Find out more about Warwickshire County Council’s approach to environmentally conscious waste management.
In the third issue of Warwickshire County Council’s Great Big Green Week celebration, it is covering the topic of resources and waste.
Key Initiatives
Using resources more efficiently saves us all money as well as helping the environment. The council spearheads many waste-reducing initiatives to help householders generate less waste. Residents can follow Warwickshire Recycles on social media for daily tips to save on shopping bills:
- Twitter – https://twitter.com/Warksrecycles
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/warwickshirerecycles
Reducing food waste can hugely reduce residents’ carbon footprint as well as save an estimated £60 a month for the average household. Anyone can sign up to the Warwickshire Recycles e-newsletter for a monthly update on reducing waste and saving on bills. Sign-up here: https://mailchi.mp/warwickshire/wasterecycling
There’s an opportunity to win prizes for residents and for local charities through our Slim Your Bin platform. The scheme provides a wide range of activities people can work on at their own pace to reduce their waste and impact on the environment. Points received for recording actions and slimming bins can lead to a range of prizes. Find out more: https://warwickshire.slim-your-bin.com/signup
For residents who are considering composting at home, there are workshops coming up this autumn across Warwickshire. Attendees can purchase a compost bin at a further reduced price from the already subsidised options available. Find out more about attending a workshop or buying a compost bin via: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/green-waste/composting
Primary schools can also apply for a visit from the team for school assemblies and activities on recycling, composting and reducing plastic waste: https://schools.warwickshire.gov.uk/education-resources/waste-education-schools
What residents can do
Almost every household in Warwickshire has access to recycle a comprehensive set of materials from their home. These are:
- paper, card and cardboard;
- glass bottles and jars;
- plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays; and
- metal tins, cans, aerosols and foil.
In Nuneaton and Bedworth, North Warwickshire and Rugby any household subscribing to the green garden waste collection should also include all food waste in their green bin. In Stratford and Warwick Districts, food waste should not go in the green garden bin as those areas enjoy separately collected food waste. That food waste is treated in Warwickshire to generate gas and electricity and to create a fertiliser. Find out more about this:
There are nine recycling centres in Warwickshire where residents can recycle the materials above and a range of other materials such as wood, textiles, larger card or metal items, cooking oil and electrical items. Find out more about Warwickshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC): https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/recycling-centres
There are also reuse shops at Warwickshire’s HWRC sites where donations of household, DIY and garden items in good condition are welcomed. The shops are a treasure trove of quality pre-loved bargains for homes and gardens. Find out more about recycling and reusing unwanted items here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/reuse
Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Environment, Heritage and Culture, said: “We only have to look in our bins at home or the skips at the recycling centre to see that we generate a lot of waste. The more waste that we can prevent getting to this point, the more we are reducing our carbon footprint and helping the environment, as well as keeping more of our hard-earned money in our pockets. The council have a range of initiatives outlined here that can save your family money and Slim Your Bin.
“There are so many simple ways to make small adjustments to your routines and each improved habit you add makes such a difference. It has even more impact as we are all making these improvements together to help ourselves and the environment. With everyone tightening their belts, Warwickshire Recycles provides daily tips on how to reduce food waste and save on shopping bills. Recycle week is coming up on 12 – 17th October, so watch out for new ideas to try on how you can reduce waste and recycle more.”
Residents can contact Warwickshire Recycles:
- On Twitter – https://twitter.com/Warksrecycles
- On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/warwickshirerecycles
- By email: waste@warwickshire.gov.uk
Find out more about Big Green Week here: https://greatbiggreenweek.com/
Find a local Big Green Week event here: https://greatbiggreenweek.com/find-an-event/
There is just a short time remaining for community and voluntary groups to get their applications in for the second round of the Green Shoots Community Climate Change Fund. Find out more: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/regeneration-projects/green-shoots-community-climate-change-fund-2022
For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: https://www.warwickshireclimateemergency.org.uk/