Up and down the UK, many households are deciding to use their time in lockdown to have a clear-out.
Others are finding they’re creating a lot more rubbish now they’re spending longer at home. If you’re in either of these boats, you might be looking for the best way to dispose of the extra waste.
Of course you’ll want to do this in the most responsible way possible, but you also need to consider that a lot of businesses that could have previously helped you out aren’t operating at the moment.
Scott Hawthorne of waste management specialist SkipsAndBins.com, on behalf of OnTheMarket, takes you through the best ways to manage your household waste during the coronavirus lockdown, so you have one less thing to worry about.
Take full advantage of your regular bin collections
Your council should still be emptying your recycling and wheelie bins on a regular basis, though it’s worth double checking whether they’re sticking to the usual schedule or not.
Then, once you know exactly when your household waste is going to be collected, you can ensure you take out the rubbish inside your home and do just enough decluttering to fill your wheelie bin right before the refuse truck arrives.
This way, you can make the most of the space in your bin and won’t have to hold onto any household waste longer than necessary.
You should also refrain from mixing your recycling with your general household waste as much as possible. The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest thing currently happening in most of our lives but we should still be doing our bit to protect the environment.
And do refrain from overloading council recycling and waste bins or putting inappropriate materials in them. This will help make life easier for local waste management workers, who will already be under a lot of pressure.
Consider starting a compost heap
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden and you’re looking for more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of your household waste, consider setting up a compost heap. You might be surprised by just how much rubbish this will help you get rid of.
Not only can you add all of your vegetable peelings and garden waste, but you can also use your compost heap to dispose of the likes of paper, cardboard, and teabags.
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This should help to free up a lot of the space in your wheelie bin and your garden will benefit from the nutrient-rich compost you eventually create.
If you like the idea of starting your own compost heap, the Royal Horticultural Society has a guide to getting started, which will help you see the best results.
Take your time with the decluttering
While it remains unclear when the UK’s coronavirus lockdown is going to be lifted, it appears likely it will be a gradual process over a number of weeks or even months.
As such, if you’ve decided to use this time to declutter your home, there’s really no rush to get to the finish line – there are plenty of benefits to decluttering your home slowly.
As well as helping to keep you occupied and preventing you from making any rash decisions, it will also allow you to manage the waste more effectively.
For example, if you pick just a handful of items you would like to get rid of each week, it’s likely you’ll be able to dispose of these with your usual bin collections.
If you try to get rid of too many things at once, you’re likely to find yourself with a pile of clutter that cannot be disposed of responsibly or legally for weeks — or even months — to come.
We’re all looking for ways to fill our time at the moment, so it makes sense that so many people are deciding to declutter their homes.
And, as we’re all spending a lot more time indoors, it’s understandable that we’re all creating a lot more household waste. Take these tips on board and you should find it much easier to manage.
OnTheMarket has a dedicated page for coronavirus information and advice.
