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Last updated 1 December 2009

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Nappies

8 million disposable nappies are thrown away every day in the UK estimated to take over 500 years to decompose. In the first two years of its life a baby can get through 5,500 nappies. A year's worth of disposable nappy waste from Oxfordshire alone would fill Oxford's Cornmarket Street to a height of 10 metres! At current tax levels, landfilling this much waste costs the county's residents £300,000 each year. That is to say that each child born costs the taxpayer £30 in costs for disposable nappies.

• Use washable nappies (they now come in modern Velcro designs).

• Contact Oxfordshire County Council (08450 504550) who have lots of information about alternatives to disposable nappies.

Newspapers

• Many newspapers are available to read on the internet, for free.

• Free newspapers – if you don’t want to receive these, put a ‘No Free Newspapers’ sign on your front door.

• Dirty newspapers – put in compost.

• Put in your black box.

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Oil (engine)

• Take to your Waste Recycling Centre (for contact see back page) also for other types of oil or large amounts of cooking oil.

Orinoco Oxfordshire Scrapstore

• Orinoco Oxfordshire Scrapstore takes unwanted clean non-hazardous waste (tiles/corks/CDs/household paint, etc) to use for community art projects (Orinoco, Bullingdon Community Centre, Peat Moors, Headington, Oxford, 01865 761113 or email orinoco.scrapstore@lineone.net).

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Packaging

• See Compost.

• See Plastic.

• Try to buy items with no or the least packaging (packaging makes up one third of what’s in your wheelie bin) If packaging is necessary choose material that is easy for you to recycle.

Paint

• See Hazardous waste.

• The collection point at Redbridge Waste Recycling Centre, Oxford City has been discontinued.

• PLEASE NOTE: There are important things which you need to consider when getting rid of old paint - please read this excellent guide - 'what to do with waste paint' courtesy of Orinoco, Oxford.

• Paint reuse scheme – paint donated to Orinoco must be less than 10 years old, over one third of a tin full, not rusted or damaged (creosote, wood preservative, varnish and hazardous chemicals will not be accepted). Take to Orinoco at Headington directly during opening hours (Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday 11am-4pm) or at their monthly Swap Shops (second Saturday of every month 11am-4pm) at Bullingdon Community Centre, Oxford.

Pallets

• Make your own Compost container.

• See Architectural salvage.

• Associated Pallets, Eling Wharf, Totton, Southampton, Hants, SO4O 4TE, www.associated-pallets.co.uk, Tel:08000 288 655 take a minimum of 200 pallets and PAY you for them.

• Pallet Supply Company, Bridge House, High Street, Redbourn, Herts,AL3 7LJ, www.palletsupply.co.uk, Tel:01582 794331 (only accept 100’s of pallets at a time, so may be more suitable for businesses).

• M&M Skip Hire, Cassington, Oxon (01865 880559) recycles and reuses pallets. They charge for the service and take a minimum of 1 tonne.

• Oxford Wood Recycling, Unit 46a Milton Park, Abingdon collects and sells recycled timber including pallets (01235 861228).

Paper

Each of us in the UK throws away, on average, a quarter of a ton (250kg) of paper every year. Deforestation caused by paper production is thought to be a bigger cause of global warming than transport. In the world, the worst offenders are the Finns at who get through 333kg. The average Somalian uses 20g. Much of the UK's paper is barely used and a large proportion ends up in landfill. Just 42 per cent is recycled – but as there are so few recycling mills in the country, most of this ends up being sent abroad. It is a myth that most paper comes from sustainable sources. Seventy per cent of it comes from natural forests. The UK produces virtually none of its own pulp and imports 80 per cent of its pulp. Around 75 per cent of the paper for magazines is production wastage and is never read. Advertisers know that 99.7 per cent of recipients of junk mail throw it away unread but they think it's worth it for the 0.3 per cent who just might read it!

• Buy recycled paper.

• Use both sides of paper (set up your printer to print on both sides if possible).

• See Christmas cards.

• See Envelopes.

• See Newspapers.

• Put in your black box.

• Do not pick up paper napkins in cafés.

• Ask yourself: do I need to print this? If so, use both sides of the paper.

• More than 21 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered each year. Register with the Mailing Preference Service to avoid getting junk mail through your letterbox or phone 0845-7034599. You can also opt out from receiving unaddressed mail delivered by the Royal Mail or by phoning 08457-740740.Sign up to the Mail Preference Service: www.mpsonline.org.uk

• Make sure any paper you buy (toilet rolls through to writing paper) comes from recycled sources.

• Re-use paper bags; compost receipts and torn-up bank statements

• Cut down on and share magazines, return unwanted catalogues to the sender.

• Re-use envelopes and make your own cards.

• Read small print carefully and never tick the "more information" box.

• Ask your boss to buy recycled paper for your workplace.

• Visit the Shrink web site to pledge to consume less paper.

Plaster

• Cannot now be taken to Dean Pit, but can be taken to the recycling centres that take trade waste too, i.e. Dix Pit, Ardley, and Redbridge.

Plastic

• Buy products with the least packaging.

• Remove unnecessary packaging from products at the supermarket check out (this will give them a clear message that consumers are against waste).

• See Bags (plastic carrier bags).

• See Bottles (plastic bottles).

• Put in your black box.

Postage Stamps

• Charlbury Post Office has collection points for used stamps in aid of charity.

• Most charity shops will also accept stamps (British and foreign).

• See Compost.

Postcards

• See Compost.

• Cut up and make collages or gift tags.

Printer cartridges

• See Cartridges.