In the home

Energy saving

Almost 30% of the greenhouse gases produced in Swindon that are causing climate change, come from the energy used in homes for heating, lighting and running appliances.  There are many simple things that you, the individual, can do at home which will both reduce the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere, and save you money.

Top tips!

• Switch to a Green Electricity Tariff – all electricity companies offer one, and as well as reducing your carbon emissions, it means that the money you spend on your bills is invested in renewable energy
• Loft and cavity wall insulation can reduce heat loss by up to 60% and save you over £100 a year on your bills.  There are often discounts available. Contact Wiltshire Energy Efficiency Advice Line for more information (see below for details).
• When TVs and other appliances are left on standby, they still use a quarter of the electricity that they use when they are switched on.
• Only boil enough water for what you need
• An energy saving lightbulb lasts five times longer and uses five times less electricity, saving you money and helping the environment. Remember to turn off your lights when you aren’t using them!
• Turning your thermostat down by 1C can save you 10% on your energy bills. Drawing curtains at night also keeps your house warmer and lessens the need to have your thermostat up as high.
• Buy the most energy efficient white goods when you replace them, for example washing machines and fridges should be labeled with an energy rating.

Wiltshire Energy Efficiency Advice Line

Provides free, independent advice on energy saving and renewable energy for your home.  Advisors can tell you about grants and discounts available in your area, and can deliver talks to community groups.  Telephone 0800 512012.

Encraft

A renewable energy consultancy, which produces tailormade reports advising which renewable energy options are the most appropriate for your home, and the costs and savings you could make.  Visit Encraft’s website or telephone 0845 6022874.

Swindon Borough Council

The council has a dedicated Home Energy Conservation Officer who promotes energy efficiency throughout the Borough.  Alison Robinson can be contacted on (01793) 466100.

Waste minimisation

Each year, every household in Swindon throws away more than one tonne of rubbish, most of which ends up buried in the ground in a landfill site.
Reusing, reducing and recycling our waste reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, diverts waste away from landfill and means that less energy is needed to create and transport our goods.  This is all good news for the environment!

Composting

About 60% of the waste we create can be composted.  When our food and garden waste is put in the bin and sent to landfill sites, it becomes trapped underground where it creates methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas.  By composting a family can cut their emissions by the equivalent of up to two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.  Visit the Green Living Section of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s website for more information about all things composting!
Contact the Home Composting Volunteer Officer at the Trust using the email box below, if you have any questions.   

Recycling
Visit the Swindon County Council website for more information about recycling in your area:
- Household waste website
- Recycling points website

All of the following items can be recycled at the Household Recycling Centre

Paper

Paper makes up nearly a quarter of the rubbish in the average household’s rubbish bin, and most can be recycled, which would save thousands of trees each year.

Paper that can be put in your local paper bank:
Newspapers and magazines
Junk mail
Catalogues
Telephone directories
Envelopes
Paper that can be put in your recycling box
All of the above
Yellow Pages
Printer paper
Other clean paper

Glass

Every Swindon household uses on average 331 bottles and jars a year, but recycles only 30%.  If every household recycled all of their glass bottles and jars, the energy saved would power a TV for nearly 4.5 days, enough time to watch 210 episodes of Eastenders!
Glass you can recycle:
All green, clear, brown and blue bottles and jars
Blue bottles go into the green bottle bank
Remove lids, caps and corks, and please wash out

Cans

In 1995 4.8 million cans were dumped into landfill.
Cans you can recycle:
Steel and aluminium cans and food and drink cans and tins (wash and squash!)
Aerosol cans – make sure these are empty first and do not squash as they could explode

Plastics

On average plastic packaging takes up to 500 years to rot, once buried in landfill
Plastics you can recycle:
Plastic bottles, including squash bottles, milk bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles.  Most plastic bottles are made of HDPE, PET or PVC and are easily recognizable.
Carrier bags can increasingly be recycled at supermarkets.
Plastics you can’t recycle:

• Any other plastic packaging or products such as plastic trays, margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, vending cups and plastic film.  These items are often made from different types of plastic or are otherwise not suitable for recycling in this country.  Hopefully markets for these materials will appear soon.
• Plastics that have contained engine oil, pesticides or DIY products should be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Waterside Park, Cheney Manor Trading Estate, Swindon.
• Any other plastic packaging or products such as plastic trays, margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, vending cups and plastic film.  These items are often made from different types of plastic or are otherwise not suitable for recycling in this country.  Hopefully markets for these materials will appear soon.
• Plastics that have contained engine oil, pesticides or DIY products should be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Waterside Park, Cheney Manor Trading Estate, Swindon.

Textiles

Textiles that can be recycled (clean and dry)
All clothing
Accessories such as hats, handbags and belts
Blankets, curtains, towels and bed linen
Shoes
Textiles you can’t recycle:
Dirty or soiled material
Duvets, pillows, rugs, carpets, eiderdowns, bric-a-brac

Other items that can be recycled at the Household Recycling Centre

• Cardboard
• Gas bottles
• Furniture
• Car batteries
• Used engine oil
• Wood
• Soil
• Hardcore and rubble
• Metals
• Fluorescent tubes
• Mobile phones
• Fridges and freezers
• Household batteries
• Electrical
• Garden waste
• Garden pesticides/chemicals and paints

Reducing your waste

This prevents waste being created at the source – why not try some of the following useful tips:

• Buy less heavily packaged goods
• Buy loose food instead of pre-packed
• Use your own shopping bags when shopping at the supermarket - each person in the UK uses an average of 134 plastic carrier bags each year!
• Donate old magazines to waiting rooms
• Stop junk mail and faxes by contacting the mailing preference service
• Take a packed lunch to work or school in a reusable container
• Grow your own vegetables
• Buy second hand goods from charity shops or local classified ads
• Look for long lasting and energy efficient appliances when purchasing new electrical appliances
• Try using real nappies instead of disposable nappies – one baby wearing five or six nappies a day will produce 70-80 nappies a fortnight using about a third of the space in a wheelie-bin.  Contact Jacky Thomas, the Wiltshire Real Nappy Network Coordinator at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust for more information (01380) 725670, email her by using the email box below, or visit the Waste Minimisation section of the Trust’s website.
  

Re-use

Practical tips for reusing items in the household

• Reuse scrap paper for writing notes
• Reuse envelopes by sticking labels over the address
• Buy rechargeable items instead of disposable ones, such as batteries or cameras
• Sell old items in the classified section of the local newspaper, or try ebay!
• Swap unwanted items by joining your local freecycle.org group
• Take old clothes and books to charity shops or your local recycling centre
• Recycle your furniture – try the Top drawer Furniture Recycling Project
  

Sustainable water use

Listed here are some tips on saving water in your home – for more information, visit the Environment Agency’s saving water in your home website, or Thames Water’s WaterWise website

Top tips for saving water and money…

• Fix those dripping taps! A dripping tap could waste as much as 90 litres of water a week
• Use a tumbler when brushing your teeth, as keeping the tap running can waste around 9 litres a minute.
• Only use the washing machine when you have a full load to wash – two half loads use more water than one full load.
• Use the cooled water left over after boiling an egg for watering your house plants.  The plants will also benefit from nutrients released from the shell of the egg.
• - Using the shower for five minutes a day instead of a bath can save up to 400 litres a week. However, beware! Using a power shower for five minutes uses more water than a bath.
• Fill your kettle only with the amount of water you need, this will also help to reduce fuel bills.
• Toilets manufactured after 1993 use less water per flush. If replacing your toilet cistern will cost more than you can afford, try using a ‘hippo’ in the cistern instead.
• When buying a new washing machine or dishwasher, look out for those with ‘A’ ratings, these are the most economical in terms of water use and energy efficiency.

Practicing sustainable water use within houses borough-wide can help us to meet Swindon BAP Wetlands Action Plan target number 14. Tell us what you’ve been doing to save water in the home using the email box below…

Have you done anything to save water at home?

Let us know using the email box below, or ask us any questions that you might have...