Thinking of doing a post-Christmas clear out? About a third of us blitz our homes at least annually according to research from MyWaste.ie.
We love a house project too, with almost half of us completing a home renovation recently and six in 10 of us doing some DIY, according to the iReach Insights survey of a thousand adults. The kitchen, bathroom and livingroom are the areas we most like to tackle. One in five of us have used a skip in the past year to contain items being discarded.
Put it right outside your front door and a skip can be pretty handy during a clear out or renovation. The only trouble is, everything gets thrown in together. Sofas, saucepans, book shelves, books, cardboard boxes, doors, flooring, curtains – it all gets mixed up. A campaign from Mywaste.ie wants us to think a bit more carefully about this.
The ‘Think before you skip it’ campaign is aimed at minimising the household waste sent for disposal and maximising its reuse and recycling.
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“We are seeing too much reusable and recyclable material ending up in skips and losing its value,” says regional waste coordinator with southern region local authorities, Philippa King.
Too many items are often incorrectly thrown in skips and mixed with construction and demolition debris. With construction and demolition waste representing the largest waste stream in Ireland, accounting for eight million tonnes annually, and with landfills nearing capacity, MyWaste.ie is urging the public to adopt more circular practices.
If you’re doing DIY, renovating, moving home or even just a spring clean, instead of chucking everything in a skip, think about what could be reused or repurposed and segregate things properly.
If we do this right, we can minimise waste; materials are kept in the loop and used at their highest value for as long as possible.
The items we are most likely to consider for reuse or resale are internal and external doors, fireplaces and kitchen cabinets, according to the MyWaste.ie research.
[ Using the right bin can save money and reduce environmental impactOpens in new window ]
But if items can’t be reused, at least segregating them can ensure better recycling.
Seven in 10 of us want to do the right thing, such as reuse or sell materials, but lack of information about how to do it means those good intentions don’t always lead to action.
The result is that valuable resources are being disposed of needlessly, hindering Ireland’s progress towards a circular economy.
There are some simple steps we can take to minimise waste, save money and protect the environment. So before you start that clear out or renovation and “skip” everything, have a think, asks MyWaste.ie.
First off, break the task down into manageable steps, focusing on one room at a time. Gather boxes, bags and packing materials for the things you are getting rid of. Categorise the items you are offloading – think about what you can keep, reuse, donate, sell, recycle or dispose of.
Paper, cardboard, glass, and plastics can all be recycled.
Is there anything valuable that you can sell, such as kitchen cabinets and counters, internal and external doors, fireplaces, parquet flooring, taps or bedside lockers?
The next thing is to arrange for the drop-off of items to charities. Is there anything you can give away on a local online platform such as Freecycle.org?
If your clear out contains electrical items, batteries or things that need a battery, these can be recycled for free at your local civic amenity site and should not be put in a skip.
With items for disposal, bringing them to a civic amenity site is a cost-effective solution. Other options are to hire a skip from an authorised skip provider, use an authorised bulky waste collector, or bring to a local authorised waste-disposal facility.
So, if you’re doing a clear out, try to plan ahead, giving yourself time to deal with things properly. You can find the circular guide to clear outs on MyWaste.ie.
