Reduce, reuse and repair

Reduce

Recycling is great, but 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? 

Do you even need to own the item in the first place?

By renting a variety of items from DIY tools to wedding dresses, residents and businesses can save money and reduce waste by renting.  It helps cut down on household clutter, while ensuring that fewer items end up in landfill. A few tips with any hire: 

• Always remember to check the goods you hire before you use or wear, as you will be responsible for any damage.
• Notify the supplier immediately if there are any problems.
• Check whether you need any safety equipment with tool hire.
• Make sure the goods are returned by the agreed hire date so you are not liable for excess charges.  

There are lots of ways to reduce your waste

• Put an end to junk mail

• To arrange a chargeable reuse collection of furniture in good condition telephone Contact Islington on 020 7527 2000
  

• Find your nearest charity shop to make a donation
• There's no such thing as junk, only stuff that hasn't found the right person! Visit the clothes swapping pages to find out how you can swap, give away or find clothes for free that may otherwise go to waste. Why buy new clothes when you can join in the latest craze of clothes swapping or swishing?
• Use reuse swapping sites eg Freecycle or Freegle
• Traid offers a free collection service of multiple bags of unwanted textiles from your door
• Complete the booking form or telephone Traid direct on 020 8733 2595 to arrange a pick up
• Use real cloth nappies with our £54.15 voucher scheme
• Save an average of £50 a month on your food bill. For more information on how much you could save visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.

• More than 200kg of waste is produced by every person who menstruates over their lifetime. Find out about free workshops giving expert advice on how switching to reusable period products can be easier than you think.

Repair

Repairing items for reuse not only saves you money but gives you a chance to wear, use and enjoy much loved items a little longer. 

North London Waste Authority has a great directory of repairers.

Repairing and reusing are simple actions that anyone can take to reduce the impact on climate change. 45% of global carbon emissions come from producing products we use every day. Keeping things in use for longer is an important part of tackling the climate crisis and achieving net zero carbon Islington by 2030.

Research by the London Recycles campaign has shown that Londoners are eager to repair and reuse things with over two thirds (69%) stating that they would repair more of their household items if they knew how.

Why repair items?

• Help the environment by reducing the amount we send to landfill or energy from waste
• Save yourself money by not buying new
• Reduce carbon emissions by not making and transporting new products
• Make your cherished items last longer
• Learn new skills

Handypersons repair scheme

Islington’s handypersons’ scheme provides help with small repairs around the home. These might be things that the council’s repair service or a landlord would not normally cover.

More repair help

For more advice and information reuse, visit the London Recycles website or the North London Waste Authorities ‘Fix’ website

E-recycling

Freedom-Mobiles offers a price-checking price comparison site of prices paid for iPads and iPhones mobile home technology. Freedom-Mobiles doesn’t advertise or take commissions to compare mobile iPhone cash trade ins. If you have more than 10 mobile phones or other IT assets to bulk recycle, please contact Freedom-Mobile directly for collection.