Posted on 25th April 2016 by Hintons
With spring now upon us, many of you will be thinking about starting your annual spring clean. A great opportunity to spruce up your home, clearing out the old and bringing in the new.
Clearing out your home, however, can create a certain amount of waste that needs to be disposed of one way or another. So we’re here to share with you some ways you can go green with your spring clean this year.
Reduce
Over the years, you can accumulate a lot of unnecessary things, so first of all you should try and reduce the amount of items you have in your household.
Look through all the cupboards, drawers, wardrobes etc. in the house and spend some time going through your things, making a pile of anything you no longer use or wear. Try and be practical in your approach to this. Ask yourself: if I haven’t had the need for it in the past six months, do I actually need to keep hold of it? This may take some time but it will be time well spent, trust us.
Reuse
You will now hopefully have a collection of belongings you no longer need. However, before you definitely part with them, see if they could be upcycled and used for something else. For instance, could you spray paint old photo frames you don’t like and reuse them? That’s not to say you should keep hold of everything, just in case you might reuse them, but rather just bare it in mind that some things can double up and be used as other things.
Recycle
Once you have considered all possible options and come to the final conclusion that you no longer have a need for these items, it is time to dispose of them. Putting them in your regular rubbish bin is one way to discard of them, but it is not the most responsible.
Sending your unwanted items to a recycling plant not only takes them off your hands, but helps reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills. Old food from the fridge and freezer can go on a compost pile, electrical items can be recycled at WEEE recycling facilities, old clothes can be donated to your local charity, which leaves just plastic, glass and cardboard to recycle either via your fortnightly recycling bin collection or by taking them to your local recycling center.
Homemade cleaning products
If you’re eager to go completely green, you can try making homemade cleaning products. Many effective cleaning agents consist of: hot water, vinegar and baking soda or washing up liquid. To add a nice odour to the product, add a few drops of an essential oil, such as lemon.
Making your own cleaning products is a good way to go green, as you won’t need to worry about spreading toxins around your children and pets, plus it’s a highly efficient way to cut back on waste as you only make enough for what you need.
Forward planning
Try to bare these things in mind all year round, then you won’t have such a mammoth task ahead of you each spring. Maybe every season try having a mini clear out so when you change your summer wardrobe over to your autumn one, use it as an opportunity to clear out any unwanted or unused items.
For those of you looking to hire a skip to alleviate you of your spring clean, household waste, Hinton’s provide affordable skips to our domestic customers. We aim to recycle 90% of all waste we collect, so you can rest assured knowing you’re helping save landfill space by using our services. If you aren’t sure exactly what items can and cannot be put in a skip, please have a read through our handy guide here.