This theme aims to Reduce waste, increase Reuse, and Recycle as much as possible. It encourages local recycling, water saving, and household composting.
Blewbury benefits from regular refuse services operated by the Vale of White Horse District Council. We are promoting additional schemes to reduce waste and to reuse or recycle.
Details of refuse services, what can be recycled and where, can be found on the main Blewbury website under Refuse Services, or visit the Vale of White Horse District Council's rubbish and recycling section.
A new waste collection service started on in October 2010. Each household has three new wheelie bins plus a small food caddy, except for people with inconvenient access who must use bags. Blewbury and Upton collection is normally on Tuesdays, with rubbish and recycling wheelie bins emptied on alternate weeks and food bins emptied every week. There is more information about the arrangements on the Vale website.
Batteries: Recycling used batteries has become easier. You can now put them out with your green recycling bin (in a separate, small bag on top of the bin), or you can do it in many shops. For more information on safe disposal, and why you should be using rechargeables wherever possible, see our page on recycling batteries and using rechargeables.
Electrical items: Now it’s also easier to recycle electrical items, with many new recycling banks in the county. They will take all small electrical items, such as kettles, toasters and mobile phones. The new recycling banks are bright pink and are located in supermarket car parks and at popular bottle bank sites. The nearest to Blewbury are at Tesco in Didcot, Goldsmiths Lane car park in Wallingford and Sainsbury’s in Wantage.
Home composting
Avoid giving valuable rubbish to landfill! Composting is an inexpensive natural process that transforms kitchen and other household waste into valuable food for the garden.
Compost needs a good balance between GREEN (soft plant material) and BROWN (woody and fibrous material).
IN: tea bags, grass cuttings, vegetable peelings, salad leaves, fruit scraps, old flowers, bedding plants, coffee grounds, rhubarb leaves, weeds. egg shells, egg boxes, cereal boxes, corrugated cardboard, toilet rolls, garden prunings, hedge clippings, straw, hay, vegetarian pets' bedding, wood ashes, sawdust, wool, natural fibres, feathers, vacuum bag contents, tissues, paper towels, napkins, shredded documents.
OUT (do not compost!): cooked vegetables, meat, dairy produce, diseased plants, dog poo, cat litter, babies' nappies.
Reuse and recycle
We often dispose of things we no longer have a use for, even though they still work or could be repaired easily. Don't throw them away – give them to a charity shop. This is a great way to recycle unwanted items, and the money raised can support many excellent causes. Not all of the shops can take every item listed and sometimes they cannot take any donations at all, so be sure to ring before you bring.
NOTE: Our next Free Reuse and Recycle event will be on Sunday, 17 March 2013 at 2pm in the Vale Room.
Our first Free Reuse and Recycle event (July 2012) saved well over 300 kg of unwanted goods from going to landfill and our second one (September 2012) even more – 420 kg! Let’s keep up the good work!
Water conservation
We have background information on Blewbury’s local water resources on a separate page.
Global warming is likely to lead to less predictable rainfall in our area. Water costs are going to increase in line with energy prices. In view of last year’s drought conditions, now (despite all the rain!) is a good time to think about how we can conserve water in the home and garden.
We have an interesting graphic on saving water in the home (courtesy of bathshop321.com).
Reducing water wastage
- Turn off tap while brushing teeth (running taps wastes over six litres per minute).
- Put a hippo in your toilet cistern, or even better ...
- Purchase a dual-flush toilet or install an inexpensive conversion kit.
- Fix dripping taps.
- Use a full load in washing machines and dishwashers.
- Have a short shower.
- Use a shower regulator (in certain types of shower).
- Mulch the garden.
- Use a bucket and sponge to wash your car.
Use the rain
Invest in a rainwater tank.
Why not contact Blewbury's own water harvesting company: usetherain.com
