Events encouraging reuse and recycling will take place across the UK this week (7-13 September) as part of Zero Waste Week 2015.

The week, which this year has the theme of ‘reuse’, encourages the public to pledge to change small practices to cut down on waste, such as reusing shopping bags, taking clothes to textile banks and reusing leftover food as ingredients.

As well as events, the Zero Waste Week website has tips on how to cut down on waste from a number of guest bloggers and resources to help kick-start their change.

Materials for businesses, local authorities and schools are available, suggesting pledges, activities and policies that could be used to cut down on their respective waste streams.

This week will also see Kerry McCarthy, MP for East Bristol and supporter of Zero Waste Week, will be introduce a Food Waste (Reduction) Bill to the House of Commons on Wednesday (9 September) with the aim of ensuring that waste created by the food industry supply chain is prevented or redistributed to charities.

Doing ‘one more thing’ could lead to ‘significant collective impact’

Zero Waste Week was started by environmental blogger Rachelle Strauss, creator of MyZeroWaste.com.

Speaking to Resource about the week, Strauss said: “We have finite resources, landfills are filling up: we’re just wasting too much stuff. It’s too easy to just throw things away without thinking about a different way, and if we keep doing it we’re going to run out of space.

“The week is about preserving resources, but it’s also about encouraging people to save and stop wasting money, which businesses and local authorities should both be excited about.

“One of the messages of the week is that it doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s about the collective impact: if we all just do one more thing, then the collective impact could really be quite significant. So we want to make it really accessible to everybody.”

Events

A number of events related to Zero Waste Week will be held throughout the UK this week.

On Tuesday evening, a Restart Party at The Old Laundry in King’s Cross, London, will encourage people to use their electronics longer.

Members of the public can bring broken or old appliances and devices to the event and receive repair and maintenance tips from professionals.

Also on Tuesday evening (8 September) the Brighton Waste House, a show-home made from used concrete blocks, timber, polystyrene and even coffee grinds for a worktop, will host Cat Fletcher, Director of free second-hand service Freegle and Reuse Manager for Brighton & Hove City Council, as she discusses the house’s construction, its energy-saving design and the research being done using the house.

At another event focusing on extending the life of electronics, Harrow Council will join with West London Waste for a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Recycling Day at Harrow Weald Recreation Ground on Thursday (10 September).

The North East Lincolnshire Council Roadshow will see the council’s Waste Services team travel round the area all week encouraging residents to pledge a zero waste action and explaining how to maximise recycling efficiency. The team will also be joined by an energy advisor who will show residents how to save money and help the environment by using less energy in the home.

Love Food Hate Waste, a campaign of the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), will be running two free cookery classes in Great Manchester, showcasing recipes utilising leftovers, and stressing portion control and meal planning as ways of cutting down on waste.

Details about events being held this week can be found on the Zero Waste Week website and the #ZeroWasteWeek hashtag.