A family have managed to cut down the amount of waste they create to such a small amount they only put out one wheelie bin a year.
Louise and Richard Arnold put out their green bin last month for the first time in 14 months, similar to the year before and the year before that.
Louise, a web developer, said they started making small changes, like using bars of soap and shampoo with no packaging, before cutting down on other everyday wrapping.
Items they no longer need like clothes are donated to charity shops and any recyclable waste they do create goes to a local skip.
In the wake of councils across Britain cutting household bin collections due to costs and recycling targets Louise, who lives with husband Richard and baby Bodhi in Talbot Green in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales is encouraging others to give it a go, reports Wales Online.
“It isn’t as hard as you think if you start with small steps,” she explained, holding aloft a jar with her non-recyclable waste from the last three weeks. “We started with soap which was our first change. We changed from shower gels and other chemical solutions to natural soap with no packaging.
"I think people are concerned that soap doesn’t last very long but these bars are big enough that we cut them in half and have one for the sink and the other half for the shower. They only become a problem when they’re left in a puddle. It’s cost effective and great for the environment.
“Then we thought: ‘This is quite good. Let’s try and do one thing a month and see how we go.’ So the following month we switched to a reusable bottle rather than using plastic bottles of water.
"People think plastic bottles get recycled but mainly they just get down cycled into something else like carpets or fleeces and stay on the planet. Then we switched to using a reusable coffee cup which I’ve now had for five or six years.
“So it’s really easy – it isn’t all or nothing. Don’t just immediately think you have to chuck everything out of the house that is plastic and start again because it’s not going to work. Just go around your house and think of little things you can do at a time and slowly you will begin to notice the difference.”
Now everywhere you look in the family’s home are signs of perfect waste management. Identical reusable tins cover the kitchen rack with everything from lentils to sugar to coffee beans. Plastic containers to store food have been swapped for beeswax wraps – fabric impregnated with wax which is an eco-friendly substitute for cling film or foil.
"Fabric bags sit in a drawer ready for the next shopping trip – whether for clothes, books, or vegetables. Everything right down to Bodhi’s nappies are reusable.
How did they eventually reach a level where they were able to hardly ever put their bin out? “We now take items that can be recycled to the skip. Our local skip in Llantrisant takes many items that will get recycled if taken there.
"Clothing can go to charity shops or can be turned into rags or taken to a materials bin at the skip. Soft plastics can be returned to the supermarket or Co-op. We recycle our batteries at our local M&S.”
In 2017 the pair were getting so many questions about how they lived their lives that they set up No Waste Living (NWL) during a pub trip with their friends, which initially started as a stall at the local market at weekends and has now turned into a website.
Louise still writes a regular newsletter to the hundreds of NWL subscribers. It’s a personal take on her life alongside helpful tips in and outside the house on how to reduce carbon footprint by “living with less and doing more”.
They then began to sell eco products from non-chemical household cleaning and washing solutions for a “less toxic home” to bamboo washing up brushes. “I started No Waste Living because I wanted to impart what we’d done and to lead by example,” Louise recalled.
“It’s us, it’s genuine, and we put ourselves completely into it. I use every product we sell. I hope that comes through in the newsletters. We are not just doing this for retail. If I was we'd have to dedicate far more time to that side of it than we do because I put so much energy into our web development business.
“There are many people who do this online but I think many of them haven’t properly lived that life. So even though what we do is very low-key and isn’t going to pay our mortgage it’s sustainable now we’re doing markets again since the lockdowns stopped.”
The family has built a loyal following online, many of whom they’ve never met. “I’ve had emails when I was unwell during part of my pregnancy from people saying they hope I’m okay.
"As soon as I announced my pregnancy in the newsletter I had so many people asking how I was getting on. People even sent me things. I’m really grateful – it feels as though we’ve started a lovely little community.”
Some people haven’t been so kind. The family are often a target of trolls but Louise said that won’t deter her. “The main point people seem to get annoyed about comes back to them thinking their waste is someone else’s issue. I think to myself: ‘What are they actually angry about?’
"I think people are angry over new waste rules because the solution is that they have to drive their waste to a recycling centre. Generally people seem to get upset because it’s more work for them, which I understand, but your waste management is a decision you make.
"I’m trying to show people that making small steps can make a huge difference. You can reduce your waste too by making small changes. We understand people's lives are busy and don't want to add to that. In the long run though you will create more space in your home, save money, and spend less time doing the bins."
