Reduce, repair, and reuse

The best way to manage waste is to not produce it at all. As well as recycling, it has never been more important to think about reducing and reusing the waste you create.

What do we mean by reduce, repair and reuse?

Reduce means taking steps to prevent and lower the amount of waste that we create
Repair means rather than buying something new, have the items repaired. Items that can be repaired are electrical items, bicycles and textiles
Reuse means using a material as many times as possible, such as reusing a plastic bottle or donating clothes to a charity shop.

How can I REDUCE my waste?

Reducing the amount of waste we produce in the first place will have a big impact on how much waste we have to send to energy recovery. Not only does reducing waste help the environment, often it can help you save money.

Quick ways to reduce your waste are:

Reduce single use (insert link to heading)
Repair your stuff (insert link to heading)
Reduce food waste (insert link to heading)
Real nappies & reusable sanitary products (insert link to heading)

Reduce single use

Some examples of single use plastic swaps you can make around the home:

In the bathroom:

Soap bars / shampoo bars: A replacement to liquid soap which is often comes in plastic bottles.
Reusable wipes: Washable wipes are an easy way to cut down on waste. They should never be flushed in the toilets as they damage the systems in the wastewater treatment plants. They are also a significant cause of marine litter and unless specified, they don't biodegrade.
Bamboo toothbrush: They can be composted after use.
Plastic free cotton buds
Solid or homemade deodorant: Solid deodorants can be bought in zero-waste stores. Recipes for homemade deodorants can be found online.
Reusable menstrual products: Find out which option works best for you by visiting www.trialperiod.scot.

In the kitchen:

Reusable beeswax wrap: These are a reusable alternative for cling film and sandwich bags. Leftovers can be kept in reusable containers to reduce waste.
Baking soda & vinegar: While we can find countless different cleaning products in supermarkets, each labelled for one specific task, you can do pretty much all your cleaning with a few basic ingredients. This is not only healthier; it will save you money and reduce your plastic waste.
Washable sponge

Out and about:

Investing in the following products will help you reduce single use plastics. Don't forget to have them always in your bag!

Reusable drinks bottle
Reusable travel mug/thermos
Reusable bags & produce bags
Reusable lunchbox, cutlery and straw

Repair your stuff

Repairing everything from home appliances to clothes will save you money, reduce waste and avoid wasting new resources.

You can learn to repair stuff yourself by participating in workshops organised by community groups. Lots of resources are also available online, including YouTube videos.

Reduce food waste

Love Food Hate Waste

Did you know Scottish households can save up to £470 a year making a few small changes and reducing the food they throw away? That's nearly £40 a month.

Some food waste is unavoidable. You can recycle unavoidable food waste such as peelings, banana skins, bones, teabags and eggshells using the weekly food waste collection.

To find out how you can reduce your food waste, please visit Love Food Hate Waste.

Real nappies & reusable sanitary products

Real nappies will help to reduce the amount of waste in your green bin. Disposable nappies take up a lot of space in your bin and end up in energy recovery which is bad for the environment.

Using real nappies will also save you money. You can save around £500, and even more if you use real nappies for your second or third child. The total cost of using real nappies can be up to half of buying disposable nappies.

There are also alternatives for reusable menstrual products. These include reusable cloth pads, menstrual cups or period pants. These products usually last for years, saving you money in the long run. To find out more visit www.trialperiod.scot.

How can I REUSE my waste

Many of us already reuse items without even thinking about it, such as passing on newspapers and magazines, donating books to charity shops, reusing plastic bottles or saving glass jars to store items from around the house.

Reusing is better than recycling because it saves the energy that comes with having to dismantle and re-manufacture products. It also significantly reduces waste and pollution because it reduces the need for raw materials, saving both forests and water supplies.

As more single-use products are being phased out for reusable alternatives, re-using things is more accessible now, than ever before.

For more information on how you can reuse your waste

Use a local reuse organisation
Donate to charity shops
Online Exchange Networks

Local Reuse organisations

Did you know there are several organisations within South Ayrshire who will uplift bulky items for reuse? We want to encourage residents to take advantage of these schemes to maximise reuse and reduce the amount of waste going for disposal. Please see information below on reuse schemes in our area.

Some things to think about when you contact any of the reuse groups to request a collection are:

are the items in good or reasonable condition and fit for reuse?
if the items are soft furnishings, for example settees and mattresses, do they have a fire label attached to them? If not, they cannot be reused.
if the item is electrical, is it in good working order? If not, it cannot be reused.

British Heart Foundation Furniture & Electrical Store

A free collection service for any good quality furniture and electrical items within South Ayrshire. To request a collection from the British Heart Foundation call 01563 481240. Alternatively you can request a BHF collection online. BHF Store will contact you within 5 working days to agree a date for collection. The items collected are sold in their furniture stores to help fund their lifesaving research. British Heart Foundation can also arrange house clearance for a charge.

Seascape Pass it on

This scheme accepts a wide range of items into its warehouse - from fridges/freezers to cookers and crockery, chairs to tables. Everything they pass on needs to meet all the current legal standards for fire and safety. Please see opposite for more info.

If you have goods you wish to pass on contact Seascape on 01292 285424 or via email passiton@seascapeayr.co.uk.

Cunningham Furniture Recycling Company

A free collection service for any good quality furniture within Ayrshire.

24/7 online booking system is in use which residents can use to manage furniture bookings on a day that suits them via this link https://cfrcdonations.kudoscloud.co.uk

If you are not able to book online, please call 0800 221 8083 and press option 1 to arrange a donation.

Alternatively, customers can drop re-useable items directly at the shop at Unit 68, Third Avenue, Heatherhouse Industrial Estate, Irvine, KA12 8LT.

Biosphere Bikes

A social enterprise charity based in Girvan who accept donations of used bikes.

They currently collect bikes from Girvan Household Waste Recycling Centre or donated bikes can be taken to the community bike shop at 121A Henrietta Street, Girvan.

For more info visit https://biospherebikes.com/recycled-cycles or contact them on 01465 479503.

Charity shops

There are many charity shops throughout South Ayrshire that can take reusable items such as clothes, shoes, bric-a-brac, music, books and homewares.

Age Concern, 5 Crown Street, Ayr, KA8 8BY

Tel No 01292 262894

For details on what they can and cannot accept please check their website here.

Ayrshire Cancer Support, 43 Newmarket Street, Ayr, KA7 1LP

Tel No 01292 289062

For details on what they can and cannot accept please check their website here.

Barnardo's

Barnardo's have charity shops across the UK. To find your local charity shop please visit find my local shop and for details of what they can and cannot accept please check here.

British Heart Foundation

British Heart Foundation have charity shops across the UK. To find your local charity shop please visit find my nearest shop to locate your local store. For a list of items that they can accept please check here.

Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK has almost 600 shops across the UK requiring stock. To find out how to drop off items at your nearest shop please visit find my nearest shop to locate your local store or to arrange a home, business or corporate partner collection.

Please check here for items they are unable to accept.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie have many charity shops across the UK. To find your nearest shop and what they accept please visit here

Sue Ryder

Sue Ryder have charity shops throughout the UK. To find details of your nearest store please visit here and to find out what items can and cannot be donated visit here.

Online Exchange Networks

Sometimes there are items that a charity shop or reuse project wouldn't accept but that are still usable for something. This could be some leftover DIY materials, a much-loved comfy chair which has lost its fire tags but still could be used by someone (or someone's pet), unwanted flower pots, chipped or mis-matching crockery which would be great for an upcycler. Use Community Resources Network Scotland to find local organisations to donate unwanted items to, to give them a new lease of life.

Items like these can be offered for reuse via Online Exchange Networks such as Freecycle, Freegle and the free section of Gumtree. It's easy to register, post an advert of a few words, an approximate location and wait for responses via your email account.

Retailers will take back and recycle your old electrical item when you buy a new one, regardless of brand, or whether the item being returned was bought in store, online or via mail order. To find out more about the take back in store visit the Recycle your electricals website. Retailers must provide the in-store service for free.

National Blister Pack Recycling

Boots has rolled out a scheme nationwide that rewards customers for recycling their empty blister packs. This is now available at over 800 stores across the UK. All plaster packs, whether previously used to hold medications or vitamins and no matter which brand can be recycled using the scheme. For more information visit National Blister Pack Recycling Scheme

Disclaimer

The reuse groups listed are not under the control of South Ayrshire Council. We have no control over the nature, content or availability of their services.

The inclusion of any links or logo does not necessarily imply a recommendation of the service or endorse the views expressed in any literature or website published by the reuse groups.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage arising out of, or in connection with, the use of these services including, without limitation, any indirect or consequential loss or damage.