THE Forest of Dean District Council reminded residents how they can be greener, as it marked The Great Big Green Week.

The week is the UK’s largest celebration of action to tackle climate change and protect nature, led by The Climate Coalition, and runs from June 6 to June 14.

The campaign first took place in September 2021, and since then 1.2 million people have taken part.

A Forest of Dean District Council spokesperson said: Recycle what you can, especially food. Most of us use our food waste caddies, but around a quarter of the rubbish we collect by weight is still made up of food. Food waste is used to generate electricity and create liquid fertiliser – please recycle it whenever possible.

“Buy clothes second-hand and repair them instead of replacing them. According to the Office for National Statistics, we now buy around 60 per cent more clothes than we did in 2000.

“Reusing or reselling clothes saves you money and has 70 times less environmental impact than buying new. Worn out clothes can be recycled at the kerbside – place in a carrier bag in your green box for glass.

“Rehome or recycle your electrical items. Around 50 per cent of electronics thrown away could be reused. Our three monthly Repair Cafes in the Forest of Dean may be able to help fix broken electricals. For small items that can’t be repaired, place them in a bag on top of your refuse bin on collection day so they can be recycled.”

The news comes following a recent story of Forest pupils from Picklenash Junior and Glebe Infant schools taking part in a litter-pick in Newent.

More tips for how to be greener can be found via the Great Big Green Week website.