1. Plan, to reduce

A third of the food bought in the UK ends up being thrown away, wasting around £50 a month per household. Planning menus ahead can help to cut that – as well as saving all those extra trips to the shop.

With clothes, try planning a few outfits at the start of the season and you may find that fewer clothes go further – and you look pretty stylish! On average, each UK resident buys £600-worth of clothes, and discards £400-worth.

With gadgets, cutting CO2 means getting away from the idea that we always need the latest version of everything. If you really think about what you use your electrical items for, could they last another year?

• Save food

2. Recycle more

Recycling just one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television set for three hours. To make sure you don’t forget, keep your recycling bin next to your main bin. If you have a doorstep recycling collection, make a note on your calendar or fridge of when the collections are and what you can and can’t recycle.

• Recycle

3. Recycle food for compost

Over 30 per cent of an average household bin can be composted at home, from vegetable peelings and teabags, to egg boxes and shredded paper. Using a container or kitchen caddy to collect your compostable waste from the house will save you having to make so many trips to the compost bin. If you don’t have a garden, you can still stop compostable waste going to landfill; find out whether your local council has a green waste collection or take it to your local civic amenity site.

• More about composting

4. Reduce unwanted mail

Many organisations now offer secure online billing instead of monthly paper bills. Eliminate junk mail by registering for free with the Mail Preference Service to have your name, as well as those of previous residents, removed from direct mail lists.

• Register with the Mailing Preference Service

5. Ditch the disposables

Use products with a longer life and you’ll cut down on what you throw away. For example, think about using rechargeable batteries, or try avoiding disposable cutlery and plates at parties. Energy saving light bulbs can last around 10 times longer than standard bulbs. You could also buy more concentrated versions of many products such as your washing detergent or washing up liquid.

6. It’s not rubbish, it’s a resource

Mobile phones, computers, printer cartridges, clothes, books and even left-over paint can all find happy homes away from the landfill site. Charity organisations, internet auction sites and free exchange schemes like Freecycle or The Furniture Re-use Network are perfect for your unwanted items. Every time a donated item stops a new item being created, it can help save energy and tackle climate change.

• Find a charity shop
• Freecycle
• The Furniture Re-use Network

7. Could you make it to zero?

Getting your wastage down to zero is now an achievable aim. Most things once thought of as rubbish can be recycled or reused, and if you know a certain kind of packaging can’t be recycled, why not look for an alternative? Last year Defra funded 6 zero waste pilots.

• We’ll build a zero waste nation
• Defra funded 6 zero waste pilots