Sustainable Warwickshire

According to the Green Alliance, up to 80% of items bought on Black Friday are thrown away after a few uses and some are discarded without being used at all. This year, the Warwickshire Waste Partnership are seeking to change that.

Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said: “We are urging people to think about whether they really need to buy an item on Black Friday. The day is an artificial construct that is designed to make you buy and that's great, if it is something you really need. However, clever sales tactics can sometimes encourage us to purchase items that we don’t really need and which, very quickly, end up as waste.”

“Being a savvy consumer and buying fewer products is the easiest way to reduce our impact on the environment. Before you buy, ask yourself: do I really need it? Could I borrow, hire or find a pre-loved version instead?”

Residents who have broken items that can be mended could try taking them to one of the seven Repair Cafés in Warwickshire. These are free meeting spaces run by volunteers, set up to repair and re-use as much as possible, rather than throwing things away.  Lots of items can be repaired including electricals, clothing, garden tools, toys, and much more. For the details of the Warwickshire Repair Cafes, visit our climate emergency website.

Residents  are also encouraged to consider buying pre-loved items instead of new. Warwickshire’s re-use shops at the household waste recycling centres are a treasure trove of used items in good condition. These shops are run by Age UK Coventry and Warwickshire to help raise funds to support older people, their families and carers.  Picking a bargain and supporting a local charity is better than any Black Friday deal. Your nearest re-use shop can be found on the Age UK website.

Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis urges shoppers to “only buy what you planned to, don’t let a discount tempt you just because it’s cheaper. Just because something is labelled as a deal, doesn’t mean it’s always a good one. Don’t allow yourself to be taken in by the hype around Black Friday and be sucked into buying something you don’t need or can’t afford.”

Residents can Follow Warwickshire Recycles on social media for daily tips:

• On Twitter – twitter.com/Warksrecycles   
• On Facebook – facebook.com/warwickshirerecycles

Residents can find out where their recycling goes and the types of products it goes on to be remade into by visiting warwickshire.gov.uk/whereitgoes

For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: warwickshireclimateemergency.org.uk