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 Household Waste
Up to 80% of our average household waste could be recycled or composted, yet currently only 27% of it is - that leaves a massive 73% of what currently goes in to our dustbins being sent to incinerators or buried in landfill sites. When you consider that in one hour the UK produces enough waste to fill the Albert Hall it soon becomes clear how necessary it is to reduce, re-use, recycle, and, of course, to buy recycled in the first place. By doing this we can help conserve natural resources and save energy and raw materials. Did you know, for example, that for every tonne of recycled glass nearly one tonne of raw materials and over thirty gallons of oil are saved?
Did you know? On average, every person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every 7 weeks.
Source: recyclenow.com
There are many ways we can help to save natural resources. If we consider the "big picture" the need to recycle and buy recycled starts with making educated consumer purchases. When buying products try wherever possible to avoid disposable items, look for durability and re-usability (try using a reusable plastic container instead of oil or cling film for packed lunches for example), avoid excess packaging, especially PVC (which is hazardous for human health and the environment) and polystyrene (which is still hard to recycle in this country), re-use plastic shopping bags, buy concentrated, and look for refills.
Newspapers, glass, tins, drinks cans and plastics can all be recycled. Try getting a bin with different compartments so it makes it easier when you put out your recycling for kerbside collection or go to the local recycling centre.
Composting is a great way of recycling kitchen waste - 30% of the contents of your rubbish bin could be effectively transformed into high-quality fertiliser (thus avoiding expensive chemical based alternatives) for your garden. Charity shops, car boot sales, online recycling networks such as freecycle.org and auction sites like ebay are all fantastic ways to take it even further. Clothes, shoes, bags, hats, games, books, furniture, and old electrical appliances (that work!) can all be recycled in this way.
Logos
If you’re unsure as to what can and can't be recycled a good guideline is to look for the recycling logo, consisting of three arrows, known as the "mobius loop".
This symbol indicates that the product, or part of it, can be recycled where facilities are available. The inclusion of a number shows the percentage of recycled material that has been used to make this product.
Plastics
In order to recycle plastic successfully it is vital that you don’t mix different types - even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can destroy the melt. In order to tackle this problem the industry has come up with a numbering system to help us differentiate between the various types of plastics. All products and packaging made from plastic should have the recycling logo with a number in the centre of it.
The table below indicates what each number stands for:
| 1 |
PET (polyethylene terephthalate)– often slightly tinted |
Soft drinks, water and detergent bottles |
| 2 |
HDPE (high density polyethylene) |
Milk, juice, detergents, bleach, shampoo and motor oil bottles, butter tubs and plastic bags |
| 3 |
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) |
Food wrap, vegetable oil bottles |
| 4 |
LDPE (low density polyethylene) |
Carrier bags and bin liners, coating for milk containers, shrink wrap, dry cleaning bags |
| 5 |
PP (polypropylene) |
Microwaveable meal trays, some bags, most bottle tops, some carpets, some food wrap, yoghurt and margarine tubs, drinking straws |
| 6 |
PS (polystyrene) |
Throwaway cutlery and containers, coffee cups, egg cartons, meat trays, protective packaging for appliances |
| 7 |
Other (mixed plastics) |
No recycling potential - must be landfilled |
Did you know? On average, every household uses 373 plastic bottles each year of which just 29 are recycled.
Source: recyclenow.com
It is important to note that not all plastics can be recycled. Types 1, 2 and 4 can currently be successfully recycled, and it is slowly becoming easier to recycle Type 6 is (look up your nearest polystyrene recycling point at www.eps.co.uk/recycling/recycling_A_recyclers_map.htm).
Remember that in most cases bottle caps are not made of the same type of plastic as the bottle itself. Plastic recycling, unlike glass and aluminium, is an industry still in development and is often regarded as a messy and inefficient process because so many products are made of blends of plastics. However, by being aware of what plastics can and can't be recycled means that consumers can make more informed choices in their purchases and in their recycling efforts.
Drinks cartons
Every year, UK beverage carton manufacturers produce approximately 55,000 tonnes of paper-based cartons for milk, juice, sauces and other liquid foods and drinks. Fortunately, since the end of 2007 green-minded UK residents can now recycle drink and food cartons in new bins provided by local councils (usually these are located at local authority or supermarket recycling centres). Once collected the cartons can be recycled into a number of different products, ranging from plasterboard liner to high-strength paper bags and envelopes. The scheme has been introduced in conjunction with Tetra Pak Ltd and the carton industry body ACE UK (Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment). For more information log on to tetrapakrecycling.co.uk.
Fridge Gases
It is not just familiar products like paper, plastics and drinks cans that can be recycled, there are some less obvious products that can and must be recycled too. Old refrigerators and air conditioners contain human-made greenhouse gases that escape into the atmosphere.
These gases, such as HFCs, (the chemicals that replaced CFCs and HCFCs under the Montreal Protocol), are many times more powerful than the well-known greenhouse gas CO2. What can you do? Make sure you buy fridges and air-conditioning units that use hydrocarbons instead of HFCs. And when getting rid of any fridge or freezer (particularly the older ones that still contain ozone-depleting CFCs) contact your local borough and ask them to dispose of it for you.
Batteries
Whilst in use batteries pose very little hazard but once discarded can leak toxics into groundwater and so it is vital that batteries are disposed of correctly. Some councils now offer kerbside battery recycling options, as well as bins in local recycling centres. The best option however is to look for rechargables, which save hundreds of batteries being chucked out. The best ones are Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries.
Electrical and electronic waste
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) was introduced across the EU in January 2007 with the aim of minimizing the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment. It attempts to achieve this by making producers responsible for financing the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical equipment, and by obliging distributors to allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge. However, this doesn’t help us dispose of the electronic graveyard currently filling half of our attics! For tips on where to bring your old PCs, walkman players and digital cameras, go to recycle-more.co.uk
Further Information
Offering consumers products that have been made of recycled materials helps 'close the loop', conserve natural resources and is a good way of ensuring that our recycling efforts have not been in vain! In years gone by, recycled products were often considered overpriced and of sub-standard quality. This is no longer the case.
Natural Collection offers a wide range of recycled items. Our team of buyers are constantly on the look-out for good-quality recycled products - these can vary from the mundane to the innovative. Luxury toilet rolls, kitchen roll and stationery for the home or office are some the more obvious recycled products on offer on our website, but Natural Collection currently has a great looking range of recycled glassware made from post-consumer glass too. Remember when recycling your own glass that you should only put bottles in bottle banks, anything else, such as light bulbs, mirrors and pyrex, should be taken to your closest local authority recycling centre. Quirkier offerings include highly effective loft insulation made from 100% recycled newspaper, stroller bags made of recycled plastic water bottles and an eco food waste digester made out of 50% recycled plastic. Unlike conventional composters it will happily digest ALL food waste, including cooked food. Finally, keep the whole cycle going by investing in our can crusher or our log maker.
By actively encouraging recycling in our community, and investing in recycled products, we are taking important steps towards realizing the vision of a sustainable future.
For further information on recycling log on to recyclenow.com and wasteconnect.co.uk.
© Green Dot Guides Ltd 2008
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