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Greener DIY

Every year in the UK more than £14bn is spent on timber, paints, varnishes and other materials for home DIY projects. By re-using materials, buying certified sustainable wood and greener paints and selecting your projects carefully, you can make a real difference to the effect you have on the environment.

Choose jobs that make a difference to the environment

Many DIY projects can help save energy and water as well as making your home more comfortable. Here are a few ideas:

  • insulate your home - nearly half the heat lost in an average home is through the roof and walls
  • installing loft insulation will keep your home warm for longer and can take just a few hours to fit
  • insulate your hot water tank - keeping in the heat will save energy and cut your bills
  • fix drips - a dripping tap or overflow can waste a lot of water (just 2 drips a second adds up to about 26 litres of water a day), but a new washer costs just a few pence and can be fitted in minutes
  • fitting aerators or spray fittings to your basin taps can reduce the amount of water you use by up to 50 per cent by mixing in air

Think twice about projects that consume energy

Some DIY projects will increase your energy usage significantly, increasing fuel bills. If possible:

  • try to avoid putting heating in your conservatory - few conservatories are insulated as well as the rest of the house, so much of the heat will escape through the glass
  • think about using solar power for water features and for lighting in your garden

Manufacturing tools use energy and resources, but many are hardly used. The average drill is used for less than 15 minutes in its entire lifetime - consider borrowing or hiring power tools instead of buying.

Use greener materials

The materials and finishes you choose can have an impact on the environment. Friendly materials don't necessarily cost more and many are widely available:

  • try using reclaimed wood - this saves energy and resources
  • buy certified wood - it is estimated that at least a quarter of the timber arriving in to the UK has been produced illegally
  • sustainable timber, and other sustainable wood products, can be found by looking for labels from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) or other forest certification schemes - ask your retailer about certification schemes
  • other renewable materials can have environmental benefits, while still performing well as building materials - for example, insulation made from sheep's wool, flax or hemp

Choose friendlier paints, finishes and preservatives

Most paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be harmful to humans, wildlife, plants and even building materials. When you are choosing a paint, finish or preservative, try to find the one with the lowest impact possible for the job you are doing:

  • many paints have a label showing VOC content - choose the lowest VOC product you can
  • check to see if there is a hazard warning on the label. If you have the choice, choose a product without a hazard warning
  • 'natural' or 'all natural' paints, milk paints and white washes can have a lower impact than ordinary paint
  • try not to buy more paint than you need - a lot of paint that people buy is never used
  • look for the European Ecolabel for indoor paints, which means that they don't contain certain heavy metals - like lead or mercury - and are manufactured with reduced solvent emissions and waste by-products

Disposing of paint, finishes and preservatives

Paints, finishes and preservatives need to be disposed of properly, as they can be toxic. This is particularly important if they display an orange hazard label:

  • always read the label
  • old products may have out-of-date information- if in doubt, handle and dispose of products as though they are hazardous
  • do not pour paint or other chemicals down the drain
  • if paints are poured into drains or disposed of in normal household waste then hazardous chemicals can get into the environment - contact your local authority for guidance on disposal
  • you can usually take paint to your local civic amenity site, but some councils will collect it
  • you may be able to donate unwanted paint to Community RePaint - this is a network of projects in Northern Ireland and around the UK that distributes unwanted paint to charities, community projects and people living on low incomes

More useful links

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