Waste-free challenge

Reducing, reusing and recycling - many families in Norfolk do what they can to minimise waste but just how easy is it to produce absolutely no rubbish? YRYC challenged the Boyer family, from Norwich, to a seven day "waste FREE" mission. This is how they got on…

The start

Colin and Lizzie Boyer, and their three children, Katie, 16, William, 12, and Christopher, 9, are already pretty good at reducing their waste.

They recycle whatever they can, take their own bags out shopping with them and put their vegetable and fruit peelings in the compost bin.

For a period of seven days, YRYC asked them to save all their rubbish that would have gone into their wheelie bin so Norfolk Waste Reduction Manager Kate Murrell could analyse and weigh it.

"In total we've got 5.3kg of waste here, which fills nearly three kitchen bin liners," said Kate. "Much of it is food waste - crusts, plate scrapings plus plastic bread wrappings and crisp packets.

"Some of these could have been reused, recycled or composted”. Kate gave the family several pieces of equipment to help them in the challenge.

These included a table top crock pot for vegetable and fruit peelings, a compost bin, a Green Cone for the garden to take cooked food, a fridge thermometer, real shopping bags, plastic containers, a bird table.

Day 1 - Saturday

The first thing we discovered was that we had to get rid of the kitchen dustbin as we were automatically dumping items we could recycle. We have put it outside, and with the bin gone, now have to think where to put the different waste. The compost crock, kept on the kitchen cabinet top, is coming in handy. Colin, on his way to the bank, went armed with a plastic container, empty egg box and cloth bag to the fish/vegetable shop on Gloucester Street, Norwich, where he bought unwrapped fish cakes, and asked for them to be put straight into the plastic container. He then cycled into the city with plastic containers to Wilkinson's tea shop, where loose tea was placed into the containers, instead of thick plastic bags. Katie also came back from her city shopping jaunt without a carrier bag!

Day 2 - Sunday

We bought more fruit and veg from the local Gloucester Street shop, which is proving to be "magic" when it comes to helping us to reduce our packaging. We also went to Sainsburys, where we bought a large packet of crisps instead of a multi pack and carrots in biodegradable bags that can go into the compost bin. We bought porridge, in a cardboard box, some tinned food, and butter - the wrappers make good fire lighters!

Day 3 - Monday

Katie had lunch at school on a plate, so no packaging there. The boys and Colin had packed lunch. We put the food straight into the boxes, using no cling film or packets. Will planted cress seeds in a used clean yoghurt pot on top of cotton wool. Christopher has diabetes so we do use cotton wool when he has his injections. We are careful about putting used needles into the special container we pick up from the doctor's surgery. Kate has told us that pure cotton wool can go into the compost bin.

Day 4 - Tuesday

I was in a rush today and couldn't find pizza topping in a jar locally, so I had to buy one in a carton - but these can now be taken to the recycling centre. I made scones for lunch boxes and used greased bun tins instead of bun cases. Sorting peelings into the crock and cooked food into the cone has become second nature.

Day 5 - Wednesday

We feel that old habits can be changed. I don't just see food in shops - but packaging, which I call 'pre-cycling'. This means that I think about waste as I shop so there is less coming through the house that might need to be thrown away. We bought bread from the baker's and vegetables, fruit and salad from the greengrocers. I did, however, have to buy pasta from the supermarket in a plastic wrapping along with cheese, for a pasta dish. There was no alternative. My friend has asked for plastic milk cartons to fill with water to use as weights on her allotment.

Day 6 - Thursday

Everyone had packed lunch again with no cling film. I bought bananas, with no wrapping. We had fish and chips, wrapped in paper, and I made scones again for lunch boxes.

Day 7 - Friday

Instead of rushing to the supermarket because the fridge looks a bit empty, I decide to use what I have leftover. I use courgettes and tomato pasata in a ratatouille and use my store cupboard tin of peaches in juice, as the base for a fruit salad, using up spare fresh fruit as well. We bought twin rolls of toilet paper wrapped in paper.

Verdict

Kate Murrell weighed the Boyers' rubbish and discovered they had reduced their seven-day waste to just 300g from 5.3 kg, a whopping 95% reduction! "I am really, really pleased," she said. "For five people, I did think we would see more waste than this. They have done their very best. There are some things, such as cheese wrappers, that you have to throw away." Colin said the project had been interesting. "It all comes down to having an awareness and thinking ahead all the time," he said. For Lizzie, the challenge was buying food with minimal packaging. "When I walk into a supermarket now I do feel quite overwhelmed by all the packag ing there is," she said. Katie said, "Having the bin outside was a good idea. It meant we had to stop and think before we threw things away". The family all stressed they would now continue to try to keep their waste to an absolute minimum. "Before the week began I would have said we were doing well with our rubbish. Doing this, however, has shown that we can do even better."

> To read Lizzie's full diary visit www.recyclefornorfolk.org.uk

Have a go yourself

Would you like to take up the waste free challenge and see how low you can go? YRYC will be running a waste free week from 27 October to 2 November 2008. To find out more, or sign up to the challenge in October, visit our website www.recyclefornorfolk.org.uk, email recycling@norfolk.gov.uk or phone 0844 800 8004. For further waste reduction tips, visitwww.recyclefornorfolk.org.uk