Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aerosols to Yoghurt pots with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. The Guide is full of useful hints and ideas as well as links to resources and organisations that can help reduce the waste your produce and maximise the utility of what you buy.

The three Rs of a greener home economic is not about sacrifice, nor for that matter expense, it is about concentrating on what we really need, so much of which is not actually materials but real engagement with what we do. It is about cutting down spending on what we don't use, like packing, getting maximum value both for ourselves the next user so that what we do buy is the best quality we can afford. This is book is a great little pocket guide to how we can get the most from what we do have to buy and make everything have a longer more productive life.

Nickly Scott is the author of `Composting For All' and `Composting: an easy household guide', both published by Green Books. He is on the management team of the National Community Composting Network.

Every home should have a guide like this, a superb effort once again Nicky.



Essential, 17 Aug 2007
This nice little book is essential to those who want to minimize the impact of their consuming in the environment.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you have no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter about " Office " particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that consuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

I can not wait for the next edition due out this year.

5 stars

Great little book, 28 Jun 2007
There are so many things that you would put in your bin that you can divert away from the land fill. This book is a real eye opener in what can be done with items you think you can't use anymore. It's not about how you can recycle products away from your home but also how they may get a second life in your house or garden. For me. the section on reusing cooking oil alone probably paid for this book.

Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aerosols to Yoghurt pots with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. The Guide is full of useful hints and ideas as well as links to resources and organisations that can help reduce the waste your produce and maximise the utility of what you buy.

The three Rs of a greener home economic is not about sacrifice, nor for that matter expense, it is about concentrating on what we really need, so much of which is not actually materials but real engagement with what we do. It is about cutting down spending on what we don't use, like packing, getting maximum value both for ourselves the next user so that what we do buy is the best quality we can afford. This is book is a great little pocket guide to how we can get the most from what we do have to buy and make everything have a longer more productive life.

Nickly Scott is the author of `Composting For All' and `Composting: an easy household guide', both published by Green Books. He is on the management team of the National Community Composting Network.

Every home should have a guide like this, a superb effort once again Nicky.



Essential, 17 Aug 2007
This nice little book is essential to those who want to minimize the impact of their consuming in the environment.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you have no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter about " Office " particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that consuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

I can not wait for the next edition due out this year.

5 stars

Great little book, 28 Jun 2007
There are so many things that you would put in your bin that you can divert away from the land fill. This book is a real eye opener in what can be done with items you think you can't use anymore. It's not about how you can recycle products away from your home but also how they may get a second life in your house or garden. For me. the section on reusing cooking oil alone probably paid for this book.

A fantasic easy to read, insightful book, 07 Nov 2008
This is an excellent step by step guide to recycling around your home. It takes you through each room individually and not only tells you what can be recycled but gives information on energy efficiency and money savings that can be made.
The style of the book is simple to understand and amusing to read, keeping you entertained throughout whilst digesting these amaazing waste facts. Includes all the most up to date waste and environment statistics and it is obvious that the author really cares about the environment and is passionate to enthuse you to care. All round an excellent environmental read.

Interesting and Informative with a twist..., 20 Oct 2008
How refreshing to find a book that you can pick up and instantly be inspired to do something. I read two pages and immediately went to the supermarket and felt pleased with myself for reusing old shopping bags. Just a start I know but I am now using the book just as it is laid out to go from room to room and see what changes I can make. We are about to build an extension to our house too and I will be keeping this book by the bedside to keep reminding us of the differences we can make to this world. Thanks Tracey for an inspirational read!

This book should be given to every member of this planet, 20 Oct 2008
I'm loving this book - It's a great book for mums as you can pick smaller bite size bits to read on the hop too - Tracey Smith's ideas sound great fun and practical - i am so going to create a doorstep snack pot/ hanging basket with my kiddie!

From big to small things, i like the way that Tracey Smith weaves her green subject matter together as part of a lifestyle consciousness/ mindfulness where every act, no matter how small, is important.

I also love the book's gentle pushes - for example since my kiddie school i've had so many bits of paper sent home and i did think to myself emails would be easier and less wasteful but i wasted the thought as i didn't translate it into anything i could do - Tracey smith has gone the extra mile with each of her ideas and her Book of Rubbish Ideas gives the full picture and encourages you in a practical way to actually go and change things, by saying how to go about it. I'm definately going to approach this with my kiddie's headmistress as a direct result of reading this book.

very cleverly Tracey Smith personalises all her ideas for each and every reader - sort of translates each idea into something that someone can do/ create for themselves. in a way Tracey Smith is working with each of her readers on their own individual environmental journeys.

In her Book of Rubbish Ideas, Tracey Smith shows how important it is to not just think but act. I feel more responsible to check out manufacturers planned obsolescence and to actively seek out which companies are more ethical and repair things and not to just blindly accept that a lap top will only last 3-5 yrs say.

The practicality is a key incentive to scatty mums like me! I'd never have known about the royal mail opt out or mailing preference without having read this book - and i must find out if we have a milkman - and tear off and collect stamps - it really encourages you in such a way that you feel empowered about little ways to actually make a difference.

I also love that as well as being a guide its also a sort of approachable eco-magazine that focuses on what we can do in the context of the bigger picture instead of the overwhelming singular macro view of the environment we often read about. I often find the big picture presented on its own can make me feel a little bit apathetic about my own impact which is silly but happens, so Tracey Smith's enthusiasm about the holistic picture is pretty important in terms of reminding us of what we can do and why it matters - it should be given to every planitarian (how do you say member of this planet!?).


A Christmas Present to help Save the Planet, 13 Oct 2008
What a fantastic little book. Packed with loads of doable ideas that get you thinking about more ways you can save energy, water and money. This would make an ideal Christmas present for those that are trying to do their bit and especially for those you know that aren't!

It is a very readable book that you keep coming back to and find yourself talking to people about. It has many brilliant ideas that you can fit into your everyday life no matter how busy you are. Many of the ideas don't cost you a penny and indeed save you money.

Highly recommended.

Genuine Inspiration For Change - Reducing Waste Can Enhance Your Life, 09 Oct 2008
This book is a lasting inspiration!

Having lived a life of composting, cooking with leftovers, and avoiding packaged food for years, I didn't think I could learn that much on the subject of re-cycling and reducing waste, and was sceptical about the difference an already eco-concious individual can make to all those depressing stats about humans destroying the planet. But Tracey Smith's Book of Rubbish Ideas was full of facts and snippets I was totally ignorant of, as well as literally hundreds of ideas on how to make easy changes, and alter the way we have become used to living.

I used to feel a bit helpless about the plastic bag issue, so just ignored it and increasingly ended up chucking them in the bin. Now I know that each bag will hang around for up to 1000 (!!!!) years, I feel that each one does make a difference and have stopped being lazy about it.

Consumerism and the resulting waste have already been proven not to make us happy, but in this book, Smith shows how reducing waste and recycling can actually enhance your life and save you huge amounts of money. This is why it is so inspiring. Surely it just makes sense to use a Mooncup, which lasts for 10 years and costs £20, rather than spend a fortune on tampons, which leech chemicals and fibres into our bodies? And as for the countless chemicals we slather on ourselves and our homes, well, they can be replaced with safer, more natural, less expensive, multi-purpose products, which will mean less clutter, and of course less waste. Yes, those two examples might not be as surprising and `radical' as others in the book, but they are both things that I was aware of before, and had made moves towards, but I am now actually going to do something about them properly - Smith's book shows how ridiculous it is to hold back on going the whole way. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

But the best bit about The Book of Rubbish Ideas is hearing Smith's inimitable voice leap off the pages in her empathy for individuals, and saucy ideas (read the book!), as well as her cheeky and light-hearted but persistent ridicule of how twisted our every day lives have ended up.

Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aerosols to Yoghurt pots with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. The Guide is full of useful hints and ideas as well as links to resources and organisations that can help reduce the waste your produce and maximise the utility of what you buy.

The three Rs of a greener home economic is not about sacrifice, nor for that matter expense, it is about concentrating on what we really need, so much of which is not actually materials but real engagement with what we do. It is about cutting down spending on what we don't use, like packing, getting maximum value both for ourselves the next user so that what we do buy is the best quality we can afford. This is book is a great little pocket guide to how we can get the most from what we do have to buy and make everything have a longer more productive life.

Nickly Scott is the author of `Composting For All' and `Composting: an easy household guide', both published by Green Books. He is on the management team of the National Community Composting Network.

Every home should have a guide like this, a superb effort once again Nicky.



Essential, 17 Aug 2007
This nice little book is essential to those who want to minimize the impact of their consuming in the environment.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you have no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter about " Office " particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that consuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

I can not wait for the next edition due out this year.

5 stars

Great little book, 28 Jun 2007
There are so many things that you would put in your bin that you can divert away from the land fill. This book is a real eye opener in what can be done with items you think you can't use anymore. It's not about how you can recycle products away from your home but also how they may get a second life in your house or garden. For me. the section on reusing cooking oil alone probably paid for this book.

A fantasic easy to read, insightful book, 07 Nov 2008
This is an excellent step by step guide to recycling around your home. It takes you through each room individually and not only tells you what can be recycled but gives information on energy efficiency and money savings that can be made.
The style of the book is simple to understand and amusing to read, keeping you entertained throughout whilst digesting these amaazing waste facts. Includes all the most up to date waste and environment statistics and it is obvious that the author really cares about the environment and is passionate to enthuse you to care. All round an excellent environmental read.

Interesting and Informative with a twist..., 20 Oct 2008
How refreshing to find a book that you can pick up and instantly be inspired to do something. I read two pages and immediately went to the supermarket and felt pleased with myself for reusing old shopping bags. Just a start I know but I am now using the book just as it is laid out to go from room to room and see what changes I can make. We are about to build an extension to our house too and I will be keeping this book by the bedside to keep reminding us of the differences we can make to this world. Thanks Tracey for an inspirational read!

This book should be given to every member of this planet, 20 Oct 2008
I'm loving this book - It's a great book for mums as you can pick smaller bite size bits to read on the hop too - Tracey Smith's ideas sound great fun and practical - i am so going to create a doorstep snack pot/ hanging basket with my kiddie!

From big to small things, i like the way that Tracey Smith weaves her green subject matter together as part of a lifestyle consciousness/ mindfulness where every act, no matter how small, is important.

I also love the book's gentle pushes - for example since my kiddie school i've had so many bits of paper sent home and i did think to myself emails would be easier and less wasteful but i wasted the thought as i didn't translate it into anything i could do - Tracey smith has gone the extra mile with each of her ideas and her Book of Rubbish Ideas gives the full picture and encourages you in a practical way to actually go and change things, by saying how to go about it. I'm definately going to approach this with my kiddie's headmistress as a direct result of reading this book.

very cleverly Tracey Smith personalises all her ideas for each and every reader - sort of translates each idea into something that someone can do/ create for themselves. in a way Tracey Smith is working with each of her readers on their own individual environmental journeys.

In her Book of Rubbish Ideas, Tracey Smith shows how important it is to not just think but act. I feel more responsible to check out manufacturers planned obsolescence and to actively seek out which companies are more ethical and repair things and not to just blindly accept that a lap top will only last 3-5 yrs say.

The practicality is a key incentive to scatty mums like me! I'd never have known about the royal mail opt out or mailing preference without having read this book - and i must find out if we have a milkman - and tear off and collect stamps - it really encourages you in such a way that you feel empowered about little ways to actually make a difference.

I also love that as well as being a guide its also a sort of approachable eco-magazine that focuses on what we can do in the context of the bigger picture instead of the overwhelming singular macro view of the environment we often read about. I often find the big picture presented on its own can make me feel a little bit apathetic about my own impact which is silly but happens, so Tracey Smith's enthusiasm about the holistic picture is pretty important in terms of reminding us of what we can do and why it matters - it should be given to every planitarian (how do you say member of this planet!?).


A Christmas Present to help Save the Planet, 13 Oct 2008
What a fantastic little book. Packed with loads of doable ideas that get you thinking about more ways you can save energy, water and money. This would make an ideal Christmas present for those that are trying to do their bit and especially for those you know that aren't!

It is a very readable book that you keep coming back to and find yourself talking to people about. It has many brilliant ideas that you can fit into your everyday life no matter how busy you are. Many of the ideas don't cost you a penny and indeed save you money.

Highly recommended.

Genuine Inspiration For Change - Reducing Waste Can Enhance Your Life, 09 Oct 2008
This book is a lasting inspiration!

Having lived a life of composting, cooking with leftovers, and avoiding packaged food for years, I didn't think I could learn that much on the subject of re-cycling and reducing waste, and was sceptical about the difference an already eco-concious individual can make to all those depressing stats about humans destroying the planet. But Tracey Smith's Book of Rubbish Ideas was full of facts and snippets I was totally ignorant of, as well as literally hundreds of ideas on how to make easy changes, and alter the way we have become used to living.

I used to feel a bit helpless about the plastic bag issue, so just ignored it and increasingly ended up chucking them in the bin. Now I know that each bag will hang around for up to 1000 (!!!!) years, I feel that each one does make a difference and have stopped being lazy about it.

Consumerism and the resulting waste have already been proven not to make us happy, but in this book, Smith shows how reducing waste and recycling can actually enhance your life and save you huge amounts of money. This is why it is so inspiring. Surely it just makes sense to use a Mooncup, which lasts for 10 years and costs £20, rather than spend a fortune on tampons, which leech chemicals and fibres into our bodies? And as for the countless chemicals we slather on ourselves and our homes, well, they can be replaced with safer, more natural, less expensive, multi-purpose products, which will mean less clutter, and of course less waste. Yes, those two examples might not be as surprising and `radical' as others in the book, but they are both things that I was aware of before, and had made moves towards, but I am now actually going to do something about them properly - Smith's book shows how ridiculous it is to hold back on going the whole way. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

But the best bit about The Book of Rubbish Ideas is hearing Smith's inimitable voice leap off the pages in her empathy for individuals, and saucy ideas (read the book!), as well as her cheeky and light-hearted but persistent ridicule of how twisted our every day lives have ended up.


Great for the environment!, 19 Jun 2007
Due to a plumbing fault in the house, my family have been composting in the back garden on a daily basis for over a year. What a bonus to stumble upon this book and find out that our actions have been helping to preserve the future of our planet! A number of residents in our street have complainined that the local environment has been suffering from some rather unpleasant air pollution of late, so we feel proud to be putting something back.

Great science, narrow philosophy, 04 May 2007
As a scientist and a human, I found this book to be excellent. It has taught me a lot and opened my eyes to an excellent, cheap and eco-friendly way to deal with my family's effluent! I shall certainly be incorporating his ideas into my soon-to-be-built home, and saving a lot of money by doing so. This book is extremely well-researched and the author certainly knows his stuff.

As a Christian I found his philosophy a bit narrow. He all but blames Christianity for every environmental problem in the world, while in fact he is really angry at the actions of a few people in the past who happened to be Christian. Furthermore he neglects the fact that modern science was founded by Christians such as Lois Pasteur, the famous early microbiologist (to whom the author owes the technique of pasteurisation, a key application of microbiology mentioned several times in the book). True Christians are to be stewards of the earth, not destroy it, as Mr Jenkins would know if he had ever read the first chapter of the Bible.

If he had stuck to the science, this would have been the best book I had ever read. Then the reader could have used the science within their own philosophical framework. But the way he pushes his extreme philosophical views have given this 4 stars instead of 5.

Buy it and read it, it will change your life! But take the philosophy with a pinch of salt.

Brilliant Man, Brilliant Book, Only one and a half problems, 06 Aug 1999
This book is informative, well researched and solicits a needed paradigm shift for our culture. I recomend this book highly to anyone who eats. However I found the author's dealing with Christianity to be incomplete. He confuses some (okay most) "Christains" with the precepts of Biblical teaching. As a Christain I find his recomendations to be in line the biblical teachings of stewardship and considering others more important than oneself. The author comes just short of blaming Christianity for the worlds sewage. Even with this said I beleive this book should be read and acted upon by every Christain. Not because we should worship the earth but because it is a gift of God and is therefore precious. I also found the book to be somewhat repetative. I found this to help with the teaching value of the book but it adversely effected the enjoyment of the read. The author should be highly praised for the thoroughness of his research and for his courage to say what needs to be said. Do not let my criticisms disuade you. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!! With the exception of his treatment of Christianity, I say well done Mr. Jenkins.

Very Funny, Excellent technical info., 28 Sep 1998
One of the few memorable books I would own.

Ideal for anyone concerned with individual responsibility of their own waste.

Excellent reference material.

Always wanted to write this one, but he did it first!!!!, 20 Jul 1998
This book tells all you'll ever need to know about how you can save the precious by-products of the food you eat. Joe tells us organic gardeners how (our shhhh)it can be completely recycled - safely and simply while saving lots of: 1. water, 2. time, 3. money spent on commercial fertilizer and/or 4. sweat lugging so much animal manure from far away places to our gardens.

Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aerosols to Yoghurt pots with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. The Guide is full of useful hints and ideas as well as links to resources and organisations that can help reduce the waste your produce and maximise the utility of what you buy.

The three Rs of a greener home economic is not about sacrifice, nor for that matter expense, it is about concentrating on what we really need, so much of which is not actually materials but real engagement with what we do. It is about cutting down spending on what we don't use, like packing, getting maximum value both for ourselves the next user so that what we do buy is the best quality we can afford. This is book is a great little pocket guide to how we can get the most from what we do have to buy and make everything have a longer more productive life.

Nickly Scott is the author of `Composting For All' and `Composting: an easy household guide', both published by Green Books. He is on the management team of the National Community Composting Network.

Every home should have a guide like this, a superb effort once again Nicky.



Essential, 17 Aug 2007
This nice little book is essential to those who want to minimize the impact of their consuming in the environment.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you have no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter about " Office " particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that consuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

I can not wait for the next edition due out this year.

5 stars

Great little book, 28 Jun 2007
There are so many things that you would put in your bin that you can divert away from the land fill. This book is a real eye opener in what can be done with items you think you can't use anymore. It's not about how you can recycle products away from your home but also how they may get a second life in your house or garden. For me. the section on reusing cooking oil alone probably paid for this book.

A fantasic easy to read, insightful book, 07 Nov 2008
This is an excellent step by step guide to recycling around your home. It takes you through each room individually and not only tells you what can be recycled but gives information on energy efficiency and money savings that can be made.
The style of the book is simple to understand and amusing to read, keeping you entertained throughout whilst digesting these amaazing waste facts. Includes all the most up to date waste and environment statistics and it is obvious that the author really cares about the environment and is passionate to enthuse you to care. All round an excellent environmental read.

Interesting and Informative with a twist..., 20 Oct 2008
How refreshing to find a book that you can pick up and instantly be inspired to do something. I read two pages and immediately went to the supermarket and felt pleased with myself for reusing old shopping bags. Just a start I know but I am now using the book just as it is laid out to go from room to room and see what changes I can make. We are about to build an extension to our house too and I will be keeping this book by the bedside to keep reminding us of the differences we can make to this world. Thanks Tracey for an inspirational read!

This book should be given to every member of this planet, 20 Oct 2008
I'm loving this book - It's a great book for mums as you can pick smaller bite size bits to read on the hop too - Tracey Smith's ideas sound great fun and practical - i am so going to create a doorstep snack pot/ hanging basket with my kiddie!

From big to small things, i like the way that Tracey Smith weaves her green subject matter together as part of a lifestyle consciousness/ mindfulness where every act, no matter how small, is important.

I also love the book's gentle pushes - for example since my kiddie school i've had so many bits of paper sent home and i did think to myself emails would be easier and less wasteful but i wasted the thought as i didn't translate it into anything i could do - Tracey smith has gone the extra mile with each of her ideas and her Book of Rubbish Ideas gives the full picture and encourages you in a practical way to actually go and change things, by saying how to go about it. I'm definately going to approach this with my kiddie's headmistress as a direct result of reading this book.

very cleverly Tracey Smith personalises all her ideas for each and every reader - sort of translates each idea into something that someone can do/ create for themselves. in a way Tracey Smith is working with each of her readers on their own individual environmental journeys.

In her Book of Rubbish Ideas, Tracey Smith shows how important it is to not just think but act. I feel more responsible to check out manufacturers planned obsolescence and to actively seek out which companies are more ethical and repair things and not to just blindly accept that a lap top will only last 3-5 yrs say.

The practicality is a key incentive to scatty mums like me! I'd never have known about the royal mail opt out or mailing preference without having read this book - and i must find out if we have a milkman - and tear off and collect stamps - it really encourages you in such a way that you feel empowered about little ways to actually make a difference.

I also love that as well as being a guide its also a sort of approachable eco-magazine that focuses on what we can do in the context of the bigger picture instead of the overwhelming singular macro view of the environment we often read about. I often find the big picture presented on its own can make me feel a little bit apathetic about my own impact which is silly but happens, so Tracey Smith's enthusiasm about the holistic picture is pretty important in terms of reminding us of what we can do and why it matters - it should be given to every planitarian (how do you say member of this planet!?).


A Christmas Present to help Save the Planet, 13 Oct 2008
What a fantastic little book. Packed with loads of doable ideas that get you thinking about more ways you can save energy, water and money. This would make an ideal Christmas present for those that are trying to do their bit and especially for those you know that aren't!

It is a very readable book that you keep coming back to and find yourself talking to people about. It has many brilliant ideas that you can fit into your everyday life no matter how busy you are. Many of the ideas don't cost you a penny and indeed save you money.

Highly recommended.

Genuine Inspiration For Change - Reducing Waste Can Enhance Your Life, 09 Oct 2008
This book is a lasting inspiration!

Having lived a life of composting, cooking with leftovers, and avoiding packaged food for years, I didn't think I could learn that much on the subject of re-cycling and reducing waste, and was sceptical about the difference an already eco-concious individual can make to all those depressing stats about humans destroying the planet. But Tracey Smith's Book of Rubbish Ideas was full of facts and snippets I was totally ignorant of, as well as literally hundreds of ideas on how to make easy changes, and alter the way we have become used to living.

I used to feel a bit helpless about the plastic bag issue, so just ignored it and increasingly ended up chucking them in the bin. Now I know that each bag will hang around for up to 1000 (!!!!) years, I feel that each one does make a difference and have stopped being lazy about it.

Consumerism and the resulting waste have already been proven not to make us happy, but in this book, Smith shows how reducing waste and recycling can actually enhance your life and save you huge amounts of money. This is why it is so inspiring. Surely it just makes sense to use a Mooncup, which lasts for 10 years and costs £20, rather than spend a fortune on tampons, which leech chemicals and fibres into our bodies? And as for the countless chemicals we slather on ourselves and our homes, well, they can be replaced with safer, more natural, less expensive, multi-purpose products, which will mean less clutter, and of course less waste. Yes, those two examples might not be as surprising and `radical' as others in the book, but they are both things that I was aware of before, and had made moves towards, but I am now actually going to do something about them properly - Smith's book shows how ridiculous it is to hold back on going the whole way. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

But the best bit about The Book of Rubbish Ideas is hearing Smith's inimitable voice leap off the pages in her empathy for individuals, and saucy ideas (read the book!), as well as her cheeky and light-hearted but persistent ridicule of how twisted our every day lives have ended up.


Great for the environment!, 19 Jun 2007
Due to a plumbing fault in the house, my family have been composting in the back garden on a daily basis for over a year. What a bonus to stumble upon this book and find out that our actions have been helping to preserve the future of our planet! A number of residents in our street have complainined that the local environment has been suffering from some rather unpleasant air pollution of late, so we feel proud to be putting something back.

Great science, narrow philosophy, 04 May 2007
As a scientist and a human, I found this book to be excellent. It has taught me a lot and opened my eyes to an excellent, cheap and eco-friendly way to deal with my family's effluent! I shall certainly be incorporating his ideas into my soon-to-be-built home, and saving a lot of money by doing so. This book is extremely well-researched and the author certainly knows his stuff.

As a Christian I found his philosophy a bit narrow. He all but blames Christianity for every environmental problem in the world, while in fact he is really angry at the actions of a few people in the past who happened to be Christian. Furthermore he neglects the fact that modern science was founded by Christians such as Lois Pasteur, the famous early microbiologist (to whom the author owes the technique of pasteurisation, a key application of microbiology mentioned several times in the book). True Christians are to be stewards of the earth, not destroy it, as Mr Jenkins would know if he had ever read the first chapter of the Bible.

If he had stuck to the science, this would have been the best book I had ever read. Then the reader could have used the science within their own philosophical framework. But the way he pushes his extreme philosophical views have given this 4 stars instead of 5.

Buy it and read it, it will change your life! But take the philosophy with a pinch of salt.

Brilliant Man, Brilliant Book, Only one and a half problems, 06 Aug 1999
This book is informative, well researched and solicits a needed paradigm shift for our culture. I recomend this book highly to anyone who eats. However I found the author's dealing with Christianity to be incomplete. He confuses some (okay most) "Christains" with the precepts of Biblical teaching. As a Christain I find his recomendations to be in line the biblical teachings of stewardship and considering others more important than oneself. The author comes just short of blaming Christianity for the worlds sewage. Even with this said I beleive this book should be read and acted upon by every Christain. Not because we should worship the earth but because it is a gift of God and is therefore precious. I also found the book to be somewhat repetative. I found this to help with the teaching value of the book but it adversely effected the enjoyment of the read. The author should be highly praised for the thoroughness of his research and for his courage to say what needs to be said. Do not let my criticisms disuade you. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!! With the exception of his treatment of Christianity, I say well done Mr. Jenkins.

Very Funny, Excellent technical info., 28 Sep 1998
One of the few memorable books I would own.

Ideal for anyone concerned with individual responsibility of their own waste.

Excellent reference material.

Always wanted to write this one, but he did it first!!!!, 20 Jul 1998
This book tells all you'll ever need to know about how you can save the precious by-products of the food you eat. Joe tells us organic gardeners how (our shhhh)it can be completely recycled - safely and simply while saving lots of: 1. water, 2. time, 3. money spent on commercial fertilizer and/or 4. sweat lugging so much animal manure from far away places to our gardens.

affordable !, 12 Oct 2006
Nicky Scott, Chairperson for the Community Composting Network in the UK, is the author of three small books (roughly 4 x 6 inches) dealing with waste reduction and has appeared in two videos about composting. His book, Composting - An Easy Household Guide, was originally published in 2005 and the second edition was released in 2006. The cover and all ninety-six pages are printed on 100% recycled paper.

This book is slightly more advanced than his smaller booklet, Composting For All. Both books discuss why compost is such an important factor in reducing stress on landfills. But here, Nicky shows how this one simple action can benefit everyone in the community and can actually affect global conditions as well. Nicky tells readers that approximately one-quarter of UK's methane gas emissions (one of the gases that contributes to global warming) are due to organic waste in landfills, which are decomposing improperly. When composts are given aerobic conditions there is very little gas production.
Nicky shows other advantages such as less odor in garbage cans and less volume for curb-side pick-up services to deal with - therefore garbage will be put out on the curb less often.

Nicky demonstrates how to get the right mix in the compost for optimal decomposition conditions. He then explains some of the different composting bins sold commercially. There is the perfect bin available for different situations from apartment dwellers to individuals, situations involving pest issues (rats, etc) and communal composting. His book covers Dalek-type bins, tumblers, digesters, green cones, green Johanna's, fermentation methods, worm bins and more.

Much of the information can be applied globally, though the stats and information in Composting- and Easy Household Guide is from the UK. Terms such as "fly tipping" have no definition in North America. The resource section is four pages long and provides information on seven organizations and lists three books and videos for readers to refer to.

~ ~ Book Reviewer: Lillian Brummet - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment - Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aerosols to Yoghurt pots with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. The Guide is full of useful hints and ideas as well as links to resources and organisations that can help reduce the waste your produce and maximise the utility of what you buy.

The three Rs of a greener home economic is not about sacrifice, nor for that matter expense, it is about concentrating on what we really need, so much of which is not actually materials but real engagement with what we do. It is about cutting down spending on what we don't use, like packing, getting maximum value both for ourselves the next user so that what we do buy is the best quality we can afford. This is book is a great little pocket guide to how we can get the most from what we do have to buy and make everything have a longer more productive life.

Nickly Scott is the author of `Composting For All' and `Composting: an easy household guide', both published by Green Books. He is on the management team of the National Community Composting Network.

Every home should have a guide like this, a superb effort once again Nicky.



Essential, 17 Aug 2007
This nice little book is essential to those who want to minimize the impact of their consuming in the environment.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you have no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter about " Office " particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that consuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

I can not wait for the next edition due out this year.

5 stars

Great little book, 28 Jun 2007
There are so many things that you would put in your bin that you can divert away from the land fill. This book is a real eye opener in what can be done with items you think you can't use anymore. It's not about how you can recycle products away from your home but also how they may get a second life in your house or garden. For me. the section on reusing cooking oil alone probably paid for this book.

A fantasic easy to read, insightful book, 07 Nov 2008
This is an excellent step by step guide to recycling around your home. It takes you through each room individually and not only tells you what can be recycled but gives information on energy efficiency and money savings that can be made.
The style of the book is simple to understand and amusing to read, keeping you entertained throughout whilst digesting these amaazing waste facts. Includes all the most up to date waste and environment statistics and it is obvious that the author really cares about the environment and is passionate to enthuse you to care. All round an excellent environmental read.

Interesting and Informative with a twist..., 20 Oct 2008
How refreshing to find a book that you can pick up and instantly be inspired to do something. I read two pages and immediately went to the supermarket and felt pleased with myself for reusing old shopping bags. Just a start I know but I am now using the book just as it is laid out to go from room to room and see what changes I can make. We are about to build an extension to our house too and I will be keeping this book by the bedside to keep reminding us of the differences we can make to this world. Thanks Tracey for an inspirational read!

This book should be given to every member of this planet, 20 Oct 2008
I'm loving this book - It's a great book for mums as you can pick smaller bite size bits to read on the hop too - Tracey Smith's ideas sound great fun and practical - i am so going to create a doorstep snack pot/ hanging basket with my kiddie!

From big to small things, i like the way that Tracey Smith weaves her green subject matter together as part of a lifestyle consciousness/ mindfulness where every act, no matter how small, is important.

I also love the book's gentle pushes - for example since my kiddie school i've had so many bits of paper sent home and i did think to myself emails would be easier and less wasteful but i wasted the thought as i didn't translate it into anything i could do - Tracey smith has gone the extra mile with each of her ideas and her Book of Rubbish Ideas gives the full picture and encourages you in a practical way to actually go and change things, by saying how to go about it. I'm definately going to approach this with my kiddie's headmistress as a direct result of reading this book.

very cleverly Tracey Smith personalises all her ideas for each and every reader - sort of translates each idea into something that someone can do/ create for themselves. in a way Tracey Smith is working with each of her readers on their own individual environmental journeys.

In her Book of Rubbish Ideas, Tracey Smith shows how important it is to not just think but act. I feel more responsible to check out manufacturers planned obsolescence and to actively seek out which companies are more ethical and repair things and not to just blindly accept that a lap top will only last 3-5 yrs say.

The practicality is a key incentive to scatty mums like me! I'd never have known about the royal mail opt out or mailing preference without having read this book - and i must find out if we have a milkman - and tear off and collect stamps - it really encourages you in such a way that you feel empowered about little ways to actually make a difference.

I also love that as well as being a guide its also a sort of approachable eco-magazine that focuses on what we can do in the context of the bigger picture instead of the overwhelming singular macro view of the environment we often read about. I often find the big picture presented on its own can make me feel a little bit apathetic about my own impact which is silly but happens, so Tracey Smith's enthusiasm about the holistic picture is pretty important in terms of reminding us of what we can do and why it matters - it should be given to every planitarian (how do you say member of this planet!?).


A Christmas Present to help Save the Planet, 13 Oct 2008
What a fantastic little book. Packed with loads of doable ideas that get you thinking about more ways you can save energy, water and money. This would make an ideal Christmas present for those that are trying to do their bit and especially for those you know that aren't!

It is a very readable book that you keep coming back to and find yourself talking to people about. It has many brilliant ideas that you can fit into your everyday life no matter how busy you are. Many of the ideas don't cost you a penny and indeed save you money.

Highly recommended.

Genuine Inspiration For Change - Reducing Waste Can Enhance Your Life, 09 Oct 2008
This book is a lasting inspiration!

Having lived a life of composting, cooking with leftovers, and avoiding packaged food for years, I didn't think I could learn that much on the subject of re-cycling and reducing waste, and was sceptical about the difference an already eco-concious individual can make to all those depressing stats about humans destroying the planet. But Tracey Smith's Book of Rubbish Ideas was full of facts and snippets I was totally ignorant of, as well as literally hundreds of ideas on how to make easy changes, and alter the way we have become used to living.

I used to feel a bit helpless about the plastic bag issue, so just ignored it and increasingly ended up chucking them in the bin. Now I know that each bag will hang around for up to 1000 (!!!!) years, I feel that each one does make a difference and have stopped being lazy about it.

Consumerism and the resulting waste have already been proven not to make us happy, but in this book, Smith shows how reducing waste and recycling can actually enhance your life and save you huge amounts of money. This is why it is so inspiring. Surely it just makes sense to use a Mooncup, which lasts for 10 years and costs £20, rather than spend a fortune on tampons, which leech chemicals and fibres into our bodies? And as for the countless chemicals we slather on ourselves and our homes, well, they can be replaced with safer, more natural, less expensive, multi-purpose products, which will mean less clutter, and of course less waste. Yes, those two examples might not be as surprising and `radical' as others in the book, but they are both things that I was aware of before, and had made moves towards, but I am now actually going to do something about them properly - Smith's book shows how ridiculous it is to hold back on going the whole way. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

But the best bit about The Book of Rubbish Ideas is hearing Smith's inimitable voice leap off the pages in her empathy for individuals, and saucy ideas (read the book!), as well as her cheeky and light-hearted but persistent ridicule of how twisted our every day lives have ended up.


Great for the environment!, 19 Jun 2007
Due to a plumbing fault in the house, my family have been composting in the back garden on a daily basis for over a year. What a bonus to stumble upon this book and find out that our actions have been helping to preserve the future of our planet! A number of residents in our street have complainined that the local environment has been suffering from some rather unpleasant air pollution of late, so we feel proud to be putting something back.

Great science, narrow philosophy, 04 May 2007
As a scientist and a human, I found this book to be excellent. It has taught me a lot and opened my eyes to an excellent, cheap and eco-friendly way to deal with my family's effluent! I shall certainly be incorporating his ideas into my soon-to-be-built home, and saving a lot of money by doing so. This book is extremely well-researched and the author certainly knows his stuff.

As a Christian I found his philosophy a bit narrow. He all but blames Christianity for every environmental problem in the world, while in fact he is really angry at the actions of a few people in the past who happened to be Christian. Furthermore he neglects the fact that modern science was founded by Christians such as Lois Pasteur, the famous early microbiologist (to whom the author owes the technique of pasteurisation, a key application of microbiology mentioned several times in the book). True Christians are to be stewards of the earth, not destroy it, as Mr Jenkins would know if he had ever read the first chapter of the Bible.

If he had stuck to the science, this would have been the best book I had ever read. Then the reader could have used the science within their own philosophical framework. But the way he pushes his extreme philosophical views have given this 4 stars instead of 5.

Buy it and read it, it will change your life! But take the philosophy with a pinch of salt.

Brilliant Man, Brilliant Book, Only one and a half problems, 06 Aug 1999
This book is informative, well researched and solicits a needed paradigm shift for our culture. I recomend this book highly to anyone who eats. However I found the author's dealing with Christianity to be incomplete. He confuses some (okay most) "Christains" with the precepts of Biblical teaching. As a Christain I find his recomendations to be in line the biblical teachings of stewardship and considering others more important than oneself. The author comes just short of blaming Christianity for the worlds sewage. Even with this said I beleive this book should be read and acted upon by every Christain. Not because we should worship the earth but because it is a gift of God and is therefore precious. I also found the book to be somewhat repetative. I found this to help with the teaching value of the book but it adversely effected the enjoyment of the read. The author should be highly praised for the thoroughness of his research and for his courage to say what needs to be said. Do not let my criticisms disuade you. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!! With the exception of his treatment of Christianity, I say well done Mr. Jenkins.

Very Funny, Excellent technical info., 28 Sep 1998
One of the few memorable books I would own.

Ideal for anyone concerned with individual responsibility of their own waste.

Excellent reference material.

Always wanted to write this one, but he did it first!!!!, 20 Jul 1998
This book tells all you'll ever need to know about how you can save the precious by-products of the food you eat. Joe tells us organic gardeners how (our shhhh)it can be completely recycled - safely and simply while saving lots of: 1. water, 2. time, 3. money spent on commercial fertilizer and/or 4. sweat lugging so much animal manure from far away places to our gardens.

affordable !, 12 Oct 2006
Nicky Scott, Chairperson for the Community Composting Network in the UK, is the author of three small books (roughly 4 x 6 inches) dealing with waste reduction and has appeared in two videos about composting. His book, Composting - An Easy Household Guide, was originally published in 2005 and the second edition was released in 2006. The cover and all ninety-six pages are printed on 100% recycled paper.

This book is slightly more advanced than his smaller booklet, Composting For All. Both books discuss why compost is such an important factor in reducing stress on landfills. But here, Nicky shows how this one simple action can benefit everyone in the community and can actually affect global conditions as well. Nicky tells readers that approximately one-quarter of UK's methane gas emissions (one of the gases that contributes to global warming) are due to organic waste in landfills, which are decomposing improperly. When composts are given aerobic conditions there is very little gas production.
Nicky shows other advantages such as less odor in garbage cans and less volume for curb-side pick-up services to deal with - therefore garbage will be put out on the curb less often.

Nicky demonstrates how to get the right mix in the compost for optimal decomposition conditions. He then explains some of the different composting bins sold commercially. There is the perfect bin available for different situations from apartment dwellers to individuals, situations involving pest issues (rats, etc) and communal composting. His book covers Dalek-type bins, tumblers, digesters, green cones, green Johanna's, fermentation methods, worm bins and more.

Much of the information can be applied globally, though the stats and information in Composting- and Easy Household Guide is from the UK. Terms such as "fly tipping" have no definition in North America. The resource section is four pages long and provides information on seven organizations and lists three books and videos for readers to refer to.

~ ~ Book Reviewer: Lillian Brummet - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment - Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

The Recycle Bible!, 19 Sep 2006
In the beginning there was Recycle: the Essential Guide. Well, if only.

The subject of recycling can sometimes be perceived as dull and old fashioned. This book manages to provide all the essential elements you would need to be clued up on waste while presented in a modern and cool fashion.

An introduction by Lucy Siegle sets the tone. An overview of the history of waste and recycling is followed by a clear statement that we should learn and be inspired by the forces of nature where zero waste is a way of life.

Each recyclable material has its own section where you can find out what the item is composed of, why you should recycle it, any problems encountered, the recycling process itself and useful contacts.

A delicate balance between information and pictures is achieved here to make Recycling as interesting as possible. The text is accurate and concise and the fantastic array of pictures only serves to compliment the information that is present.

It not only provides relevant national information such as the Recycle Now campaign but also highlights projects throughout the world that are both thought provoking and inspiring.

Many books will inspire you to be more eco conscious but then will not supply you with the means of actually achieving this. Yet here, there is a directory of governmental organisations to point you in the right direction and a fantastic Sustainable design directory that shows it is possible to buy recycled goods for every day living. From recycled jewellery made out of metal and rubber to eco friendly flooring made from recycled aluminium, cork, glass and bamboo!

Essential reading??? You bet!

Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aerosols to Yoghurt pots with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. The Guide is full of useful hints and ideas as well as links to resources and organisations that can help reduce the waste your produce and maximise the utility of what you buy.

The three Rs of a greener home economic is not about sacrifice, nor for that matter expense, it is about concentrating on what we really need, so much of which is not actually materials but real engagement with what we do. It is about cutting down spending on what we don't use, like packing, getting maximum value both for ourselves the next user so that what we do buy is the best quality we can afford. This is book is a great little pocket guide to how we can get the most from what we do have to buy and make everything have a longer more productive life.

Nickly Scott is the author of `Composting For All' and `Composting: an easy household guide', both published by Green Books. He is on the management team of the National Community Composting Network.

Every home should have a guide like this, a superb effort once again Nicky.



Essential, 17 Aug 2007
This nice little book is essential to those who want to minimize the impact of their consuming in the environment.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you have no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter about " Office " particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that consuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

I can not wait for the next edition due out this year.

5 stars

Great little book, 28 Jun 2007
There are so many things that you would put in your bin that you can divert away from the land fill. This book is a real eye opener in what can be done with items you think you can't use anymore. It's not about how you can recycle products away from your home but also how they may get a second life in your house or garden. For me. the section on reusing cooking oil alone probably paid for this book.

A fantasic easy to read, insightful book, 07 Nov 2008
This is an excellent step by step guide to recycling around your home. It takes you through each room individually and not only tells you what can be recycled but gives information on energy efficiency and money savings that can be made.
The style of the book is simple to understand and amusing to read, keeping you entertained throughout whilst digesting these amaazing waste facts. Includes all the most up to date waste and environment statistics and it is obvious that the author really cares about the environment and is passionate to enthuse you to care. All round an excellent environmental read.

Interesting and Informative with a twist..., 20 Oct 2008
How refreshing to find a book that you can pick up and instantly be inspired to do something. I read two pages and immediately went to the supermarket and felt pleased with myself for reusing old shopping bags. Just a start I know but I am now using the book just as it is laid out to go from room to room and see what changes I can make. We are about to build an extension to our house too and I will be keeping this book by the bedside to keep reminding us of the differences we can make to this world. Thanks Tracey for an inspirational read!

This book should be given to every member of this planet, 20 Oct 2008
I'm loving this book - It's a great book for mums as you can pick smaller bite size bits to read on the hop too - Tracey Smith's ideas sound great fun and practical - i am so going to create a doorstep snack pot/ hanging basket with my kiddie!

From big to small things, i like the way that Tracey Smith weaves her green subject matter together as part of a lifestyle consciousness/ mindfulness where every act, no matter how small, is important.

I also love the book's gentle pushes - for example since my kiddie school i've had so many bits of paper sent home and i did think to myself emails would be easier and less wasteful but i wasted the thought as i didn't translate it into anything i could do - Tracey smith has gone the extra mile with each of her ideas and her Book of Rubbish Ideas gives the full picture and encourages you in a practical way to actually go and change things, by saying how to go about it. I'm definately going to approach this with my kiddie's headmistress as a direct result of reading this book.

very cleverly Tracey Smith personalises all her ideas for each and every reader - sort of translates each idea into something that someone can do/ create for themselves. in a way Tracey Smith is working with each of her readers on their own individual environmental journeys.

In her Book of Rubbish Ideas, Tracey Smith shows how important it is to not just think but act. I feel more responsible to check out manufacturers planned obsolescence and to actively seek out which companies are more ethical and repair things and not to just blindly accept that a lap top will only last 3-5 yrs say.

The practicality is a key incentive to scatty mums like me! I'd never have known about the royal mail opt out or mailing preference without having read this book - and i must find out if we have a milkman - and tear off and collect stamps - it really encourages you in such a way that you feel empowered about little ways to actually make a difference.

I also love that as well as being a guide its also a sort of approachable eco-magazine that focuses on what we can do in the context of the bigger picture instead of the overwhelming singular macro view of the environment we often read about. I often find the big picture presented on its own can make me feel a little bit apathetic about my own impact which is silly but happens, so Tracey Smith's enthusiasm about the holistic picture is pretty important in terms of reminding us of what we can do and why it matters - it should be given to every planitarian (how do you say member of this planet!?).


A Christmas Present to help Save the Planet, 13 Oct 2008
What a fantastic little book. Packed with loads of doable ideas that get you thinking about more ways you can save energy, water and money. This would make an ideal Christmas present for those that are trying to do their bit and especially for those you know that aren't!

It is a very readable book that you keep coming back to and find yourself talking to people about. It has many brilliant ideas that you can fit into your everyday life no matter how busy you are. Many of the ideas don't cost you a penny and indeed save you money.

Highly recommended.

Genuine Inspiration For Change - Reducing Waste Can Enhance Your Life, 09 Oct 2008
This book is a lasting inspiration!

Having lived a life of composting, cooking with leftovers, and avoiding packaged food for years, I didn't think I could learn that much on the subject of re-cycling and reducing waste, and was sceptical about the difference an already eco-concious individual can make to all those depressing stats about humans destroying the planet. But Tracey Smith's Book of Rubbish Ideas was full of facts and snippets I was totally ignorant of, as well as literally hundreds of ideas on how to make easy changes, and alter the way we have become used to living.

I used to feel a bit helpless about the plastic bag issue, so just ignored it and increasingly ended up chucking them in the bin. Now I know that each bag will hang around for up to 1000 (!!!!) years, I feel that each one does make a difference and have stopped being lazy about it.

Consumerism and the resulting waste have already been proven not to make us happy, but in this book, Smith shows how reducing waste and recycling can actually enhance your life and save you huge amounts of money. This is why it is so inspiring. Surely it just makes sense to use a Mooncup, which lasts for 10 years and costs £20, rather than spend a fortune on tampons, which leech chemicals and fibres into our bodies? And as for the countless chemicals we slather on ourselves and our homes, well, they can be replaced with safer, more natural, less expensive, multi-purpose products, which will mean less clutter, and of course less waste. Yes, those two examples might not be as surprising and `radical' as others in the book, but they are both things that I was aware of before, and had made moves towards, but I am now actually going to do something about them properly - Smith's book shows how ridiculous it is to hold back on going the whole way. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

But the best bit about The Book of Rubbish Ideas is hearing Smith's inimitable voice leap off the pages in her empathy for individuals, and saucy ideas (read the book!), as well as her cheeky and light-hearted but persistent ridicule of how twisted our every day lives have ended up.


Great for the environment!, 19 Jun 2007
Due to a plumbing fault in the house, my family have been composting in the back garden on a daily basis for over a year. What a bonus to stumble upon this book and find out that our actions have been helping to preserve the future of our planet! A number of residents in our street have complainined that the local environment has been suffering from some rather unpleasant air pollution of late, so we feel proud to be putting something back.

Great science, narrow philosophy, 04 May 2007
As a scientist and a human, I found this book to be excellent. It has taught me a lot and opened my eyes to an excellent, cheap and eco-friendly way to deal with my family's effluent! I shall certainly be incorporating his ideas into my soon-to-be-built home, and saving a lot of money by doing so. This book is extremely well-researched and the author certainly knows his stuff.

As a Christian I found his philosophy a bit narrow. He all but blames Christianity for every environmental problem in the world, while in fact he is really angry at the actions of a few people in the past who happened to be Christian. Furthermore he neglects the fact that modern science was founded by Christians such as Lois Pasteur, the famous early microbiologist (to whom the author owes the technique of pasteurisation, a key application of microbiology mentioned several times in the book). True Christians are to be stewards of the earth, not destroy it, as Mr Jenkins would know if he had ever read the first chapter of the Bible.

If he had stuck to the science, this would have been the best book I had ever read. Then the reader could have used the science within their own philosophical framework. But the way he pushes his extreme philosophical views have given this 4 stars instead of 5.

Buy it and read it, it will change your life! But take the philosophy with a pinch of salt.

Brilliant Man, Brilliant Book, Only one and a half problems, 06 Aug 1999
This book is informative, well researched and solicits a needed paradigm shift for our culture. I recomend this book highly to anyone who eats. However I found the author's dealing with Christianity to be incomplete. He confuses some (okay most) "Christains" with the precepts of Biblical teaching. As a Christain I find his recomendations to be in line the biblical teachings of stewardship and considering others more important than oneself. The author comes just short of blaming Christianity for the worlds sewage. Even with this said I beleive this book should be read and acted upon by every Christain. Not because we should worship the earth but because it is a gift of God and is therefore precious. I also found the book to be somewhat repetative. I found this to help with the teaching value of the book but it adversely effected the enjoyment of the read. The author should be highly praised for the thoroughness of his research and for his courage to say what needs to be said. Do not let my criticisms disuade you. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!! With the exception of his treatment of Christianity, I say well done Mr. Jenkins.

Very Funny, Excellent technical info., 28 Sep 1998
One of the few memorable books I would own.

Ideal for anyone concerned with individual responsibility of their own waste.

Excellent reference material.

Always wanted to write this one, but he did it first!!!!, 20 Jul 1998
This book tells all you'll ever need to know about how you can save the precious by-products of the food you eat. Joe tells us organic gardeners how (our shhhh)it can be completely recycled - safely and simply while saving lots of: 1. water, 2. time, 3. money spent on commercial fertilizer and/or 4. sweat lugging so much animal manure from far away places to our gardens.

affordable !, 12 Oct 2006
Nicky Scott, Chairperson for the Community Composting Network in the UK, is the author of three small books (roughly 4 x 6 inches) dealing with waste reduction and has appeared in two videos about composting. His book, Composting - An Easy Household Guide, was originally published in 2005 and the second edition was released in 2006. The cover and all ninety-six pages are printed on 100% recycled paper.

This book is slightly more advanced than his smaller booklet, Composting For All. Both books discuss why compost is such an important factor in reducing stress on landfills. But here, Nicky shows how this one simple action can benefit everyone in the community and can actually affect global conditions as well. Nicky tells readers that approximately one-quarter of UK's methane gas emissions (one of the gases that contributes to global warming) are due to organic waste in landfills, which are decomposing improperly. When composts are given aerobic conditions there is very little gas production.
Nicky shows other advantages such as less odor in garbage cans and less volume for curb-side pick-up services to deal with - therefore garbage will be put out on the curb less often.

Nicky demonstrates how to get the right mix in the compost for optimal decomposition conditions. He then explains some of the different composting bins sold commercially. There is the perfect bin available for different situations from apartment dwellers to individuals, situations involving pest issues (rats, etc) and communal composting. His book covers Dalek-type bins, tumblers, digesters, green cones, green Johanna's, fermentation methods, worm bins and more.

Much of the information can be applied globally, though the stats and information in Composting- and Easy Household Guide is from the UK. Terms such as "fly tipping" have no definition in North America. The resource section is four pages long and provides information on seven organizations and lists three books and videos for readers to refer to.

~ ~ Book Reviewer: Lillian Brummet - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment - Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

The Recycle Bible!, 19 Sep 2006
In the beginning there was Recycle: the Essential Guide. Well, if only.

The subject of recycling can sometimes be perceived as dull and old fashioned. This book manages to provide all the essential elements you would need to be clued up on waste while presented in a modern and cool fashion.

An introduction by Lucy Siegle sets the tone. An overview of the history of waste and recycling is followed by a clear statement that we should learn and be inspired by the forces of nature where zero waste is a way of life.

Each recyclable material has its own section where you can find out what the item is composed of, why you should recycle it, any problems encountered, the recycling process itself and useful contacts.

A delicate balance between information and pictures is achieved here to make Recycling as interesting as possible. The text is accurate and concise and the fantastic array of pictures only serves to compliment the information that is present.

It not only provides relevant national information such as the Recycle Now campaign but also highlights projects throughout the world that are both thought provoking and inspiring.

Many books will inspire you to be more eco conscious but then will not supply you with the means of actually achieving this. Yet here, there is a directory of governmental organisations to point you in the right direction and a fantastic Sustainable design directory that shows it is possible to buy recycled goods for every day living. From recycled jewellery made out of metal and rubber to eco friendly flooring made from recycled aluminium, cork, glass and bamboo!

Essential reading??? You bet!


Excellent Resource For Reducing "Waste", 02 Nov 2008
This is a great book for informing readers on how to reduce, reuse and recycle what most of us consider "waste". It has a concise and informative introduction to the topic and then provides an alphabetical listing of many common "waste" items and how best to be reduce, reuse or recycle them.

The book also points out quite a number of UK-specific organisations who offer recycling services which I found particularly useful. I have already found myself recycling or reusing products which I would have previous thrown in the rubbish bin.

Essential, 20 Oct 2007
This is the second edition of this nice little book is essential to those who want to minimise the impact of their consuming in the eviroment.

Hardly anything different from the first edition , colour drawings instead of black and white and a more attractive cover , if you have the first edition do not bother to buy this one as is essentialy the same book.

Very easy to read and printed ( guess ) in recycled paper with very useful guide is very informative about ways of reducing the amount of things that we send to the rubbish bin every week.

The book features an A to Z guide of all the items that can recycle from cars to jars and many different ways of reducing what can not be recycled.

Even if you live in a flat in the city and you ahve no access to a compost bin this book will illustrate how to stop generating rubbish.I found the chapter on office recycling particularly helpful.

Independently of your beliefs on global warming and politics ,there is argument that cosuming less natural resources is in everyone's interest.

5 stars

A pocket sized book packed with superb information , 27 Sep 2007
A pocket sized book packed with superb information on getting the most from what we use, where we buy it from and what we do with it. Another superb Green Books Guide.

The sheer volume of waste produced in the UK is staggering, every hour we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall, everyday Trafalgar Square could be filled to old Nelson's nostrils.

It wasn't always thus, in the 1950's our waste bins looked very different. The majority of homes were heated with coal so ash and clinker made up the majority of our waste until the Clean Air Act changed our home heating. There was very little plastic, as blister packs and processed food were a rarity. Food was predominantly bought loose and wrapped in paper, which was then used to light the fire. Most bottles were returnable with the small deposit ensuring that enterprising kids kept the streets and bins free of them in the search for pocket money, the milk man took the empties away. The rag and bone cart patrolled the streets picking up rags, old furniture and bones for bone china and bonemeal.

The advent of the supermarket, convenience food and fast living has fundamentally changed the way we consume, what we consume and how it is packaged. Plastic wrapped vegetables, packaged processed food, milk in cartons, drinks in plastic bottles and can. Every thing is packaged and presented in an eye catching way to encourage purchasing on crowded shelves. On average supermarket shoppers spend £470 a year on packaging, a sixth of their annual food spend.

Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle is one of the most comprehensive guides available on how to both avoid packaged goods and what to do with what remains. Every possible purchase is listed from Aer