My biggest foe par was purchasing a bread maker for my husband for Christmas.  That was over 10 years ago and I can still remember the expression on his face.  It's been a standing joke ever since. Thankfully I had the receipt and was able to return it to the store for a full refund.  So what can you do with your unwanted Christmas presents? 1. Return or exchange your gifts If there is a gift receipt in with the parcel, then you should be able to exchange the product.  Unfortunately a refund would normally go back on the buyers card...

Wrapping paper is tough to recycle thanks to the glitter, shiny foils and shimmery add-ons, as well as layers of sticky tape and ribbons.  Low quality paper may also be rejected by local council waste schemes.  You can safely recycle brown paper - even if it's printed. 

This is a question I am often asked and with COP26 still in the forefront of our minds, I have put together 10 handy tips on how you can make some easy changes and reduce your carbon footprint.1. Do a waste audit It is vital that we reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.  Refuse what you don’t want, reduce what you need, reuse as much as possible, recycle consciously, and rot whatever you can’t.   Check out this easy to do guide on how to do a waste audit for your home.  2. Reduce shower time Studies...

Did you know that 99% of all toothbrushes are made from plastic?  And every year globally, we bin over 3.5 billion plastic toothbrushes. These end up in landfill or the ocean, polluting the planet and posing a risk to marine life.  Why bamboo? Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth. It's been recorded that the Chinese moso bamboo can grow almost a metre in a day. Bamboo grows in dense forests where little light reaches the ground and there is strong evolutionary pressure to reach the sunlight. It’s good for our environment Made from natural bamboo wood, the handle is 100% biodegradable....

I have found that one of the easiest ways to get started or even deepen the journey to reduce waste is to be guided by the 6 Rs: Refusing will help you eliminate a lot of waste and make the journey easier to manage. It's simply about saying no and looking into reusable alternatives. Reduce what you're purchasing by being mindful about what you really need and what you want. Reuse and Repair go hand in hand. When you're deciding whether to dispose of something, ask yourself if you can find a way to reuse or repair it. Here’s a checklist of our must-have reusables:...

Unlike glass, steel or aluminium that can be recycled endlessly, a plastic bottle can typically be turned into a lower-quality plastic bottle twice before it is turned into other products like doormats, textiles, plastic lumber, etc.  So, what can you do about it? Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Refuse: try and avoid purchasing products that contain single-use plastic e.g. pasta bowls, plastic cutlery or straws. Why not take a bread bag to the bakery. Reduce: avoid excess food packaging or give plastic-free toiletries a try. Reuse: try out plastic-free cleaning products that will make use of single-use plastic bottles that would ordinarily...