Somerset woman goes nine months without putting black bin out

Gill Hampson and her husband Len haves set a target of going a whole year without putting their black bin out in 2023

An eco-minded woman managed to go 10 months before putting out her black bin for non-recyclable waste.

Somerset exercise teacher Gill Hampson is passionate about reducing the impact she has on the environment and strives to recycle whatever she can.

The 62-year-old, who lives in Somerton, said the "biggest challenge was knowing what to do with tiny bits of rubbish" like plastic sachets.

She is now challenging herself to not put out her black bin at all in 2023.

"I just recycled absolutely everything I could and was careful what I bought.

"It starts when you go shopping - it's not bringing it through your door in the first place. That's the biggest challenge," she said.

Mrs Hampson - who lives with her husband Len, 66 - said she reduced her waste by not buying non-recyclable items and getting her milk delivered.

Reusing plastics, getting refills where possible and taking her soft plastics to supermarket recycling points also helped reduce household waste.

'Really gutted'

All of this meant Mrs Hampson managed to avoid putting her black bin out between 7 January and 27 October.

She had set herself a target of a year and was "really gutted" when she realised she would not pull it off.

But she is now aiming to achieve the goal next year and hopes others will be inspired.

She said: "I lived in Germany in the 90s for a couple of years and they were streets ahead of anything we did here.

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"They had bins for paper and glass, tins and plastic went in bags and that was collected once a month.

"I do walk past some people's bins on bin day and think 'what you are throwing away to have that much rubbish?'

"I do think sometimes I should go round to people's houses and say 'don't do this or that and don't put that in the black bin'."

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