From the moment I decided to go green, I must admit I became a bit of a hoarder. And after learning that every year a person will use 10x their weight in household rubbish, I now  stop and think every time I go to throw something away; tending to see my bin as the enemy.  As I have said before, when you throw things away, there really is no such place; we are simply filling up the land we reply on to survive, with all our rubbish…and this freaks me out a little!

Though the whole point of this green journey was to do as much as I can to look after our planet – not to scare myself into a hobbit life in the woods – it really does concern me that landfill is filling up as quickly as it is (an areas equivalent to 28,450 football pitches every year to be exact!). And the more I learn about where our stuff goes when we are done with it, the more I am inclined to hold onto it all.

So, with knowledge and awareness comes action; which can only be a good thing, surely? Well, not necessarily when you suddenly have the contents of your bin now scattered around you house! What used to go in the bin is now stuffed under tables, cluttering counters and screaming “just let me go, I’m no use to here either!” Old boxes, cartons, wrapping paper, bottle lids…i just can’t seem to part with them now, “just in case”.

I’ve already held my hand up and admitted I’m not much of an up cycler or talented crafter; so though I know all my waste could be made into something beautiful , I don’t really have the time or inclination to do anything with it. So what can we lazy green people do with all this stuff? We don’t want to throw it away, we don’t want to transform it into an amazingly chic tin can handbag….but we want the surfaces in our house to be clear once more.

Well here are 3 easy waste solutions worth trying; helping to let go of the board, without filling up landfill:

1. Explore local recycling facilities
   It may seem obvious, but the first thing you should do to control your hoard is check what recycling your local Council already offers. They all differ wherever you live, so get in touch and see what they will and won’t take. Also check what other recycle or disposal facilities are local too – yes they may involve you loading up your car and driving down – but just think how clear your house, and bin, will be after.
2. Donate to your local Scrapstore
   Scrapstores are all across the UK and take in old unwanted materials ready to be used by local schools, community groups and keen crafters who aren’t as lazy as us! You can donate online using their handy form, or use the Reuseful UK directory to get in touch with your local store and see what they will take.
3. Advertise as a freebie
   You will be surprised at how quickly things are snapped up when advertised for free on Gumtree, Freecyle or FreeAds. Those extra things lying around your house, which would usually end up the bin, could be treasures to other people working on personal crafty projects. Advertise your hoard online and make someones day!

But more importantly, remember, keeping hold of some things can be quite handy later down the line; even if you aren’t a super talented upcycler. This margarine tub came in handy recently when I was in a hurry and had to bring my porridge with me on my way to work!