Protecting our planet

Glamorgan Star news 05/01/2023

3 minutes read

Protecting our planet –

By Brian Mayne.

Make living more sustainably your New Year Resolution

This column by local environmentalist Brian Mayne looks at what New Year Resolutions you can make to reduce waste and protect our planet, and even save some money.

It’s the time of year when we all consider resolving to start doing something good or stop doing something bad. This year, why not consider making a resolution to help protect the planet?

Here are some ideas that can help you reduce your waste, which means less environmental impact, fewer resources used, and a reduction in energy consumed.

The first thing to do before you buy anything is to ask yourself, do I need that new shiny gizmo? If you are replacing something – what’s wrong with the one you’ve got, can I get it updated or repaired? If you do end up buying something new, make sure you either sell the old one online or donate it to friends or a charity – or if it can’t be reused make sure you recycle it. In these hard financial times thinking a bit thriftier will benefit your pocket and the environment.

If you’ve had new clothes for Christmas and you want to make space in your wardrobe, remember that clothing in good condition can also be sold or donated to a charity. Whatever you do, don’t throw clothes in the rubbish bag. If you have something that is no longer wearable, it can be deposited at a textile bank to be collected for reprocessing and made into new items (depending on the material) or made into industrial rags. You could also consider if the material could be upcycled into something else. Check here for advice and inspiration.

Reducing food waste is one-way households can reduce waste and benefit the environment. A staggering third of all food waste that is produced for human consumption is wasted every year. Planning meals rather than buying food on a whim can ensure we only buy what we need for the week ahead.

It’s also a useful thing to do if you’re trying to lose weight, or just improve your diet. Another tip is to check the use-by dates to ensure you consume foods before they go off. It’s also worth considering ways to better use leftovers. The Love Food Hate Waste website, provides practical guides for everything you need to know to make the most of your food at home. They provide lots of top tips to ensure every morsel is eaten, saving you time and money too!

Remember anything that can’t be reused, you should try and recycle. Nearly every household in Wales has a kerbside collection of food waste so there are no excuses. If you are struggling to know if a material can be recycled or where to take it, go to the Wales Recycles website.

They provide information and advice to help you with what to do with difficult recycled materials, they have even made a recycling list to help you to dispose of the items that cause the most confusion over Christmas – from advent calendars to Christmas crackers.

I hope that the information provided above will help you consider making a new year’s resolution to reduce waste. Throughout the year, I will continue to give you information to help you do your bit for the planet and people. Wishing you all a happy reducing, reusing, and recycling new year.

Brian is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, as well as the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Chartered Environmentalist, and is recognised by the International Solid Waste Association as an International Waste Manager.