Keep Britain Tidy launches Buy Nothing New Month

The Charity, Keep Britain Tidy, has launched its latest campaign encouraging us to Buy Nothing New This January.

Whilst wholeheartedly supporting the reasoning behind this and its aim, I would urge readers to remember – if you must buy something – to support your local small retailers please. They need you. And I am reminded of a quote:

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

William Morris

Now read on ... ... ...

Buy Nothing New This January

The extra 'stuff' we accumulate – particularly over the festive period – can leave us feeling overwhelmed and our homes cluttered and fit to burst. While splurging on new items can bring an initial thrill, this soon wears off, and we often regret and feel guilty about the money we've spent.

As new seasons roll in, so does added pressure to buy new things and 'keep up with the Joneses', especially after seeing a social media influencer, friend or colleague sporting the latest fashion trend or gadget. But there's an alternative: don't buy anything new.

Reducing all the stuff that finds its way into our homes can make us happier, our homes more pleasant and save us money. It's also crucial for the environment. Buying high volumes of stuff we don't need is causing enormous harm to our planet. From manufacturing and packaging to shipping and delivery, every stage of the production cycle emits huge volumes of carbon which is heating up Earth to unsustainable levels. Added to that, our throwaway culture is creating mountains of waste and the methods we're using to dispose of it are damaging our environment even further.

We need to do more and buy less

While giving away our unwanted stuff and recycling are both great, we need to do more and buy less. That's what our new campaign, Buy Nothing New Month is all about. A month to embrace buying nothing new for the whole of January (except of course for essentials like food, medicine and toothpaste).

Throughout the month, Keep Britain Tidy will be sharing a host of tips and tricks on how you can buy nothing new and make the most of what you already have. It will be calling on you to rethink what you want versus what you need, reconsider if you can repair versus replace and think about whether you can rent, borrow or buy second-hand rather than buy new.

To get involved in the campaign and for more information click here.