We Must Think Outside The Cardboard Box

Even those of us who religiously recycle still end up with a load of rubbish, says Karen. We need more community-wide initiatives.

- Karen Kay

I HAVE just put the bins out. All four of them: a green bin with garden waste, a compost bin, with food waste, a blue bin with glass and recyclable plastics, and a large green box to stack our paper and card in. Despite a concerted effort to reduce the amount of waste we produce as a family, I’m still horrified by the volume of packaging and other rubbish we discard on a regular basis.

I don’t buy bottled water: I use my own bottles and fill them from the tap, or ask cafes to fill them for me when I’m out. I have a glass ‘Keepcup’ (uk.keepcup.com) to take a coffee or tea out with me – and get it refilled in a coffee shop if I indulge in a high street latte. When I head to the shops, I take canvas totes to avoid using yet another plastic carrier bag.