June 10th, 2010
This month is Recycling Week from 21st to 27th June. Recycling and composting are the aims of the week and getting as many people as possible involved in the nation-wide project.
The recycling awareness week is being backed by everyone’s favourite M&S, Innocent Smoothies, ASDA, Royal Mail, Tesco and the British Heart Foundation. We are not just talking about the bog-standard plastic, glass, paper and cardboard, this week is promoting the awareness of recycling and how much of your household items can be used again. Don’t forget those unwanted CD’s, light bulbs, printer cartridges, video tapes, bicycles and even beds that can be recycled. You can find out about many,many other items that can be recycled by going to RECYCLE NOW.
Schools and businessess across the nation are getting invovled and recycling as much as they can through the Recycle Now initiative. The Recycle Now website offers advice, tips, explains some of the jargon and recycling symbols and 4 easy steps to start recycling today!
Tags: composting, recycle, recycle now, recycle week, Recycling, recycling awareness | Posted in News, Recycling, education
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May 27th, 2010
The new buzz word that is being used all over the world is upcycling!
def:// upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
Now you would be among the many that will be thinking this is just the same as recycling. It is very similar to recycling but the major difference with upcycling is that no energy has gone into developing the new product from the old one. When recycling paper, plastic, cardboard etc processes are in place to melt, cut and re-make the new products thus using energy. Upcycling products use man-power and time to produce pieces such as artwork, luggage, furniture, useful materials etc.
Several successful businesses have come from being based on upcycling and the huge benefits it offers. Rebagz is an eco-chic handbag company that use great design and sustainability to produce their fabulous products all by upcycling. The ‘Juicy handbag’ (picture) is made from weaving sections of juice cartons and is one of their biggest and most popular sellers. Rebagz is best know for being both eco and human friendly and only re-use materials to make their products.
Resurf, another well established company that is promoting and using upcycling is based in the US and re-uses broken surfboards and turns them into asphalt filer. The Resurf, surfboard waste recycling centres find solutions and homes for the communal waste as an industry.
There is a lot to be said for what one person considers to be junk and useless, to be another persons piece of artwork or furniture.
Tags: energy efficiency, Recycling, Sustainability, upcycling | Posted in Energy Efficient, Recycling, Sustainability
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May 24th, 2010
Who doesn’t love to go shopping? I for one am a closet shopping fan and love the excitement of getting home with some new treats, but my thoughts do go to shocking amount of plastic bags, wrapping and packaging I am also carrying around that is just going to get thrown away.
Going deeper than just the plastic bags and packaging are the embedded emissions which is the carbon that goes into producing, making, transporting the product. These embedded emissions are within a large majority of products, invisible to the eye at the till paying for them but something you cant change. However…….
There are many ways I, and many other shopping lovers can be carbon conscious when out buying something nice. 10:10 the group working towards reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2010 and who have got the backing of the new government have produced a helpful hints and tips guide for those wanting to reduce their carbon-shopping-footprint.
10:10 have five simple rules for energy efficient shopping starting with; 1) Dont Be Cheap, if you buy something cheap you normally end up having to replace it or buy another one. The old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ applies here too, so choose quality over quantity. 2) 2nd Hand Treasures, a form of recycling, bought and used by someone else can be re-used and loved by another. 3) Buy Efficient, check the energy efficiency label on all products to check it wont drain you dry when plugging it in at home. 4) Think About Wood, when having to buy any wood think of reclaimed wood, as it is carbon-emission friendly and can be better quality than the new stuff. And finally 5) Sit Back and Relax, home delivery options when buying online are the best bet as the overall emissions of the delivery truck and all it is transporting is spread out out among several people while you in your car collecting the new bed is all down to you.
For those of you who would like to know more about their shopping and how far things have to go to get in your basket have a read of How Bad Are Bananas: The Carbon Footprint of Everything written by Mike Berners-Lee. For all up to date news and info on 10:10 and their on-going project go to www.1010global.org
Tags: 10:10, carbon conscious, carbon emissions, Carbon Footprint, embedded emissions, shopping | Posted in Carbon Footprint, Recycling, carbon emissions
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April 16th, 2010
Dorset county council recently put in planning permission to have a new £2million recycling centrebuilt in Swanage. It has now been confirmed that the planning has been given the go-ahead and building is due to start this summer.
It is going to be the first of its kind to allow both household and small to medium business recycling waste to be deposited at the same site. An estimated 3,000 tonnes of household and trade waste per year will go through this new centre.
Local households and businesses are going to benefit from the modern, clean, efficient and enhanced recycling facilities at the new centre. The aims for this site will not only encourage more people to recycle but will help Dorset to reach their target to recycle 60% of waste by 2015. It will be money well spent for the local people of Swanage and the local area as they will have a clean and reliable site to go to with their recycling waste and therefore sending less to landfill.
The existing recycling site at Panorama Road, Swanage has been labelled as unsuitable for long-term use and is a very small site making it difficult for trucks to unload. The original site is due to stay open until December 2011, allowing for the purpose built recycling centre (pic above) to be completed at Prospect Business Park, off Victoria Avenue. Expected opening to the public is Autumn 2011.
Tags: Dorset County Council, efficient recycling, Recycling, Recycling Centre, trade recycling | Posted in Local Councils, News, Recycling
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February 22nd, 2010
Ever feel ashamed of living in the UK? On the whole I feel highly privileged to live in this country, but just sometimes I’m forced to publically blush at the petty minded bureaucracy which plagues us. Case in point is a story I first came across on a US blog UK Barber Banned from Composting. It’s also been covered by The Telegraph. I had to read both articles twice because I simply couldn’t believe what I was reading.
It seems that a local barber, Jeff Stone from Blackburn in Lancashire, has been banned from taking hair clippings and salon newspapers home to compost: Why I hear you ask?
Is he stealing from the people whose head it once belonged?
They left it behind happily so apparently not.
Is human hair somehow toxic to our delicate eco-structure?
No, in fact quite the reverse, apparently all environmental agencies recognise human hair as fantastic, highly biodegradable compostable material, perfect for adding nitrogen to the soil.
Perhaps he’s taking home so much of it, it’s upsetting the neighbours?
Nope – only one small swing bin every two or three weeks.
Well then, obviously it’s because Blackburn and Darwen Councils have invested heavily in establishing domestic and retail recycling programs and by taking the hair home Mr. Stone is somehow confusing the system?
Absolutely not, documentation received by Mr. Stone confirms that the waste will be emptied at landfill sites at Whinney Hill, near Accrington, and Withnell just outside Blackburn.
Well then, what could possibly be the problem…? Surely it would have nothing to do with money? Surely no council would stoop so low as to force Mr. Stone to buy one hundred Council issued waste sacks, which he doesn’t need and which cost £100, in order to ‘comply’ with their guideline?
Apparently so.
Reassuring isn’t it that Councils have so little to do; that crime levels are so low, housing so abundant, local facilities so immaculate, that they have nothing better so spend our council tax on than paying people to search through our dustbins checking for people who might be ‘illegally’ trying to save the planet…
Tags: biodegradable hair clippings, Blackburn, compost, Lancashire, local barber, Local Council | Posted in Local Councils, News, Recycling, Self sufficiency
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February 3rd, 2010
Looking for some green, environmentally friendly outer clothing? Well the Spudcoat could be the answer to your prayers. It comes in two styles the waterproof cloak (good for the festival goer) or the raincoat (for the more dapper eco-warrior). The spudcoat is made entirely from bioplastic which is derived from potato starch and other natural resources.
The coat is 100% biodegradable and compostable and even has a small clay ball with seeds in it so that once its lifecycle is over; you can dig a hole in the garden and bury it. So the garment doesn’t just return to the natural cycle, it also helps the seeds inside grow into plants – what more could you ask for?
Tags: 100% biodegradable, bioplastic, compostable, Spudcoat | Posted in Recycling, Self sufficiency, Sustainability
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January 31st, 2010
Chew Magna, the beautiful, traditional village in Somerset, has been labelled ‘Britain’s Greenest Village’.
Following a parish council survey, it became clear that the biggest concern of the community was the environment and as a result the Go-Zero project was initiated.
Villagers now strive towards zero-waste and buy local produce including; fruit, vegetables, venison, ice-cream, medicinal herbs and trout from Chew Valley Lake. Action groups are discussing and encouraging the inhabitants to recycle more, change their transport methods and reduce their home energy consumption. Local energy companies have even donated light bulbs which the villagers can pick up for free. Approximately 85 percent of the village now recycles, that is almost 4 times the national average.
Chew Magna have also set up a ‘carbon-offset fund’; when someone books a flight with the local travel agent, the distance travelled determines their donation to the fund, even their journey to the airport will be eco-friendly, as the village has plans to run it’s own bio-fuelled coach shuttle service.
This community have many other plans in the pipe-line including becoming a Fairtrade village, following their support for African charities. What is truly inspirational is that all this came about because the community consolidated and discussed their concerns for the environment and together they were motivated to make changes – perhaps this small idyllic rural village will be responsible for providing a template for other towns and villages in the country.
Tags: Britain’s Greenest Village, carbon off-setting, Chew Magna, environment, go-zero, Recycling | Posted in Life Change, Recycling, Sustainability, Transport, carbon emissions, environment
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January 25th, 2010
The University of Bath is undergoing a project to find environmentally friendly building materials that can be used as an alternative to the current products used within the construction industry.
A straw house came up as a viable option. Straw is not only a renewable resource, but also a farming by-product, which made it a popular choice for the researchers. It can be locally grown and absorbs carbon monoxide, therefore buildings made from straw have zero or even a negative carbon footprint. It can potentially provide such good insulation that normal heating may not be necessary, keeping running costs low and minimising environmental impact.
The construction itself has been built using prefabricated panels, consisting of wooden frames filled with straw or hemp, then rendered with a breathable lime based system.
Research into alternative building materials is important as cement contributes up to 10% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Hopefully this project, which over the year is to be monitored, will prove that straw is a sustainable building material. Let’s just hope it can withstand all the wolves huffing and puffing and trying to blow the house down!
Tags: Balehouse, Carbon Footprint, Construction, farming, renewable resource, Straw | Posted in Climate Change, Recycling, Self sufficiency, Sustainability, environment, renewable energy
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January 4th, 2010
The Strauss family from Gloucestershire challenged themselves to only have their dustbin emptied once in 2009!
Exercising great care and discipline they examined everything they bought to ensure as much packaging as possible was recyclable. In doing so, they managed to cut their waste down to less than 100g (3.5oz) a week.
The website was born out of this mission and contains tips from readers on how and what can be recycled. Check out the site at myzerowaste.com
In 2010, the Strauss’s hope to create zero waste to landfill. Impressive!
Tags: landfill, myzerowaste.com, Recycling | Posted in Life Change, Recycling
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December 18th, 2009
Every year we produce a staggering amount of waste at Christmas, it is estimated that for every tonne of waste produced in our homes, five tonnes has been produced in the manufacturing process and ten tonnes at the point where the raw material was extracted. With a little thought, care and effort we can cut that down.
Here are a few ideas:
• Avoid presents and food that is over packaged
• Buy drinks in large recyclable containers – one large bottle results in less waste than a lot of small ones and is generally more economical
• Use recyclable bags or reuse plastic bags when shopping
• Avoid using plastic or paper plates when entertaining
• Buy durable gifts so they don’t end up as discarded rubbish
• Buy recycled products such as; glass, tableware, photo frames and ornaments
• Consider buying presents that are environmentally friendly or produced in a sustainable way
• Choose hardy decorations that won’t break, so can be used year in, year out
• Wish friends and family ‘Happy Christmas’ electronically rather than sending cards
• Use recyclable wrapping paper
• After Christmas recycle cards, paper and your tree – municipal sites generally use old trees for chipping and compost, but probably best to check first.
Tags: Christmas, packaging, recycle, Recycling, waste | Posted in Recycling
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