Products and packaging require energy and raw materials to be made. Plastic packaging is made from valuable oil; much of it will remain unaltered in the environment for well over 100 years. In the UK we are running out of landfill space and every year it becomes more expensive, putting up your Council Tax.
Think before you throw away!
Choose products with minimal packaging wherever possible.
Take your own shopping bag with you. Make a habit of keeping a reusable bag in your pocket or at the bottom of your handbag. Disposable plastic bags create litter and harm wildlife, especially marine life. It’s time to ‘Break the Bag Habit‘.
Give unwanted items in good condition to charity shops rather than throwing them away.
The Wimbledon Guild runs furniture/appliance recycling services for unwanted items such as beds and fridges etc.
Donate good quality unwanted books to local schools and libraries etc. All money raised by Morden Hall Park’s second-hand bookshop goes straight back into caring for the park.
Join Freegle (an online network) to get hold of second hand items for free and to give away things you no longer need.
The Tools Shed ‘tools for schools’ recycling project finds new homes for gardener’s old tools once they have been repaired at local HM prisons. The nearest collection point for Merton residents is Capital Garden’s Neals Nurseries in Wandsworth.
Recycle as much as you can – paper, envelopes, card, plastics, foil, tins and glass can all be recycled together in Merton.