Be compost ready for next year

With autumn approaching, it's the perfect time to be tidying your garden before winter sets in and to make the most of your compost bin. 

From fallen leaves and wilting plants, there are lots of things you can compost when you get out into the garden to prune, trim and prepare for next year. 

Our top tips include:

• Using a 50/50 mix of ‘greens’ (vegetable peelings, fruit scraps, old flowers, grass cuttings) and ‘browns’ (egg boxes/woody garden prunings) makes great compost 

• Mowing leaves before you add them to the compost bins will help them to break down more easily 

• Storing any excess prunings in a dry place to add over the whole year 

• Remember to keep adding material to your bin all year round 

Get it right and what goes in this autumn will provide a free supply of nutritious soil conditioner that will enrich your spring planting next year.

If you haven't tried making your own compost yet, we would really encourage you to give it a go.

  Call for new wildlife verges

The county council is now looking for more villages and towns to join its green scheme for Spring 2023, which is a key part of its wider work to recover nature and reduce the decline in biodiversity. This initiative also helps to tackle climate change and help Leicestershire become a net zero county by 2045.

Over 50 parishes have signed up to the urban wildlife verge scheme so far and a total of 64 urban roadside verges are managed more sensitively for nature, which is the equivalent to two standard football pitches!  

The council works in partnership with local wildlife charity NatureSpot to improve biodiversity and increase community engagement. 

Registration will close on Monday 31 October at 4pm.

  Have a waste free Halloween

From decorations and costumes to pumpkins and surplus food, the amount that goes into the bin each Halloween is truly frightening. 

Although the cost-of-living crisis might impact how much money you invest in celebrations this year, we’ve put together some advice to help you keep the financial and environmental cost of your Halloween down.

Our useful tips cover everything from thrifty homemade costumes and face paints to making a meal out of your pumpkin.

A range of events will also be taking place during the spooky season too! 

  Recycle your batteries responsibly

Annually over 250 fires at waste facilities in the UK were suspected to have been caused by lithium-ion (Li-ion) and nickel-metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, which can ignite or explode when damaged especially when crushed or punctured when being processed.  These are the sort of batteries that are found in portable, rechargeable devices like laptops, phones, or electric toothbrushes. 

Research found that most batteries thrown away are disposed of incorrectly and thrown into general waste bins. It's important that all batteries, once removed from devices, are recycled separately or, if they can't be separated then the devices are disposed of at dedicated collection points for electrical items.

Some district councils in Leicestershire will collect batteries and small electrical items from the kerbside and all our Recycling and Household Waste sites have collection points for both. Alternatively, many supermarkets have dedicated collection bins for batteries. 

Please ensure that batteries stay out of your general recycling or waste bins. 

  Water for wildlife

After a very dry summer, some of our plants and wildlife have also suffered from a lack of water and there are ways we can help. We can leave out small amounts of fresh water on the ground and on our bird tables in shallow dishes. 

Plants and trees can be watered using grey water such as dirty washing up water, best used once cooled and within 24 hours of doing the washing up. 

Mulching with dry leaves and grass can also aid conservation of the water from the soil surface by reducing direct evaporation. 

  Swap your clothes locally

The textile and fashion industry are a major contributor to climate change and every year an estimated 336,000 tonnes of used clothing gets thrown away in the UK. Keeping clothes in active use for just nine months longer would significantly help to reduce the impact on the environment.  

An effective way of keeping clothes in use for longer is to swap them with other people. We use the term ‘Swishing’ for clothes swapping events and they’re a great way of reducing clothing waste and a fun way to save money. In the average UK household, nearly a third of clothes haven’t been worn in the last year. At a swishing event you can swap clothing you no longer wear for something else that you like or need.   

We’ve put together a swishing toolkit that provides you with some simple guidelines for running your own swishing events. Why not have a go at organising one for friends and family this Autumn? 

  Sign up for free trees

In partnership with the Woodland Trust, Leicestershire County Council will again be giving away free trees in 2022.

We will have 200 tree packs with 45 trees in each pack and 100 hedge packs for those wishing to create, restore or replace hedges. You can find out more about trees and hedges for new planting. 

The deadline to register your interest is Monday 31 October. 

  Support with energy efficiency available

With energy prices set to rise significantly this winter, the cost of keeping warm may be a cause for concern for many. The Warm Homes service can provide advice and connect residents to wider support for improving the energy efficiency of homes such as the Green Living Leicestershire home energy grant.

Residents can sign up to the Warm Homes newsletter to be notified of new grants, support schemes and up to date advice on maintaining affordable warmth at home. 

  
Leicestershire County Council also has dedicated advice pages setting out the support available in response to cost of living rises. 

  Christmas doesn't have to cost the Earth

Christmas tends to be the most wasteful time of year, as the amount of rubbish we throw away typically increases by 30% during the festive period. In the time between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, we collectively manage to rack up five per cent of our national carbon footprint. This comes at a considerable cost to the environment, and it isn’t sustainable.

Planning for the season now could save you money, as well as protect the environment. For example, you could get creative and make some of your own decorations, food, and Christmas cards. Not only are these fun activities for the whole family, but it’s likely they will also help you to keep costs down and make sure your celebrations are as environmentally friendly as they can be.

Another good way to reduce waste is to think carefully about the gifts you plan to give. You could do this by writing a list that says who you are buying for and having a set budget for each person – which will help to spread the cost of Christmas over weeks and months.

If you’re making a start with your Christmas preparations, or about to start, it’s well worth visiting our Christmas waste page for tips and advice.

  Key dates for the diary