Resources
One of the main barriers to donation of items for re-use is a lack of knowledge about what services are available or a lack of facilities for donation. Local authorities can encourage donation by providing information about donation options and also be supporting the re-use organisations who will receive the donations.
- Collections & recycling
- Re-use
- Local Authorities
- Non-governmental organisations
By repairing or re-using goods which still retain some operational value there are social, financial and environmental benefits in comparison to producing a brand new product.
- Collections & recycling
- Collections and sorting
- Re-use
- Re-use and recycling
- Local Authorities
- Non-governmental organisations
WRAP have produced a series of step-by-step guides aimed at encouraging more partnerships between local authorities, waste management companies and third sector organisations to deliver more re-use.
- Collections and sorting
- Recycling in urban areas
- HWRCs & bring sites
- Commercial waste
- Re-use
- Electricals
- Re-use and recycling
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Non-governmental organisations
The Hub provides local authorities with a comprehensive online resource to enable them to produce a Waste Prevention plan and to help householders prevent waste.
- Collections & recycling
- Service design
- Communicating with residents
- Contamination prevention
- Collections and sorting
- Re-use
- Local Authorities
Garden waste - otherwise known as green waste - is decomposing organic matter that can be used as a fertiliser. Although composting is not technically waste prevention, it is included here because it removes material from the municipal waste stream.
- Food and drink
- Reducing and preventing food waste
- Surplus food redistribution
- Household food waste
- Collections & recycling
- Re-use and recycling
- Local Authorities
The Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) indicates that around 30% of bulky waste collected from householders and/or collected at the HWRCs can be re-used.
- Collections & recycling
- Collections and sorting
- Re-use
- Local Authorities
- Non-governmental organisations
Waste prevention defined, as seen in the Waste Framework Directive.
- Collections & recycling
- Service design
- Communicating with residents
- Contamination prevention
- Collections and sorting
- Local Authorities
This section sets out reasons why waste prevention should be integral to any waste strategy.
- Collections & recycling
- Service design
- Contamination prevention
- Collections and sorting
- Local Authorities
Some or all advertising mail items can be judged as unwanted; this can include addressed and unaddressed items, flyers and free newspapers.
- Waste management and end markets
- Commercial waste
- Local Authorities
The main types of waste prevention activity covered by the Household Waste Prevention Hub are outlined below.
- Collections & recycling
- Service design
- Communicating with residents
- Contamination prevention
- Collections and sorting
- Local Authorities
Whilst a good number of local authorities do collect household food and garden waste for large-scale composting and digestion operations, composting at home has the added benefit of avoiding transport impacts and producing a soil improver output which can be used in resident’s gardens.
- Collections and sorting
- Kerbside collection
- Organics
- Local Authorities
This section describes the opportunities for re-use of electrical and electronic products that would otherwise be discarded.
- Collections & recycling
- Re-use
- Electricals
- Consumer behaviour
- Re-use and recycling
- Local Authorities
- Non-governmental organisations