area where you can leave books for others to pick up and enjoy. Books that are worn out or have missing pages should be recycled.

7. Furniture and curtains

Donate furniture in good condition to local charities or try to sell it on Gumtree or eBay. If it’s damaged, check with a local furniture recycler who might pick it up from your home. Old curtains can often be re-sized and re-used, or taken to a textile recycler.

Celebrity spot

Pop icon Rihanna promotes climate change action through her Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF). The ‘Umbrella’ singer spotlights the threat to vulnerable communities, like her native Barbados, which is at risk from rising sea levels caused by global warming. Since 2012, CLF has donated millions to climate change causes, and Rihanna personally lobbies world leaders to act. “Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally,” she says.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/21/rihanna-s-foundation-donates-over-13-million-to-climate-justice website.

Green swap

Swap Black Friday for Buy Nothing Day on November 29th to offset wasteful consumerism. Buy Nothing Day was started in 1992 by Canadian artist Ted Dave and many countries, including the UK, now take part.

https://www.buynothingday.co.uk website.

Supporting woodland, forests and urban forests

National Tree Week is celebrated every year at the end of November, and it’s a good time to visit your local woodland and think about what trees do for us and the planet.

Organised by the Tree Council, it marks the beginning of the winter tree-planting season and encourages us to protect our woodland, forests and urban forests.

Trees are crucial to us. As well as capturing carbon and providing clean air, they support biodiversity and provide shelter for animals. But more than 8,000 tree species – ten per cent of the planet’s trees – currently face extinction, according to the Royal Forestry Society. And many of our own species in the UK are so vulnerable that they feature on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List as most at risk.

https://www.iucnredlist.orgwebsite.

https://rfs.org.uk/learning/tremendous-trees/endangered-trees/#:~:text=Over%208000%20tree%20species%2C%20representing,species%20in%20the%20United%20Kingdom website.

There are many things you can do to help the tree population, even if you live in an urban environment.

Plant a tree in your garden

Plant a tree on your property if you have enough space for when it reaches maturity. Try to choose the right tree for the right place so that it doesn’t grow so large that it will have to be removed in a few years. Avoid planting any species that could cause disruption to roads, pavements or surrounding buildings. Roots will grow out further than the branches. With global warming, tree species will have to survive more and more hotter and drier summers, as well as wet winters so consult a forestry expert if you can about what would suit your soil conditions and the future climate.

Be aware of the risks when buying plants

Although there are statutory controls for bringing plants into the UK from overseas, garden centres and nurseries can introduce unwanted pests and diseases to find their way to our shores. Be careful to buy Uk grown plants from a reputable seller to avoid an unwelcome pest affecting trees in your area.

Join a local tree-planting group

Groups like the Tree Council and the Woodland Trust hold tree-planting events throughout the year. By taking part, you can support efforts to restore native woodlands and expand green spaces. Many councils also run their own schemes to plant trees suited to the local soil and climate.

Protect local woodland

Protecting existing woodlands is as crucial as planting new trees. Volunteer for local conservation groups, which work to remove invasive species, maintain trails, and monitor tree health.

Support sustainable forestry

As a low-carbon, renewable product, wood is good choice for furniture and toys etc. Buying products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ensures you’re supporting responsibly managed forests. This promotes sustainable practices that protect tree populations and minimise the risk to endangered species. Look for the FSC’s tree logo on products before buying.

https://fsc.org/en/how-to-be-a-forest-stewardwebsite.

Fact or fiction

“Tea bags contain plastic”.

FACT.

Most tea bags contain microplastics which disperse into the environment when you discard them. Try to buy compostable tea bags instead or, better still, brew loose tea in a pot then compost the used leaves.