Council asks residents to take on the #ZeroWasteHackney challenge

The Lyme and Wood landfill on the outskirts of Wigan. Photograph: Gary Rogers / Geograph

Hackney Council has issued a friendly challenge to the borough’s residents to see how much they can cut down their waste over the course of seven days.

The #ZeroWasteHackney challenge will coincide with International Zero Waste Week from 3-7 September, but you may want to start now so you can catalogue how much rubbish you normally produce – like a before and after picture.

The impacts of waste pollution on our environment, and the increasing difficulties we face in tackling it, are hard to ignore.

The Marine Conservation Society estimates there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish by 2050, and think about this: it takes 1,000 years for a simple, plastic toothbrush to degrade in landfill.

A seagull with a plastic crisps packet. Photograph: Ingrid Taylar / Flickr

Although Hackney’s recycling rate has improved recently after the launch of a rewards scheme, the council reckons we can all do “a little more”.

First things first: sign up for the challenge through the council’s website here. Once that’s done, you’re good to go.

The first task is to measure how much waste you already produce, so hold on to a week’s worth and take a picture of it all – recycling included.

Now for the important bit – step two.

Starting on any day from 3-7 September, challenge yourself to recycle and re-use as much as possible for one week, and plan ahead to make sure you’re prepared.

The council will be tweeting out daily waste-saving tips throughout September, so keep an eye out for those.

Here are a few to get you started:

• Ditch the wet wipes and cut up old sheets or flannels which can be washed and re-used
• Switch to a bamboo toothbrush with a biodegradable handle
• Bake your own treats like flapjacks to avoid pesky sweet wrappers which can’t be recycled – with Bake Off starting tonight, you should find plenty of inspiration for recipes!

Once you’ve completed the week, take another picture of your waste and share your results.

Cllr Jon Burke, cabinet member for sustainability. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

The Town Hall’s sustainability chief Cllr Jon Burke said: “Given the amount of unnecessary packaging produced by retailers, it can be difficult to eliminate waste, but if we challenge ourselves it can be done.

“Ultimately, we need the government to introduce legislation and regulations that force the packaging industry to significantly reduce the amount of superfluous material produced; but, in the absence of such action, we can and should make changes on a personal level in order to reduce the waste forced upon us.

“This will help conserve valuable resources, reduce deforestation, and address some of the plastic entering and polluting our rivers and oceans, for our benefit and that of the broader environment.”

For more information on the #ZeroWasteHackney challenge, or to sign up, please visit hackney.gov.uk/zero-waste

And don’t forget to keep an eye out for helpful tips on the council’s Twitter feed, and on the #ZeroWasteHackney hashtag