How To Get Involved

What you can do

Get involved with local schemes & initiatives, and access support locally to help fight climate change.

Travel Choice offer information and advice on the different ways to travel around Nottinghamshire.

Whether you need information on walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing, they've got you covered.

The projects hopes to encourage people to explore different ways of travelling around their towns through promotion of more sustainable modes of travel to reduce single occupancy car usage.

Find out how to lower your carbon footprint and get rewarded for playing your part to help combat climate change every day!

Sign up for free at via www.notts.greenrewards.co.uk or search Notts Green Rewards in your app store.

We're delighted to be working with district & borough councils from across the county, and Nottingham City Council on this project to help tackle climate change.

We launched our Go Green 30 day challenge earlier this year to coincide with Recycle Week in September.

In case you missed it why not take on our month long Go Green Challenge and test your knowledge on all things waste and recycling related in Notts. 

Nottinghamshire Recycles have a range of information about waste and recycling across Nottinghamshire.

From finding out what items you can and can't put in your kerbside recycling bin, tips and advice on how to be more sustainable at home, to offering grants to not-for-profit community groups and schools to support their eco projects - Notts Recycles is your go to place for all things green. 

Did you know you now find out what you can and can't recycle by using our recycle checker on the MyNotts app? Finding out which products can go in the recycling bin is always just a tap away!

Sign up to our waste and recycling e-newsletter to get information on all things recycling related in Nottinghamshire sent directly to your inbox.

20 things YOU can do around the house to lower your carbon footprint

Cutting energy use at home is a double win. Not only the fact you’re reducing your carbon footprint, but some of these switches can also save you money on fuel bills – win win!

1. Challenge you and your household to the 4-minute shower challenge 

Did you know that up to 80% of our daily water usage happens in the bathroom? And each minute spent in a power shower uses up to 17 litres of water. Take the 4-minute show challenge and cut your show time and reduce your water usage. (Green Rewards Notts)

Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £4 a year off your energy bills, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £7 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four-person household did this it would lead to a total saving of £47 a year. (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

2. Shrink your bills not your clothes, wash your clothes at a lower temperature 

Washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 can help reduce your energy usage. Make sure each wash is full and see if you can cut back on your washing machine use - by reducing by just one cycle per week you can save £8 a year on energy! (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

3. Only boil what you need  

We all love a cuppa but if you’re making just the one cup there’s no need to fill your kettle, just put enough in for the one cup. Many kettles have markers on them to indicate the water level to help. By only filling the kettle with the amount of water that you need and save around £6 a year. (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

Working from home? Why not invest in a good 1 or 2litre thermos and make up your drinks for the day to save repeated use of your kettle.

4. Turn off standby appliances 

Turn appliances off at the plug to save an average of £30 a year. (moneysupermarket.com)

5. Turn down your thermostat 

Turning your heating down by just one degree could save up to £80 a year. (Moneysupermarket.com) AND reduce your carbon footprint by over 300kg (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £4 a year off your energy bills, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £7 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four-person household did this it would lead to a total saving of £47 a year. (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

6. Turn off the light 

Turn your lights off when you’re not using them. If you switch a light off for just a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, regardless of the type of light. This will save you around £11 a year on your annual energy bills. (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

7. How big is your footprint? 

Calculate your carbon footprint and how it compares with a UK average. Take the questionnaire 

8. Install a smart meter

If your energy supplier offers smart meters it’s a no-brainer to install one. By clearly identifying where you’re spending the most on your energy, you can take steps to cut down usage wherever possible and save money.

9. Check out the chill 

The average fridge temperature in UK homes is nearly 7°C, but foods will last longer if they are kept at under 5°C. Turn down your fridge to preserve food for longer whilst reduce your energy usage.

10. ‘Step it up’ for climate change 

Leave the car at home and walk, cycle or hop on public transport to your destination. Driving 1km in the average car produces 271g of CO2 - compare this to just 21g for 1km travelled by bike (this comes from the food the rider consumes and production of the bike. Green Rewards Notts)

11. Compost your way to cutting carbon 

Give home composting a try! Did you know, composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to the CO2 your washing machine produces in 3 months?

Composting can help to improve your soil and can reduce your impact on the environment. Commercially produced compost has to be transported to garden centres and other retailers; is packaged in plastic sacks that are not easily recyclable and most significantly, it often contains peat. The extraction of peat not only destroys these unique habitats but also releases carbon into the atmosphere that was previously locked underground.

Your own home-made compost only travels around your garden, has no extra packaging, and contains no peat. What’s more, it transforms your kitchen and garden waste into an amazing (and free!) soil improver. Find out how to make your own compost.

12. Love your leftovers

UK households waste 7.2 million tonnes of food every year, at least 4.5 million of which is edible. Those 4.5 million tonnes are enough to fill 38 million wheelie bins, or 90 Royal Albert Halls! Wasting foods feeds climate change. Here’s how you can help reduce this:

13. Recycle all your bathroom recyclables 

Recyclable items from the bathroom can often get missed. You might not think it would make much difference, but if everyone in the UK recycled one-bathroom cleaner bottle, enough energy could be saved to vacuum around 82,460 homes!

What’s more making four shampoo bottles from recycled materials uses the same energy as making one from scratch! So, don’t forget to recycle those bathroom plastics, not sure what you can recycle in Notts?

14. Go paperless

A total of 17 trees need to be cut down to make one tonne of new paper. Paper production uses energy to transport the felled trees, to shred and pulp them to release the fibres and to dry the wet sheets. Recycling paper is a great thing to do but there is a limit to how many times paper can be recycled before the quality reduces so why not see if you can reduce the amount of paper you use in the first place.

Many of life’s tasks can now be done online so see if you could make the following changes:

  • sign up for paperless billing or paperless bank statements
  • opt for a digital magazine or newspaper subscription or reading e-books rather purchasing physical versions
  • view leaflets, brochures, instructions or manuals online instead of requesting paper copies
  • stop junk mail coming through the door, sign up to MPS Online.

15. Switch to LEDs

If the average household replaced all their bulbs with LEDs, it would cost about £145 and save about £30 a year on bills. (energysavingtrust.org.uk) Switching a 100watt incandescent bulb to LEDs can save up to £7 per bulb per year. (energysavingtrust.org.uk)

16. Turn it off

A running tap wastes more than three litres of water a minute, so turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face. Use cold water if you don't need hot.

17. Use a microwave

Heat up food in the microwave rather than using the oven - it’s generally the most efficient way to heat up and cook food because its relatively small size means that a stronger level of heat can be focused on whatever’s being cooked. (Uswitch)

18. Choose to reuse

When a piece of furniture or domestic appliance starts showing signs of wear and tear, we might think of replacing it with a shiny new one. But wait! Will it still seem so shiny when we discover that the extraction of raw materials for its components, the energy used in its production and the emissions from transporting it are all contributing to climate change? Many items can be successfully repaired and/or upcycled to extend their lives and you may even be able to do this yourself.

However, if you’ve decided to part company with your item, don’t forget to get in touch with a reuse charity before you book a bulky collection or head to the recycling centre with your chest of drawers or washing machine etc.

There are several charities in Nottinghamshire that would be happy to collect your unwanted item for resale or to pass on to others in need. Check out the Reuse Network.

19. Recycle right

Making sure you recycle the correct items is important. Putting dirty or incorrect rubbish in the recycling bin means contaminating it, and this might mean the rest of it can’t be recycled. Download the Notts Recycles BinSmart guide for further guidance.

20. Educate your household

Energy will only be saved if everyone in the house recognises the importance of saving it. If you’ve got kids, try and turn energy saving into a game to teach them why they should remember to switch things off. Spend time learning about how to reduce, reuse and recycle more, Nottinghamshire Recycles has lots of resources to help educate young people about recycling.

Useful links: 

Read recent case studies and find useful insight on community group projects, grants and more through our directory.

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