Rethink & Reuse
An open kitchen notebook on a wooden table beside a glass storage jar and a folded cloth in afternoon light

A working notebook, not a showroom kitchen.

Based in the United Kingdom

Who writes this site

About Rethink & Reuse

Rethink & Reuse is an independent UK resource for households trying to waste less. We write practical guides on zero waste living, kitchen swaps, upcycling, and composting, aimed at ordinary homes with ordinary constraints.

If you have ever felt that eco advice was written for someone with more time, space, or money than you, this site is for you. We are not a shop, a brand, or a campaigning organisation.

Who runs this site

A small editorial project, not a brand

Rethink & Reuse is run by a small team with a long-standing interest in low waste living and a background in practical writing. We are based in the UK, and the guidance reflects UK conditions: council collection rules, supermarket packaging, the climate, and the housing most people actually live in.

We are not affiliated with any manufacturer or retailer. Nobody pays for a mention, and no product placement appears on the site. It is just us, researching and writing. That shapes what we cover — a low waste home guide for a rented flat with a shared bin store looks different from one written for a house with a garden, and we try to write for the first case as often as the second.

An overhead view of a kitchen worktop with a glass jar being filled with lentils, a scoop, and a stack of empty jars

Photographed in our own kitchens, on ordinary weekdays, with the mess left in.

How we research and write

Questions a household would actually ask

Every guide starts with a question a household would realistically ask: how do I store bread without plastic, what can I compost, is this swap worth it. We answer from established practice, published UK waste guidance, and hands-on testing where we can do it.

We do not cite studies unless they are relevant and we can point you to them. We do not dress up preferences as facts. When something depends on your circumstances, we say so and explain the trade-off — which is why a plastic free food storage page will tell you when a glass jar is the wrong answer for your freezer.

The aim is that you can read a page and act on it, not that you finish it impressed by our credentials. Where a topic is unsettled, we would rather say so than pick a side and sound confident.

Our editorial approach

Plain and honest, even when it is inconvenient

We keep the advice plain and honest. If a popular swap is not worth the money, we say so. If a habit takes more effort than the internet admits, we flag it. We would rather tell you that something is hard than oversell it and have you give up on the whole idea of a low waste home.

Cost

A swap that costs more than it saves gets flagged as such, not rounded up into a recommendation.

Effort

Weekly tasks that quietly collapse after a month are described as weekly tasks that collapse after a month.

Evidence

No invented statistics, no fake certifications, no pretending a method is scientifically settled when it is not.

Uncertainty

Where we do not know, we say we do not know, and we tell you what would change our answer.

Fit

Some swaps suit some homes and not others — flat vs house, freezer space, local collection rules.

What we do not do

No sales, no disguised sponsorship, no promises we cannot keep

  • We do not sell products.
  • We do not run sponsored content disguised as reviews.
  • We do not claim partnerships or endorsements we do not have.
  • We do not promise that any habit will save you a specific amount of money or waste, because that depends entirely on your household.

We also do not tell you that zero waste living is easy or that everyone can do everything. Some changes suit some homes and not others. We try to be clear about which is which — including when a plastic free alternative exists but is not worth buying.

How the site is funded

Funded by its own operation

The site is funded by its own operation rather than by advertising or affiliate deals. That keeps the recommendations independent and lets us tell you when something is not worth buying. If that changes, we will say so clearly on the page where it applies, not only in the footer.

Why it stays lean

Running a site like this costs money for hosting and time. Keeping it lean means we stay honest and the pages stay free to read — no paywall between you and a straightforward answer about compost, jars, or beeswax wraps usage and care.

Corrections and reader input

We would rather fix it than defend it

We get things wrong sometimes. If you spot an error, a broken link, or advice that does not match your local rules, tell us. We will check it and update the page.

Reader questions also shape what we write next. If a topic keeps coming up and we have not covered it, that is usually the next guide. The best way to reach us is the contact page.

What readers ask us to cover

Reader questions set the order of our writing, not a publishing calendar.

Questions we get asked

Independence, in plain terms

Do you accept sponsored posts or product placements?
No. We do not take payment for mentions, and we do not run sponsored content. Recommendations are editorial only, which is why we can say when something is not worth buying.
Are you affiliated with any eco brands?
No. Rethink & Reuse is independent and not affiliated with any manufacturer or retailer. Funding comes from the site's own operation.
How often is advice written for UK conditions?
Always. Council collection rules, kerbside recycling schemes, supermarket packaging, and the climate here all change what is worth doing. We write for UK homes first and say when something may differ elsewhere.
Can I suggest a topic worth covering?
Yes, and it genuinely changes what we write. If a question keeps arriving about how to reduce household waste in a particular situation, it usually becomes a guide. Send it through the contact page.

Start with the guide that suits your kitchen

If you are new to this, the starter guide walks through a zero waste starter kit, the first kitchen swaps worth making, and how to tell the upcycling vs recycling difference. From there, sustainable lifestyle habits build up one room at a time.

Post

42 Bramley Road, London, N14 4HR, United Kingdom

Phone

+44 20 7946 0731

Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.