Sunderland City Council is committed to creating a clean, environmentally friendly City for its residents to live in.

In order that we can reduce the waste we send to landfill sites, we all need to help by following the three 'R's

•   Reduce
•   Re-use
•   Recycle

Reduce and re-use are preferred to recycling as by making simple decisions and taking simple actions we can reduce the amount of rubbish we throw out in the first place.  Here are some examples of how we can reduce and/or re-use the rubbish we create.

Battery Recycling Scheme

Sunderland City Council, in partnership with Wear 1 are running a battery recycling campaign to encourage the residents of Sunderland City to divert their battery waste away from landfill for recycling.  The aim is to minimise future waste by replacing the used batteries with rechargeable batteries.  

Participating organisations include Schools, Council Offices, Council Facilities, Libraries, Leisure Centres and the Gentoo Housing group.  

For further information, contact our Contact Centre of 0191 520 5503

Junk Mail and Faxes

Stop annoying junk mail and faxes by registering with the Mailing Preference Service and the Facsimile Preference Service.  Register with both services Free of Charge.

Write to:  The Mailing Preference Service, FREEPOST 29, Lon 20771, London W1E 0ZT.  Just state that you would like to stop receiving unsolicited direct mail.

Mailing Preference Service

Facsimile Preference Service

Packaging

Try to reduce the amount of packaging you need to dispose of by buying bulk items with less packaging.  Fruit and vegetables can be purchased loose instead of pre-packaged and refills are readily available for many things such as washing powders, washing-up liquid, fabric softeners and many beauty products.  Not only will this reduce your packaging waste, but in many cases, reduce the cost of the product.

Carrier Bags

Carrier bags can be re-used, especially the strong ones.  Many supermarkets recycle carrier bags, so it is worth enquiring at your local store.

Mobile Phones

Oxfam promote the recycling of mobile phones as part of their charitable work in over 80 countries around the world.  The re-use and recycling of mobile phones not only provides an income for Oxfam, but it also prevents batteries and harmful components from polluting the environment.  Call in to your nearest Oxfam shop for further information.

Nappies

On average, approximately 3 billion disposable nappies are thrown away in the UK each year.  You can help reduce this amount by using a real nappy laundering service.  Durham Happy Nappies offer such a service and are based in Durham.

For further information on the use of real nappies, refer to the following websites:

www.growupgreen.co.uk

The Wrap Real Nappy Programme

Womens Environmental Network

Re-use of Household Items

The following websites links together people who have large or bulky household items that they no longer require, with others who can give them a new home.  Items, which are still usable or repairable, are given away free-of-charge; they simply need to be collected.  To find out more, refer to:

rag-and-bone.co.uk

2recycle.co.uk

Food

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce the amount of food that we throw away, and how doing this will benefit us as consumers and the environment.