Go Back

Recycling and waste - What can you do?

View this page in Welsh / Gweld y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg


Wales has the second highest recycling rate in the world, but there is more that you can do to reduce waste in the first place. UK households spend over £9,000 on items that they will never use, including food, beauty, products and contracts.

Find out what you can do to cut waste at home to support Project Zero, and please share your ideas with us.


Reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce the amount you consume, reuse wherever possible and recycle at the end of a product's lifespan.

Cut down the amount of single use packaging in your food shop: buy loose fruit and veg, find your local refill shop for dry goods and refillable cleaning products, and bring your own reusable containers and bags when shopping.

Bring your own reusable cup for a takeaway coffee and use a refillable water bottle. Did you know that in the UK we use almost 40 million single use plastic bottles a day, and 2.5 billion disposable cups a year! Many cafes offer money off when you bring your own cup, and you can find public water fountains using Refill.

Extend the life of your possessions e.g. mending clothes, resoling shoes and having things repaired. Monthly repair cafes run in Barry, Penarth, Llantwit Major and Cowbridge, and are a great way to have your items fixed for free.

Composting is a great way of saving money and an environmentally friendly way of reducing your waste. You can find top tips on the Vale of Glamorgan Council website.

When you need something or are getting rid of something that still has life left, consider charity shops. If you are heading to the Recycling Centre at Atlantic Trading Estate, Barry, you can drop off reusable items at the Enfys Reuse Shop. There are useful and online forums such as Facebook reuse groups, Freecycle, ebay and Vinted. Why not organise a clothes swap with friends to refresh your wardrobe, or donate unwanted items to those in need.

Before buying an item that you’d use rarely, consider borrowing from Benthyg ‘library of things’, currently in Barry and Penarth. They have a wide variety of items to borrow at low cost, from lawnmowers to slow cookers, and tents to gazebos. Benthyg may even be able to deliver and collect using their cargo bike!

For anything that can’t be repaired or reused, please recycle, using the black bin bag only if something can’t be recycled. There is more information in the Vale of Glamorgan’s Recycling Guide.

View this page in Welsh / Gweld y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg


Wales has the second highest recycling rate in the world, but there is more that you can do to reduce waste in the first place. UK households spend over £9,000 on items that they will never use, including food, beauty, products and contracts.

Find out what you can do to cut waste at home to support Project Zero, and please share your ideas with us.


Reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce the amount you consume, reuse wherever possible and recycle at the end of a product's lifespan.

Cut down the amount of single use packaging in your food shop: buy loose fruit and veg, find your local refill shop for dry goods and refillable cleaning products, and bring your own reusable containers and bags when shopping.

Bring your own reusable cup for a takeaway coffee and use a refillable water bottle. Did you know that in the UK we use almost 40 million single use plastic bottles a day, and 2.5 billion disposable cups a year! Many cafes offer money off when you bring your own cup, and you can find public water fountains using Refill.

Extend the life of your possessions e.g. mending clothes, resoling shoes and having things repaired. Monthly repair cafes run in Barry, Penarth, Llantwit Major and Cowbridge, and are a great way to have your items fixed for free.

Composting is a great way of saving money and an environmentally friendly way of reducing your waste. You can find top tips on the Vale of Glamorgan Council website.

When you need something or are getting rid of something that still has life left, consider charity shops. If you are heading to the Recycling Centre at Atlantic Trading Estate, Barry, you can drop off reusable items at the Enfys Reuse Shop. There are useful and online forums such as Facebook reuse groups, Freecycle, ebay and Vinted. Why not organise a clothes swap with friends to refresh your wardrobe, or donate unwanted items to those in need.

Before buying an item that you’d use rarely, consider borrowing from Benthyg ‘library of things’, currently in Barry and Penarth. They have a wide variety of items to borrow at low cost, from lawnmowers to slow cookers, and tents to gazebos. Benthyg may even be able to deliver and collect using their cargo bike!

For anything that can’t be repaired or reused, please recycle, using the black bin bag only if something can’t be recycled. There is more information in the Vale of Glamorgan’s Recycling Guide.