Is your rubbish really rubbish?

It's often cheaper, easier and more convenient to throw away something old and buy a replacement than to repair, reuse or recycle what you've already got. From electrical equipment to carrier bags and unwanted clothing, we're dumping far more than we should - the UK dumps more household waste into landfill than any other country in the European Union, and a large proportion of this is thrown away unnecessarily.

In the UK we throw away 30 million tonnes of rubbish a year - that's half a tonne each. But much of this rubbish is thrown away needlessly. This wastes valuable resources like aluminium and tin, and pollutes the environment as harmful chemicals leach into the ground around landfill sites.

With a little effort, much of what we throw away could be put to good use instead: helping the environment, reducing energy consumption, and saving us money.

There are many ways you can reduce the amount that ends up in your bin at the end of the week:

• compost your fruit and vegetable peelings
• Reuse bags, containers and other packaging
• recycle whatever you can
• repair where possible and reuse parts
• re-home or sell unwanted items

Compost your fruit and vegetable peelings

About 35 per cent of all household waste in England is made up of food scraps, paper and cardboard. Kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings, used tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells can be broken down naturally in composting bins. Alternatively, you can use a wormery. This is a plastic container populated with composting worms which break down fruit and vegetable waste, shredded paper and stale bread to produce vermicompost - an excellent nutrient rich fertiliser which can be used in the garden or on houseplants. Ideal for those with small gardens, patios and balconies. Recycle now has more information about composting.

Compost your fruit and vegetable peelings

Reuse bags, containers and other packaging

Over 13 billion plastic bags are used in the UK every year, and most of those are re-used just once before being thrown away. If you must use plastic bags then keep them near the front door so you remember them when you go shopping, and reuse them as many times as you can - or invest a small amount in a tougher "bag for life" or stylish canvas shopping bag.

Reusing packaging is also a chance to get creative by finding alternative uses for unwanted things instead of throwing them away. The possibilities are endless, but for a start you can:

• keep plastic takeaway containers, wash them and use them to store food
• make seed trays from plastic supermarket vegetable trays
• use polystyrene packing beads in the bottom of plant pots to improve drainage

Recycle whatever you can

Nine out of ten of us now have recycling collected directly from our doorsteps and there are lots of other places that recycle a range of materials including supermarkets and local recycling centres. See Recycle now for details of what you can do in your area. Recycling like this is one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount you throw away.

You can even recycle electrical and electronic equipment as a result of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations which came in to effect from July 1, 2007. When you purchase replacement equipment, WEEE regulations make it the duty of all electrical goods makers and retailers to provide facilities for their customers to return old equipment free of charge. Read more about WEEE.

Recycle what you can

Repair where possible and reuse parts

Low manufacturing costs mean it's often cheaper to throw something away and buy a new one than to send it in for repair. But before you throw something out, think again:

• spare parts are often available on the internet from specialist dealers or online auction sites
• the web is also a good source of free repair information and guides
• if you can't fix it yourself, could someone else use some of the parts?

Re-home or sell unwanted items

Many items - especially clothing - that you don't want can often be used by someone else. Before throwing something away try:

• offering it for sale in a newsagent window, car boot sale or on the internet
• taking clothes to a collection point: charities like TRAID repair and resell unwanted clothes and make new garments out of old and damaged ones
• giving it away to someone who can make use of it. Freecycle is an organisation with hundreds of local groups around the UK which match unwanted items with people who will take them away
• using worn out jumpers and towels for pet beds: pets are less fussy about their clothing.

How can you make a difference?

• Next time you go to the supermarket, take a canvas bag or basket instead of using plastic bags.
• Look for the "recycle" symbol on the packaging of every item you buy
• Think before you throw - find creative ways to reuse unwanted items.
• Cut your household waste and help your garden at the same time by starting a compost heap or getting a wormery for your vegetable waste (and newspaper) instead of throwing it in the kitchen bin.

And don't forget:

• Use your local recycling point to dispose of cardboard, glass, plastic and metal containers.
• Before you throw anything away, ask yourself if it could be fixed, used for another purpose, or if anyone else would like it.

Reuse, recycle and repair: further information links

• General Recycling from Recyclenow
• Advice on composting from Recyclenow
• Information about wormeries
• Find your nearest local recycling facilities
• TRAID textile recycling charity
• Visit the Freecycle site
• Find out about WEEE and recycling electrical and electronic equipment