Green Living

Brentford Recycling Action Group advises that the key things to remember are “reduce, reuse and recycle” – the three Rs – in that order. Going beyond reducing waste, shoppers on Brentford High Street can also choose to buy more ethical products, such as food that has a lower impact on the planet.

Reduce

This means we must consume and throw away less. So think about what you really need and try purchasing items that are durable, long-lasting goods. Hunt down products and packaging that are as free of toxics as possible to reduce the risk of environmental harm. As waste reduction actually prevents the generation of rubbish in the first place, it is the most preferable method of waste management.

Reuse

This can be achieved by repairing broken items, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them also reduces waste. Consider how you can use a product more than once, either for the same purpose or for a different purpose. Reusing, when possible, is preferable to recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.

Recycle

This is to ensure that materials that would otherwise become waste are turned into valuable resources. This generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits. After collection, materials (eg, glass, metal, plastics, and paper) are separated and sent to facilities that can process them into new materials or products. It takes 95% less energy to recycle an aluminium can than to make a new one. Waste that is not recycled is either incinerated or sent to a landfill site.

Five tips for shoppers to help the planet

Coming out of the community planning process for Brentford High Street one of the recommendations was that the Brentford community started a Transition Town initiative, working together to reduce our ecological footprints. Here are five tips from Transition Brentford to help you get started:

1. Reduce what needs to be thrown away:
   • Say No to Unwanted Bags (SNUB). Drop by 108 High Street (Docking Station first floor) and they will give you a FREE reusable bag from the Council's Recycling Team OR buy a ‘Bag for Life’ at Morrisons. Take it with you every time you go shopping.
   • You can minimise takeaway packaging (ie Brentford Tandoori / Pappadums) by purchasing a ‘Tiffin’, which you can take in, then take away and reuse time after time.
   • Avoid buying anything that is designed to be disposable - eg gloves, paper towels, bin liners, plastic cups etc. Instead of buying wrapping paper and boxes, wrap gifts in old fabric or newspaper and give it some extra colour with a reusable ribbon.
   • Instead of buying sandwich bags and plastic wrap, store food in reusable airtight food containers which can be used over and over again.
   • Buy food from a greengrocer, or at least loose rather than pre-packaged.
   • Buy things in bulk (not individual portions) to save on packaging and save yourself some money.
2. Make sure you are recycling all you can:
   • Recycling facilities at the Somerfield car park include: mixed plastics, drinks cartons (tetrapacks). Inside the store are recycle points for batteries and plastic shopping bags.
3. Reduce your home energy bill on High Street:
   • Buy low energy lightbulbs and put up reminder stickers around your home to encourage everyone to switch lights off and other electronic goods of stand-by - it will save you money.
4. Try walking or cycling to High Street, rather than using the car.
5. Buy environmentally-friendly food and other products on High Street:
   • Buy organic, local and seasonal fresh food whenever possible – don’t be shy to ask the shop about the source of their produce.
   • Reducing the meat in your diet and replacing it with other forms of protein will help reduce your environmental impact significantly. For wallcharts with simple advice on vegetarian and vegan diets try visiting: LizCookCharts.co.uk and The Vegetarian Society
   • Items made from recycled materials - eg kitchen and toilet roll, bin bags and notebooks

To learn more about Green Living visit or join Brentford Recycling Action Group or Transition Brentford. You can chill out and get your eco-questions answered at Hounslow Green Drinks on the first Tuesday of every month at 8pm in the Magpie and Crown.