Cut waste in half (From Penarth Times)

Cut waste in half

A PENARTH couple are urging others to give recycling a go after more than halving the amount of rubbish they create.

They made the changes while taking part in the Vale of Glamorgan Council's'What's In Your Bin?' challenge.

Jemima Sylvester and James Garnon volunteered to try and recycle as much waste as possible over a 10-week period, in a bid to put less rubbish out for collection.

In the first week alone, 21-year-old Jemima and James, aged 23, managed to reduce their weekly black bags from five to two - just by using the council's free kerbside recycling service.

The couple, along with two other Vale households that took part, were given expert council advice on how to reduce their waste even further, by using local recycling banks, avoiding unnecessary packaging, recycling junk mail, composting, and donating unwanted items to charity.

The'What's In Your Bin?' challenge - part of the council's ongoing drive to help people in the Vale get involved in recycling - was organised to demonstrate how anyone can reduce the amount of rubbish they send to landfill sites with just a little effort.

Jemima said: "It's easy to separate the recycling from the everyday rubbish - just as easy as throwing everything in the bin.

"It's also very satisfying to know we have made a positive step in doing our part for the environment.

"I can't believe what a difference using the kerbside recycling service has made, and we've reduced even more by home composting, avoiding over-packaged goods when shopping, and donating items to friends, family and local charity shops."

Cllr Geoff Cox, the council's Cabinet Member for Cabinet Services said: "As our challenge families found, with a little bit of effort we can all make a big difference to the amount of rubbish we produce and throw away. I hope many of our residents will join in the challenge and do their best to keep their bins slim in 2005."