At Home

Reduce - Although recycling is great, the best thing you can do is to reduce the amount of waste you create in the first place.

Reuse - After reducing your waste, reusing it is the next best thing. Think before you throw an item in the bin: can it be reused for any other purpose? Is it of use to anyone else? Can it be donated to a charity?

Reduce junk mail – Respond!

Mailing Preference Service (MPS)

MPS is a free service, available only to UK residential addresses, which enables customers to have their individual names and addresses removed from unsolicited mailing lists.

It can take up to 4 months to become fully effective as mailing campaigns are prepared some months in advance. Registration lasts for 5 years.

You can register on MPS Online by clicking on the related link on the right side of this page, telephoning 0845 703 4599 or by writing to MPS, DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SS.

Royal Mail Opt Out Scheme

If you want to stop receiving unaddressed mail delivered by Royal Mail to your home you can do so by emailing your name and address to optout@royalmail.com or by writing to:

Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS, Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Outs, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, OXFORD, OX1 1RX

They will then send an opt-out form to your address, which you must sign and return. Once you’ve returned this form, Royal Mail will stop delivering unaddressed items to your address within 6 weeks.

However, there are a few things you should consider before doing this:

1. It is not possible for Royal Mail to separate material you don’t want from material that you do want, such as advertising offers or leaflets from Central and Local Government and other public bodies. Opting out stops all unaddressed items from being delivered by us (although they would work with Government to get a message to every UK address in exceptional circumstances). Election material is not affected by this opt out.

2. Opting out means no one at the address will receive unaddressed mail items - is this acceptable to everyone living at the property?

Avoiding junk mail in the first place

• Avoid joining new mailing lists by ticking the box when completing a form or by writing to the company requesting no correspondence.
• Display a ‘no junk mail please’ sticker on your front door.
• If you currently receive mail that does not interest you, contact the relevant company or organisation and request to have your details removed from their databases.
• Most banks and utility companies now offer online statements and bills. So if you want to reduce paper mail further, opt for electronic versions of bills and statements instead.

Real nappies

If you are interested in finding out about real nappies vouchers, please click on the appropriate link on the left side of this page.

Twenty top tips to help you throw away less

• Say no to plastic bags – use bags for life or reusable bags instead.
• Make a shopping list before you go food shopping – a staggering third of all food bought ends up in the bin.
• Try to buy goods with less packaging – buy fruit and vegetables loose.
• Avoid convenience foods with layers of packaging.
• Buy refillable products and concentrated products (pictured).
• Buy good quality products that last longer – it may cost you less in the long term.
• Try reusable alternatives to throwaway items such as razors and cameras.
• Repair things when they are broken.
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of single-use batteries.
• Choose packaging that can be recycled.
• Drink tap water instead of buying bottled water.
• Use non-disposable crockery and cutlery for picnics, parties or barbecues.
• Buy second-hand items if you can, such as clothing, toys or furniture.
• Pack lunches in reusable containers instead of foil or sandwich bags.
• Get your milk delivered in reusable glass bottles instead of buying it in plastic bottles or cartons.
• Reuse blank sides of paper for scribbling notes, phone messages or shopping lists.
• Use empty glass jars and plastic containers for storing food and other small items.
• Swap items you don’t want any more on Freecycle – to find out more, click on the link on the right of this page.
• Donate other unwanted items to a local charity shop.