Recycling Week – 18thJune 2012 – 24th June 2012
Recycling week takes place each year in the UK to help raise awareness of why we should recycle and what more we could be doing.
This year the focus is on plastic bottles. Councils, retailers and businesses from across the UK come together to highlight the issues.
15 million plastic bottles are used in the UK every day with less than 50% being recycled!
Facts: (Taken from http://www.recyclenow.com/recycle_week/index.html):
- If the 15 million bottles used each day were recycled it would be the equivalent of taking 73,000 cars off the road annually
- 90% of all UK local authorities now offer collection facilities for plastic bottles either from your kerbside collection scheme or at recycling centres.
- It only takes 25-two litre plastic bottles to make an adult-sized fleece. (I had no idea that’s what fleece jackets were made from)
- If everyone in the UK recycled just one extra plastic bottle during Recycle Week, this would save enough energy to power over 71,000 plasma screen TVs for a year.
Given that we have a focus on gifts made from recycled materials (http://www.noahhomeandgifts.com/products/index.php?categoryID=3) and with recycling week looming I thought I would find out more about why it is so important to recycle, test my knowledge on what can and can’t be recycled and discover if there is any more I could be doing!
Why is it important to recycle?
The main reasons are:
- It conserves raw materials - If used materials are recycled, it prevents the need to extract fresh raw materials from the earth through mining and forestry which means that these important raw materials are conserved.
- Natural Habitats are protected – as a result of less forestry etc.
- Less energy is used - when recycled materials are used in the manufacturing process.·
- It protects the environment - the substantial air and water pollution caused by extracting, refining and processing raw materials is reduced and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced due to reduces less energy being used. Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (C02) a year – the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road. Recycling also reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill sites. The 1,500 + landfill sites in the UK produce around a quarter of the UK’s emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
What more can I do?
OK , so I know the importance of recycling for our environment but what more can I do?
With the majority of local authorities offering recycling facilities on your door step, it has never been easier to recycle.
I like to think I do my fair share! We have a large bin that is emptied fortnightly for all our plastic bottles, cardboard, textiles etc, a box for all our glass (which embarrassingly is usually full of empty wine and beer bottles! - why does mine always make the loudest clanking noise as it is emptied? J) and we also have a garden waste bin.
When the local council decided to reduce the uplift of our normal bin from weekly to fortnightly I was horrified as I had visions of it overflowing and having to take regular trips to the local dump to keep the vermin away but due to the recycling options, our normal household waste has substantially reduced and we manage perfectly well with our fortnightly collection.
The ‘Recycle Now’ website http://www.recyclenow.com/recycle_week/has lots of information on what happens to our recycling when it gets to the recycling centres as well as what items can be recycled. It’s well worth having a look as well as checking out your local councils website for a full list on what can be recycled in your area.
Let’s face it, no one has time to check ‘the list’ each and every time they go to put something in the bin but if you discover one or two things that you didn’t realise could be recycled you can make a small difference. The small things all add up!
For me I have had a gentle reminder that things such as engine oil, light bulbs and building rubble can be recycled.
What changes can I make?
Armed with my new knowledge, there are a few changes I will personally be making.
By not being lazy and making sure I completely squash all the items I recycle, not only will it free up space in my bin, it will take up less space in the bin lorries. If everyone did the same, it would mean fewer lorries required on the road thereby reducing engine emissions.
I have perhaps been guilty in the past of binning old small electrical appliances, however I will be making sure I take them to my local recycling centre in future as I didn’t fully appreciate their value! Some of them contain materials such as gold, steel, aluminium, plastic and zinc (mobile phones). The zinc from mobiles can be used in galvanising and also in ship building!
I am also going to invest in a compost bin and start to recycle my food waste. (I have a lot of this with 2 young fussy eaters!)
1 year of composting at home saves the equivalent global warming gasses produced by your kettle annually or your washing machine in 3 months!
Food waste still breaks down in landfill sites but because no air gets to it, harmful methane is produced. (Methane is 20 times more potent than Carbon Dioxide!).
The compost will also be great for my garden in a few months time! (Learning gardening skills will be next on my ever growing to do list!!)
I must admit I wasn’t sure I would find anything new I could be doing which wouldn’t take up too much extra time or expense but I’m pleasantly surprised.
Its amazing what can be made from recycled materials.
Here at Noah we have discovered some talented designers and artisans from around the world (and locally) who are creative with recycled aluminium! Here are just a few of their wares!
Until next time!
Nicola
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