What we choose to buy (and eventually get rid of) makes up more than a third of our carbon footprint.
Here are a few ideas for how you can reduce, reuse, repair and recycle (in that order) your way towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
Fall in love with pre-loved furniture
Rather than buying new, check out the pre-loved furniture, appliances and household goods the Basingstoke Community Furniture Project has to offer. You could save some money too.
Does it spark joy?
Most emissions come from stuff we buy and so, before you buy anything, ask yourself if you want and need it. If the answer is yes, go for items that’ll last a long time or, if they are electrical, the most energy efficient option you can get.
You can re-use more than you think
Leftover takeaway containers? Great for storing food. Old towels? Cut them up to make cleaning rags. Search online for hundreds of tips for making old items around your home useful again.
Can we fix it? Yes, we can
Broken or damaged items? If you’ve got the tools and the know-how, we’d recommend having a go at fixing them. Not so handy? A local volunteer-run repair café might be able to fix them for free.
Re-home your furniture
So you’ve grown out of something or it’s just not quite ‘you’ anymore. Selling it online could make you some money. Or you could choose to help out a local charity and donate it instead.
Don’t be trashy
Even after you’ve bought as little as possible and fixed, reused and given away what you can, we know you’ll still have some waste to get rid of. It’s important we recycle as much of that as we can.
Are we missing anything?