Page 12 The Local Answer
September 2010
Website www.local-answer.co.uk
New Habits
Start saving money and reduce your food waste, and make the most of the food you buy. Here are our top tips ... • Why not start writing a shopping list - Did you know that half of us make a shopping list all or some of the time, but half don’t stick to it in the store. Try making 2010 the year of the shopping list and sticking to it! • Try planning weekly menus - Take the effort out of thinking what you are going to cook each night, and wondering if you have the ingredients to make it, by planning weekly menus. By buying ingredients for the delicious meals we’ve planned at the supermarket, we will be less likely to buy foods we won’t get round to using up. • There really is such a thing as a free lunch - Simply by using what’s already in the fridge, or last night’s leftovers for a packed lunch at work, we can save between £3.00 and £5.00 a day. • Get friendly with your freezer - There’s not much that can’t be frozen for later. Freeze your leftover festive foods such as meats and cheeses to eat in the New Year. • Double up on family favourites - When you’re cooking dishes such as Bolognese, chilli, soups and casseroles, cook one for now and freeze one for later. That way you will have a ready made meal when you get in on these cold nights. • Store cupboard essentials - Keeping essentials such as oils, sauces, beans, pasta and rice in the store cupboard means that there’ll always be something to create a quick meal with odds and ends in the fridge which might have been forgotten otherwise. • Perfect Portions - One of the reasons we throw away food is because we cook too much! Its easy to cook too much of foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes, so use the Love Food hate Waste portion calculator to help you buy and cook just the right amount of food for yourself, your family and your friends. Log onto www.lovefoodshatewaste.com for more information.
What Should I do with Unwanted Electrical Goods? Waste electronic and electrical equipment (commonly referred to as “WEEE”) such as phones, televisions, fridges, household gadgets and tools and computers is one of the fastest growing types of waste in the UK; we threw away over one million tonnes of it last year alone. Much of this waste ends up in landfill, where lead and other toxins can cause soil and water contamination: but is possible to repair and recycle many electrical items, or to extract components, such as precious metals, plastic and steel. So how do we dispose of electronic waste? If you are buying a new appliance, ask the store what you should do with it. Some retailers will take back old electrical items in store, while others will direct you to your local recycling centre. At Dunsdale and Warrenby we have containers specifically for electronic goods. We also provide a bulky waste collection service. If you are getting rid of something in good working order, consider donating it to a friend, family or local school, hospital, residential home or suchlike.
Battery Recycling
Currently over 1 billion batteries are thrown away in Britain every year. By recycling batteries we can reduce landfill and recover hazardous waste. We will also help meet the target of recycling over 25% of the batteries used by 2012. We have battery buckets for household batteries to be deposited in our Council Office Reception areas. Batteries can also be taken to Asda, Tesco or Morrisons stores.
If you have any questions about our waste and recycling services, please contact the council on 01642 774 774 or visit www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/recycling To advertise telephone 01642 483304 or visit w w w. l o c a l -a n s w e r. c o. u k