March 2024 news
View our news items from March 2024.
Reduce your waste and 'Think Before You Throw'
59% of what's in the average West Sussex waste bin doesn’t need to be there! That's why we're launching the next phase of our Think Before You Throw campaign focusing on reducing this number as much as possible.
We have produced videos on how to reduce your food waste and how to recycle additional materials at the kerbside and our Recycling Centres. For example, the average family of four could save £80 a month by reducing their food waste and shredded paper can be recycled (inside an old cardboard box) at our Recycling Centres as it is processed differently from the paper collected from your recycling bin at home.
Alongside the videos, our website contains tonnes of information on how to reduce your waste and recycle as much as you can. See our 'Think Before You Throw' pages for more information.
Choose what you'll use this Food Waste Action Week!
It's almost Food Waste Action Week 2024 and we’re proud to announce that on Monday 18 March we'll be supporting Love Food Hate Waste’s Food Waste Action Week campaign.
This year, we are encouraging residents to, “Choose What You’ll Use” by buying fruit and vegetables loose instead of pre-packaged.
Research from Love Food Hate Waste has shown that we could reduce food waste by 60,000 tonnes just by buying loose fruit and veg! Sometimes we are in the mood for a huge potato and sometimes we just need one carrot for our spag bol. Why let the rest go to waste? Choose loose and you don’t have to! You can see our top tips on food waste prevention on our website.
Community Food Hubs extending until April 2024
In October 2022 the County Council launched a six month pilot project to encourage people to take advantage of surplus food rescue services and food waste prevention education sessions, which in turn works to reduce the amount of edible food that ends up in people’s household rubbish bins.
Due to the success of the pilot, working with UKHarvest and other partnerships and charities, in 2023 the programme was extended, running until April 2024. The programme has so far prevented over 37 tonnes of food going to waste, provided food to over 11,000 people with over 70% of residents saying that they reduced food from going to waste at home.
The programme has been extended for a further 12 months, running a West Sussex County Council and UKHarvest Community Food Hub once a month across every district and borough until April 2025.
For a suggested small donation, people will be able to pick up a wide selection of surplus foods which would have otherwise ended up as waste from suppliers.
Residents can also receive educational hints and tips on how to reduce food waste at home. More information is available on our website.
Mothers Day
Thinking about what to get your mum for Mother's Day this year? If you're giving a gift this year, why not save on waste and get creative? Homemade gifts and cards show you care and mean no plastic packaging.
Alternatively, opt for a houseplant instead of flowers, as they last longer and produce less waste. Or, how about opting for a day out rather than buying things? This is a great way to make cherished memories and enjoy some of the great experiences West Sussex has to offer.
If you're receiving presents and cards this Mother's Day, remember flowers can be composted once they have lost their bloom and leftover paper and cards from presents and cards can be recycled in your at-home recycling bin. For more information on recycling these items visit our Recycling A-Z.
Love Easter but hate waste?
If you're thinking about Easter, why not try and reduce your waste this year by making home baked goods instead of buying Easter eggs for loved ones?
Alternatively, you could ditch the eggs altogether and enjoy an experience this Easter instead.
If you're feeling traditional, don’t forget you can recycle the foil, card and plastic Easter egg packaging in your recycling bin at home. Chocolate bar wrappers can't be recycled at home though, and will need to be taken to your local participating supermarket for recycling as part of their soft plastic recycling scheme, or placed in your general waste bin.
Upcoming waste prevention events
Throughout West Sussex, we're proud to be working alongside a team of passionate recycling and waste volunteers and advisers. They attend public and private events to promote waste prevention, reuse and recycling, and are keen to answer questions on the county's recycling provision and waste prevention.
Alongside the public events, we are attending numerous privately hosted talks and events for local community groups, schools and other organisations. If you would like our team to attend an event, or for more information on the above please email: waste.prevention@westsussex.gov.uk.
We also attend a number of Community Food Hubs and education sessions in collaboration with UKHarvest. Each district and borough has one hub per month. For more information on the Community Food Hubs, their locations and dates and times please visit our website.