Start recycling in the garden

Posted by Unknown



1. Going greener in the garden
 Millions of tonnes of garden waste, such as grass cuttings, prunings and leaves, are sent to landfill sites each year – in fact it equates to filling the Royal Albert Hall with grass, twigs and leaves more than 70 times over!

Yet they’re a valuable source of nutrients which could be turned into something altogether more useful – COMPOST!

2. Things You can do

You could be...
  • setting up your new compost bin, or
  • breathing life into your borders with your own home-made compost, or
  • using peat-free compost containing recycled materials, or maybe
  • treating yourself to patio furniture made from recycled materials.
Whatever you are doing, you won't want to keep your garden a secret!

3. Start Composting

A third of the average household bin can be composted.  This includes:
  • fruit and vegetable peelings;
  • teabags;
  • cardboard and newspaper; and
  • your garden waste.
Best of all, it’s easy to do it yourself in a home composting bin.

Visit the Home Composting area to find out how to get started and some top tips for getting the best results. Within 6-9 months you’ll have top quality compost to dig into your soil and give your borders a boost!
Watch Diarmuid Gavin's video on how you can combat climate change in your own garden.

4. Save water
We can all do our bit to reduce the amount of water we use in our homes and gardens, yet maintain moisture levels in our soil.
  • Fit a nozzle on your hosepipe so you can control how much you use. 
  • Grey water (such as dishwater or water from washing vegetables) can be used to water plants as long as it’s allowed to cool, contains no chemicals and isn’t used on plants you intend to eat! 
  • Collect rainwater in a water butt. 
  • Use a soil conditioner or home made compost to aid moisture retention.
  • Choose plants which like dry conditions, such as grasses, herbs and succulents.
5. Get creative
There’s not much in our homes that can’t be put to a good use in the garden!
  • Empty plastic drinks bottles cut in half make great planters or bird feeders
  • Seedlings can be planted in empty yoghurt pots, egg cartons or cardboard toilet roll tubes. 
  • String old CD's or milk bottle tops together to scare the birds away.
  • Fill in gaps in your lawn by using grass seeds sowed on used tea-bags!

What shall I do next?

There are lots of different options for recycling in your garden.  Why not take a look at these:
 

comments (0) |

Can It Be Recycled ?

Posted by Unknown

Shredded Paper
Yes, in many cases. Some local authorities will accept shredded paper with your regular kerbside collections or at your nearest paper bank.

How should I recycle it?
 Some local authorities will accept shredded paper together with your other paper items via your local authority’s kerbside collections or at your nearest paper bank. If so:
  • Make sure it is free of plastic.
  • Don't put it loose into open recycling boxes as it will blow away!
Other local authorities ask for shredded paper to be recycled in the cardboard recycling banks only. Check your local authority’s website, or give them a ring to make sure.

If your local authority does not accept shredded paper, then either don't shred it (if appropriate) or give it to a private company to dispose of.

Understanding shredded paper issues
Some local authorities will not collect shredded paper. This is because although, technically, shredded paper can be recycled, some paper mills cannot take it. There are two main reasons for this;
  • the average fibre length paper has decreases with shredding, and thus paper made from it will be weaker, and
  • shredded paper can be difficult to handle at the mill and depending on the equipment there, it can cause maintenance problems and fire hazards.
 What else can I do with it ?
Avoid it!

Avoid shredding your papers - unless you are worried about confidential information getting into the wrong hands. This will make the paper more easily recyclable.

comments (0) |

Recycling at Work

Posted by Unknown

01. Benefit your business

People like to be able to recycle at work - just as they can at home. There are lots of benefits to recycling at work too, such as:
  • It's easy to set-up and run;
  • It saves space and can reduce clutter;
  • It's cost effective and can save your company money;
  • It reduces waste going to landfill, saves energy and helps tackle climate change.
02. Find a Local Recycling Service Provider

Before you can get started you will need to find a recycling service provider in your local area and get a list of companies with services to suit your needs.


03. Setting up a Recycling Scheme

Consider hosting a recycling day or event to launch the new recycling scheme.  For example, hold a desk recycling amnesty to encourage staff to recycle as much as they can from their desks.
TOP TIPS
  • Promote your recycling scheme around the workplace. A range of posters to help you do this are available to download free of charge at www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk.
  • Remember to position recycling containers in a convenient place, so it’s as easy to recycle as it is to throw things away.
  • Collect for charity too! Old mobile phones, computer equipment, stamps and printer cartridges can all help to raise precious funds for charities.
04. What else can you do ?

Businesses can cut costs and reduce waste by becoming resource efficient. Waste costs money - not only through the cost of disposal but also through the value of wasted materials. 
There are free online training initiatives to help small to medium sized businesses on their way to resource efficiency:
  • The Rethink Waste initiative to help manufacturing businesses reduce waste; and
  • The Rippleffect initiative to help businesses cut their water costs.
The closing dates to sign up for the Rethink Waste initiative is Tuesday 28 September 2010 and 15 October 2010 for the Rippleffect initiative, so don’t miss your chance and register your interest today!

comments (0) |

Early recycling

Posted by Unknown

Recycling has been a common practice for most of human history, with recorded advocates as far back as Plato in 400 BC. During periods when resources were scarce, archaeological studies of ancient waste dumps show less household waste (such as ash, broken tools and pottery)—implying more waste was being recycled in the absence of new material.[3]

In pre-industrial times, there is evidence of scrap bronze and other metals being collected in Europe and melted down for perpetual reuse.[4] In Britain dust and ash from wood and coal fires was collected by 'dustmen' and downcycled as a base material used in brick making. The main driver for these types of recycling was the economic advantage of obtaining recycled feedstock instead of acquiring virgin material, as well as a lack of public waste removal in ever more densely populated areas.[3] In 1813, Benjamin Law developed the process of turning rags into 'shoddy' and 'mungo' wool in Batley, Yorkshire. This material combined recycled fibres with virgin wool. The West Yorkshire shoddy industry in towns such as Batley and Dewsbury, lasted from the early 19th century to at least 1914.
Publicity photo for US aluminium salvage campaign in 1942

Industrialization spurred demand for affordable materials; aside from rags, ferrous scrap metals were coveted as they were cheaper to acquire than was virgin ore. Railroads both purchased and sold scrap metal in the 19th century, and the growing steel and automobile industries purchased scrap in the early 20th century. Many secondary goods were collected, processed, and sold by peddlers who combed dumps, city streets, and went door to door looking for discarded machinery, pots, pans, and other sources of metal. By World War I, thousands of such peddlers roamed the streets of American cities, taking advantage of market forces to recycle post-consumer materials back into industrial production.

Wartime recycling

Resource shortages caused by the world wars, and other such world-changing occurrences greatly encouraged recycling. Massive government promotion campaigns were carried out in World War II in every country involved in the war, urging citizens to donate metals and conserve fibre, as a matter of significant patriotic importance. Resource conservation programs established during the war were continued in some countries without an abundance of natural resources, such as Japan, after the war ended.

Post-war recycling

The next big investment in recycling occurred in the 1970s, due to rising energy costs. Recycling aluminium uses only 5% of the energy required by virgin production; glass, paper and metals have less dramatic but very significant energy savings when recycled feedstock is used.

comments (0) |

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)