Sustainable spring actions
As we head in to spring, it's the perfect time to refresh our homes, connect with nature and look at ways we can incorporate sustainable living into our everyday lives.
By incorporating small sustainable changes, and making them regular habits, we can all play our part to help the borough reach its net zero target and help address the nature and climate crisis, whilst improving our local communities and your health and wellbeing.
Sustainable spring clean
1. Choose natural cleaning products
Many conventional cleaning products contain chemicals that can affect our health and the environment. Opting for natural alternatives like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and essential oils provides effective cleaning without toxic side effects. Using eco-friendly cleaning products also helps reduce indoor air pollution and stops chemicals entering our water courses. Read the Which? Article about water friendly products for some tips and guidance
2. Use reusable cleaning tools
Single-use cleaning products, such as paper towels and disposable wipes, contribute to landfill waste and can end up in our waterways. Switching to reusable cloths or repurposing old textiles into cleaning rags is a good alternative.
3. Air-dry laundry
With warmer weather arriving, take advantage of outdoor drying instead of using a tumble dryer. According to the Money Saving Expert website a typical load in a tumble dryer costs around £1 a load.
4. Donate or recycle unwanted items
Spring cleaning often means decluttering. Instead of throwing things away, consider donating clothes, furniture, and electronics to local charities, list on local social media groups or sell on selling sites such as Vinted. Some of our household waste recycling centres also have reuse shops which sell bric-a brac, small electrical items and some furniture. If items are no longer usable, take a look at the Council’s recycling pages to see what can be recycled locally.
5. Dispose of hazardous waste responsibly
Old electronics, batteries, and items such as paint and paint tins can be accepted at some of the borough’s household waste recycling centres. Visit the council’s recycling page for details on what your local centre accepts.
Get out in nature
1. Switch up your short journeys
For local errands, school runs, or commutes under a few miles, consider walking, cycling or wheeling to help improve your health and levels of pollution in your local area. It's also a great way to connect with nature and get a boost of vitamin D by getting out in to the sunshine.
For support with cycle training to boost your confidence using your bike the Council’s partner Bikeright! offer cycle training locally. Visit the council’s website for more information.
2. Upcycle in your garden
Get out in your garden and upcycle every day objects to help you get growing and make your garden nature friendly. Watch a webinar where experts from Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) share tips and advice about upcycling and recycling items from around your home to reduce consumption in your garden. CWT also have this handy PDF guide.
3. Peat free composting
Peat bogs are amongst the most carbon rich ecosystems on earth and soak up 3.2billion tonnes of carbon in the UK so it's really important that we protect these vital habitats. Cheshire Wildlife Trust hosted a webinar in March 2022 showing ways you can care for both your garden and the planet by using alternatives to peat compost in your green space. Watch it here.
4. Conserve water
Water management is a key part of gardening sustainably, and is becoming more important as gardeners face increasing pressures from changing climates. Consider how you can collect, store and re-use water in your garden to save as much water as possible. Read an article by the RHS for tips and advice on conserving water.
5. Compost organic waste
Making your own compost is a great way of recycling green waste and food scraps. Using homemade compost helps to improve your soil and provides a habitat for wildlife. Read this gardeners world article about setting up a compost system at home for ideas and guidance.
By making some of these small changes we can all play our part to help the borough to reduce carbon emissions and reach our target of becoming a net zero borough by 2045.
For more details on Cheshire West’s Climate Emergency Response Plan, visit: https://www.westcheshireclimateplan.co.uk/
