Are You Ready for National Zero Waste Week 2015?

What is National Zero Waste Week 2015?

zero-waste-week-logo-pledge

Zero Waste Week is a week in September which focuses on protecting the environment through sending no waste to landfill. The 2015 theme is ‘reuse’, which is great as it will help people realise that by reusing items, we are benefiting the environment and our purse/wallet.

This video explains National Zero Waste Week really well:

Ideas for your Zero Waste Week pledge

What will you pledge to do for NZWW 2015 – at home, or at work with your colleagues?

If you’re an individual, you could try:

  • Preparing all your lunches at home for the week (not buying packaged lunches)
  • Commiting to using only reusable carrier bags – no plastic bags
  • Repurposing all glass items you use in that week
  • Repurposing all tin cans you use in that week
  • Using a refillable cup for coffee shop drinks
  • Using a washable alternative to facial wipes or cotton wool for make-up removal, such as a flannel or reusable eco cotton pads
  • Using reusable and washable cloths for cleaning rather than paper towels or other ‘disposables’
Image of a disposable coffee cup and macaroon box
Image credit: Pixabay

At work, you could try:

  • Preparing your lunches at home
  • Using a refillable cup each for coffee shop drinks
  • Reusing any paper that is printed out: utilise both sides instead of just one
  • After shredding confidential documents, reuse the shredded paper – it can be used for packing items up, or as cat litter or animal bedding
  • Reuse all jiffy bags and boxes you receive deliveries in
  • Setting up a compost bin for fruit peel, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc., which staff members can then take home for their garden
  • Switching to a fabric hand towel instead of paper towels
Image of shredded paper
Image credit: Pixabay

What do Forge Waste & Recycling already do to reduce waste to landfill?

We are committed to helping the environment, and as a company who collect around 200 tonnes of waste per week, we don’t send any to landfill. Anything that can be recycled, is, and any leftover waste is turned into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which is then used to create electricity.

Even our plastic waste collection bins are recycled; when they are no longer fit for use, we remove the wheels and the plastic is shredded and granulated to produce other high quality items.

Of course, in an ideal world there would be nothing to recycle, but in 2015 there is still a lot of work to be done on this issue. This dedicated week is a great help though, so why not get involved?

What will Forge Waste & Recycling be pledging for Zero Waste Week 2015?

When we gave this some thought, we realised everyone in our office has been drinking bottled water to keep hydrated in the hot weather. Whilst we, of course, recycle these bottles, we know we need to eliminate them completely. So we pledge to reuse all of the plastic bottles we currently have for as long as possible, and not buy any more – ever!

plastic-water-bottles
Image credit: Pixabay

Where can I find out more?

If you’d like to know more about Zero Waste Week, the official website is here. The couple who run it have their own brilliant website too, which can be found here – take a look for year-round hints and tips on living waste free. Small changes can make a big difference if we all work together. Let’s be Zero heroes! What will you pledge this September?

Featured image credit: Pixabay

Published by

Lucy Ravenhall

Lucy is a long-standing editor of the Forge Recycling blog and loves writing about her environmental passions.

3 thoughts on “Are You Ready for National Zero Waste Week 2015?”

  1. Thanks so much for sharing your post, Lucy. I think your pledge to reuse your plastic bottles is fab and between your team should make significant impact on the amount of plastic you’re using. Good luck and thanks for all the tweets too!

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