About waste reduction

What is waste

Waste is anything we throw away because we no longer want it or think it has no use. It includes everyday household rubbish, food scraps, packaging, broken items, garden cuttings, and larger things like furniture or appliances. Waste also comes from businesses, construction, and industry.

Much of this waste can be reused or recycled, turning it back into useful materials. But if it’s not managed properly, waste often ends up in landfill or incinerated, which uses energy and harms the environment. The waste we all produce also affects the wider world around us - from plastics in the oceans to toxic contamination of land from landfill sites.

In the UK, households generate around 413kg of waste per person each year - that’s more than 1kg per person every day. Derby residents do slightly better, producing 375kg per person annually, but still fall short of national recycling targets. While 44% of household waste is recycled nationally, Derby’s rate is lower at just 40.5%, meaning that almost 60% of our rubbish is still not reused or recycled. 

The good news is there are lots of simple things we can all do to reduce the amount of waste in our lives. And where we can’t reduce, we can choose to reuse and recycle - cutting down on waste, protecting natural resources, and making a difference locally and globally.

Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle 

The easiest way to cut waste is to follow the 4Rs. Each step helps us save money, protect resources, and reduce what ends up in landfill. 

Reduce

The best waste is the waste that never exists. Choose products with less packaging, avoid single-use items, and only buy what you really need. Even small changes in shopping habits can make a big difference. 

Reuse

Before throwing something away, ask: can it be used again? Reuse could mean donating clothes, passing on electricals, or choosing refillable products instead of disposable ones. Explore clothing and textiles and the Reuse Raynesway shop for inspiration. 

Repair

A broken item doesn’t always need replacing. Simple repairs can extend the life of clothes, furniture, electricals and big appliances saving money and resources. Derby has repair cafés and you can find online guides to help you fix things instead of binning them.

Recycle

When items can’t be reduced, reused or repaired, recycling is the next best option. Recycling keeps valuable materials in circulation and reduces the need for new raw materials. Just make sure you recycle it in the correct way and keep it free from contamination.

Check our bin pages or use the Recycling Helper to find out what goes where. 

A to Z food storage tips

To help you make your food last longer, see our A-Z of tips on this page, along with leftover ideas and handy hints on the best way to store your food. If you want any more tips on how to cut food waste, you can always check out the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Apples

Store apples in the fridge in a loosely tied bag to keep them crisp; bring to room temperature before eating. Keep an eye on fruit and separate any that are ripening faster than the rest. If apples bruise, cut off the damaged part and use the rest grated into salads or sliced for snacks. Apples also freeze well when lightly blanched - freeze slices in a single layer, then bag for later use (apple cake, crumble, sauce or smoothies).

Bananas

Always keep bananas separate from other fruits unless you want the other fruit to ripen faster. They go brown quite quickly so if you see them start to go speckled, peel them and put them in the freezer. You can use frozen bananas in smoothies, banana loaf or bake them in the oven with a bit of honey dripped on top for a lovely dessert.

Bread

Slice bread before freezing so you can take out only what you need. Toast or microwave slices straight from frozen. Leftover crusts can be blitzed into breadcrumbs and frozen for later.

Cheese

Hard cheeses like cheddar last longer wrapped in wax paper or parchment, then in an airtight container in the fridge. Grate and freeze cheese for cooking or toppings.

Chillies

You usually need to buy a whole pack of chillies even though you may only need one. Deseed the chillies and chop finely, then add the same number of crushed garlic cloves. Pop in a bag, then in an airtight container and freeze. Spoon out a small quantity as required. Alternatively, you can freeze them whole; you can cut them easily from frozen and add to your cooking. The benefit is you’re less likely to get spice on your fingers when you’re cutting them from frozen!

Coffee

Ground coffee stays fresher if stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Ice cube trays filled with leftover brewed coffee make handy cubes for iced coffees or recipes.

Cucumber

Wrap in a paper towel and keep in a loosely sealed bag in the fridge to prevent sogginess. Or slice and freeze to add to smoothies.

Dried fruit

If you’re making a fruit cake and the dried fruit looks a little too dry, pour boiling water over it in a bowl and leave for 30 minutes. You can add a tea bag for flavour.

Eggs

Eggs should be kept at a constant temperature below 20 degrees. Most supermarkets are kept below 20 degrees so retailers don’t need to store them in a fridge. This also prevents significant temperature fluctuations (for example eggs being moved from a fridge to a hot car after purchase). To avoid the typical temperature fluctuations in your kitchen, we recommend that eggs are stored in their box in the fridge.

Fruits

Storing all your fruit in the fridge will help it last longer (except bananas and pineapple).

Ginger

Fresh ginger often ends up wrinkled and dry in the salad drawer of the fridge. The best way to keep it is to cut it into manageable chunks then peel it. Put the chunks into a bag and freeze them. Ginger is much easier to grate from frozen than it is from fresh. 

Herbs

It’s worth freezing herbs that you use regularly, for example mint, parsley, chives and tarragon. Wash and dry them before freezing whole in freezer bags, or chopped in ice cube trays covered with water. Tip frozen cubes into a freezer bag. 

Juice

Make lollies from leftover smoothies, apple juice or orange juice. You can buy lolly moulds to use in the freezer.

Lemons and limes

Cut into wedges and freeze for drinks. Zest can also be frozen. Whole lemons can be microwaved for a few seconds after freezing to release juice.

Lettuce

If you transfer your bagged salad leaves into an airtight container lined with kitchen roll this helps remove excess moisture. Your salad will be crisp and dry for even longer.

Milk

Freeze semi-skimmed milk (fresh or long life) when you have half-finished bottles or bought too much. It means you can have a much-needed cup of tea when you get back to an otherwise empty fridge, whatever the time of day or night!

Nuts

Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Check the information on the packet for specific storage instructions.

Onions

Onions freeze well and it’s easy to chop up as many as you like before freezing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a great help to just grab a handful of frozen ones, and there’s no chopping board to wash!

Pasta and rice (cooked)

Cool quickly, store in airtight containers in the fridge, and use within two days. Both can also be frozen - just reheat thoroughly before eating.

Potatoes

To store your potatoes, take them out of the bag and put them into a cloth or natural fibre bag. Store them away from strong smelling foods such as onions, and choose somewhere cool, dark and airy – not the fridge.

Roast meat

If you haven’t got time to make a shepherd’s pie from your leftover roast, whiz the meat with an onion in the food processor and pour into a freezer bag for later. It is then quick and easy to cook the prepared meat mixture from frozen to make a shepherd’s pie.

Spinach

If you wash spinach well in cold water, shake off as much water as you can and store in an airtight container in the fridge, it will keep fresh for longer. This method also revives old spinach.

Tomatoes

To freeze tomatoes, remove their stalks and freeze whole in freezer bags. They can then be used in place of canned tomatoes, in a tomato or bolognese sauce or chilli con carne. Put the whole frozen tomatoes into the pan at the point when you would add the chopped tomatoes. Don’t try to defrost them separately as they turn to mush.

Vegetables

Peel and chop carrots, onions and other veg , bag them and freeze. When needed just take out as much as you need and reseal. No more soggy veg at the bottom of your veg box!

Watermelon

If you have watermelon left over, chop it up into cubes and put it in the freezer. This makes a really sweet, healthy snack and is a good way to cool down on a hot day.

Wine

Leftover wine can be frozen in ice cube trays for cooking - perfect to add to sauces or stews.

Yoghurt

Mix yoghurt with any over ripe fruit, such as banana and strawberries. Pour into lolly moulds and freeze.