This month's challenge: reduce, reuse, recycle
Reducing your domestic waste is easier than you think. We're challenging you to reuse or recycle everything you can for a week - instead of popping it into the bin. Challenge three in our series is all...
View ArticleWhat have you always wanted to know about rubbish?
This month we're looking at recycling, reducing, reusing and (the lesser known fourth R) refusing. Tell us what you want to know and we'll find outOver the last few years most of us have done a pretty...
View ArticleHow a small African recycling project tackles a mountainous rubbish problem
Without the luxury of municipal collections household and business waste is a serious health problem in the Gambia: one group is turning it into a opportunityWaste and resources in the UK has now...
View ArticleChildren create artwork to learn about recycling - video
As part of our Live Better Challenge, we invited a group of London schoolchildren to take part in workshops on food waste, energy consumption and recycling organised by the eco charity for young people...
View ArticleSustainable blog of the week: My Make Do and Mend Year
Jen Gale on the inspiration and challenges behind her mission to repair and create rather than buy new for 12 monthsWhat inspired you to start writing My Make Do and Mend Year?I remember reading an...
View ArticleWhy composting is the ultimate way to reuse and recycle
Dark, rich, crumbly and nourishing, compost leaves nothing to waste. It's time to let the rot set in during International Compost Awareness weekWhat do you want to know about composting? Put your...
View ArticleNew adhesive system makes a circuit board that is 90% recyclable
Three British companies have developed a system that means components can easily be separated by hot waterThree British companies have developed a 90% recyclable and reusable circuit board, whose...
View ArticleSustainable blog of the week: Plastic is Rubbish
Kate Armstrong aka Polytheen Pam explains the material origin and recycling mission of her Huddersfield-based blogWhy did you start writing Plastic is Rubbish? One day, I noticed a plastic bag in a...
View ArticleYour compost questions: eight lessons we learned
Our composting live chat was piled high with fascinating facts: see our summary from layers to wormeries and handy hairIf your space is limited and you only produce low quantities of waste material,...
View ArticleWhy I prefer to use cloth nappies and cut down on landfill
Aren't they expensive, complicated, smelly and lots of hassle? One mother loves using cloth nappies, and explains whyWhen people see that my small boy is wearing a cloth nappy, the questions they ask...
View ArticleHave you managed to make your house greener? - poll
Many of us have good intentions, but have you managed to save energy or cut down on waste at home in the last year? Continue reading...
View ArticleJoy of upcycling: design brings new life to old rubbish - in pictures
Today's designers are increasingly seeing waste as an opportunity. Here we showcase some of the UK's best alchemists turning lead into gold. Read more: Why adhocism is the best kind of recyclingFeeling...
View ArticleWhy adhocism is the best kind of recycling
Recycling can be a downward spiral, but upcycled, repurposed design transforms rubbish into something more valuableRecycling makes people feel good. We see those three arrows chasing each other and we...
View ArticleUpcycling case history: from firehose to luxury goods
Design partnership Elvis & Kresse explain how they created desirable bags and belts from London Fire Brigades waste Kresse Wesling: Id always been really interested in the environment, so back in...
View ArticleRecycling, saving energy, reducing waste: how is it going for you?
Tell us about any steps, big or small, you've made. Cut down on plastic? Brought sandwiches to work? How easy or hard is it?3.33pm BSTSimple and savvy!One small thing - my partner hates paper tissues...
View ArticleWhat to do with a plastic bottle instead of throwing it away video
This short animation shows how you can recycle and upcycle a plastic bottle instead of throwing it away and the benefits you can achieve for the environment. It's part of our Live Better campaign,...
View ArticleThe rise of mending: how Britain learned to repair clothes again
The art of repairing clothes was being lost, but with half a million taking up sewing in the last year, a whole new generation is picking up the threadStart reading our How to Mend series with How to...
View ArticleHow to mend a bike puncture
Don't throw away your inner tube extend its use and save money by following these step-by-step instructions Tomorrow: How to mend a dripping tapYou will need:a basic patch repair kit, including:tyre...
View ArticleGood Energy: its not about technology anymore, its about people
Thriving eco energy firm founder Juliet Davenport on power through profit and growing prospects of challenging the Big SixWhen you look at markets, the best thing is not to know what you know now....
View ArticlePay as you throw away? Five ways to cut off waste at the source
Financial incentives, drinking fountains, food redistribution and reused furniture can reduce rubbish and recycling woesHow are we going to crack waste? Emily Barrs zero-waste week has been a graphic...
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