LOVE your bin is the message Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is trying to spread to households this New Year.

They say the average family could save £700 a year by planning, buying better and not throwing so much food and waste away.

They want people to sign up to the Rubbish Diet Challenge which sends out free emails with tips on how to slim your bin and think carefully about what to buy and recycle.

The challenge was initially developed as a New Year resolution by housewife Karen Cannard, who saved herself £2,500 in the process and after an eight-week trial had only thrown away a plaster.

Wiltshire Council is funding the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s minimisation project to help people reduce waste.

Emma Croft, community waste minimisation officer at the trust, said: “Our waste-watching households were amazed how easy and enjoyable it was to cut down on how much they threw away just by following some simple tips on what to buy and how to reuse and recycle more.

“Our number one tip for cutting waste and food bills is to plan your meals so you only buy what you need. Make sure to get the family involved in deciding what to eat each week.”

Across the UK, two-thirds of things put into bins could have been recycled.

Bins are full of valuable resources that could be turned into new products: plastic bottles could be back on the supermarket shelves in just three weeks, aluminium cans in just six.

Go to therubbishdiet.org.uk to sign up or for more information contact Emma at EmmaC@wiltshirewildlife.org or 01380 736077.