Waste Less, Live More!

The month of September is all about reducing waste! We started off  with Zero Waste, then moved on to Recycle Week, and now it’s time to pass the baton over to Waste Less, Live More Week. From 19–25 September, Waste less, Live More Week brings together organisations and people to take part in activities which are good for people AND good for the environment.

This year, Waste Less Live More has created a list of 101 ways to challenge us to waste less and live more. We’ve chosen our top 10 challenges from the list and want to give you some brilliant ideas to help make them a reality. If you’re inspired to act, but don’t have the time now –  do it when it suits you! Whether that’s in five days, five weeks or even five months, the most important thing to remember is living with less waste is an approach to life, not just something we do for a week.

Top 10 Challenges

All 101 challenges for Waste Less Live More week are amazing, but here are our favourites from the list. Feel free to use it as a cheat sheet or to jump start your waste-free lifestyle.

• Pledge to have zero waste lunches – Think about how much packaging you can get when you buy lunch to take out from a shop. Pledge to have zero waste lunches for the week – bring in your own from home or sit-in to eat. To learn more more about wasting less food and to get your hands on some free measuring and storage tools come along to one of our fantastic Love Food Hate Waste Library Tours. There are lots of upcoming dates!
• Get inventive, Masterchef-style! – Get together with friends to see who can create the best dish from all your leftovers and what’s already in your cupboards! Better yet, come to our upcoming Disco Soup. We’ll be chopping and bopping to the beat with fellow residents, plus there’ll be lots of fun activities and games to test your food waste knowledge.
• Make a puppet or sock monkey – Odd socks? Try upcycling them into the ultimate toy/mascot/desk companion. Then follow the #LostSocks campaign from Love Your Clothes to win a prize! You can also follow our lovely bee mascots at #beeadventures.
• Eat seasonably – Seasonal fruit and veg need less artifcial input, have less environmental impact and are often cheaper. Check out your local market, grocer or food store and don’t be afraid to ask if it’s in season. Our monthly newsletter always features seasonal eating tips so have a look through the archives for September and be sure to subscribe!
• Buy nothing – When was the last time you went a whole day without buying a single thing? Give yourself, your wallet and the planet a day off. May sound tough, so here’s a a past post of ours to inspire you.
• Break the bag habit – Stop using single use bags and invest in a nicer reusable alternative. We have a fab reuse guide for bags. Have a look and while you’re there check out some of our other re-use guides, from stamps to CDs there are lots of clever ideas.
• Go meat-free – Now the heat-wave has cooled down we bet you still have some of the delicious fresh fruits and vegetables that you stocked up on waiting to be eaten. Here are some great summer salads to make sure none of it goes to waste!
• Swish your clothes – Bring friends or colleagues together to swap items of clothing you no longer want or need yourself  for an outfit that’s new to you. We hold Swishes very often and can help a local group organise one and have all the equipment they need, to find out more visit our GetSwishing.com website. We’ll also be hosting a swish on 1 October at Hounslow Library.

• Be a lover, not a leaver – In restaurants a lot of food is wasted through preparation, spoilage and what’s left behind on the plate. If you’re eating out, commit to asking for a doggy bag and LOVE those leftovers! We have some other handy tips here for making the most of your meal (or should we say wasting the least) while eating out.

• Support a local community project – Get in touch with your local volunteer bureau and find a project that needs some help.  From restart parties to Friends of the Earth, there’s lots happening in west London. Plus, we are always available to come give a talk on waste reduction and recycling. Get in touch!

Try as many challenges as you can and shout about your progress by using #wastelesslivemore on your social media. Be sure to follow @WestLondonWaste on Twitter or mention WestLondonWaste on Facebook. Now go challenge yourself!