August 2024
With household bills and general cost of living at an all-time high, plus ever-growing environmental concerns, it has never been more important to save on unnecessary waste, whether it be switching off a light or re-purposing unwanted goods and foods.
Here are some tried and tested household hacks to cut down waste in the home and help save on rising costs.
1. Get creative with cooking (and swap with others)
According to sustainability charity, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), UK households discard 6.6 million tonnes of food waste a year!
If you find yourself with items in your fridge or cupboards which you no longer require, instead of throwing them away, why not trade with others? You may initially find this process somewhat alien, however swapping is a great way to find an item which better suits your needs, plus you can create tasty new dishes. What might seem unusable to you might come in handy for others.
Also, if you’re heading on holiday, don’t simply bin any perishable items in your fridge in a panic, offer the food items to your neighbour – you never know who might need milk for a morning coffee.
Could food swapping be the new clothes swapping?
We think so, especially in purpose-built rental communities like ours. Most of our new developments have kitchen areas and these are used by residents to cook together, share recipes, host events and even share tips and tricks.
2. Fashion swap shops
Online demand for buying and selling pre-loved clothing has boomed in the past few years, with the likes of Vinted and Depop offering financially friendly ways to sell unwanted clothes.
Whilst selling clothes is a positive way to re-purpose unwanted garments, for many it comes with unwanted time-consuming actions, such as photographing, packaging and postage.
A quick fix is to create a ‘swap shop’ in your apartment building, where you can easily swap clothing with others nearby. You cut out the middleman and avoid any postage or admin costs. If you’re a Grainger resident then head to the MyGrainger App and check out Market Place – here you will find lots of opportunities to swap items – even clothes.
1. Recycle and Upcycle
Recycling and upcycling are growing in popularity, as a way to reduce waste and costs.
Upcycling furniture is a great way to breathe new life into something old, so rather than buying a new item, buy second hand or give your existing furniture some TLC.
If you have an old coffee table which is in need of a makeover, why not try giving it a lick of paint or even cover the table with vinyl wrap to create a beautiful piece of bespoke furniture which you can’t get on the high street. Revitalising furniture is a cost-effective way to get a new homeware item at a fraction of the cost.
3. Living a Greener Life
We are committed to supporting residents’ eco-friendly and sustainability endeavours and hope that by organising our Grainger swap shops, both physically within our developments and digitally through our MyGrainger app, we will help support residents to take part and do what we can as a wider community.