January 2016 – The Waste Management & Recycling Blog

Fast fashion & the destruction of developing countries

It’s a little known fact that us Brits wear just 70 per cent of the clothes that we have stored away in our wardrobes, which leaves us with a total of 1.7 billion unused items. On average, a consumer keeps their garments for three years, but even more shocking than this is the fact that something might be frequently worn in the first year, and then phased into the stockpile of unworn clothes later on. That is why the average British closet is so overstuffed: we don’t wear all of the clothes we own.

The spending habits of the average person in the West have changed dramatically over the last hundred or so years when it comes to buying clothing. Between 2002 and 2003, for example, people in the US spent, on average, four per cent of their income on clothes, whereas back between the years of 1934 and 1946, clothing used up 12 per cent of people’s incomes. The current average expenditure per item in the USA is $14.60. Don’t go thinking that we are all consuming less though. On average, just one person in the UK will produce 70 Kg of textiles waste per year – that is a lot of clothing. Cheap, fast fashion means we are spending less yet buying more.

So, what will happen after you clean out your closet? Continue reading Fast fashion & the destruction of developing countries

Win a compost bin for your garden!

This competition has ended, and the winners were Angela Evans and Sophie Jayne. Thanks to all who entered.

Composting has great benefits for you and the Earth, including: dramatically cutting your household waste levels, lessening the amount of waste being sent to landfill, and creating a nourishing matter for your garden plants – saving you money, as you won’t need to buy any special products from the garden centre.

Here at Forge Recycling we are keen to encourage UK residents to get composting, and because of this we are giving away not just one but TWO compost bins for your garden. Two lucky winners will have a Blackwall 330 litre black compost converter delivered to their gardens, courtesy of Forge.

These bins are made from recycled plastic, and are guaranteed for 15 years, so you’ll have many years of composting ahead. Their dimensions are 100cm (H) x 80cm (W), and they require no assembly.

You can find tips on using your compost bin in our Guide to Composting, here. Continue reading Win a compost bin for your garden!

How to organise a community litter pick

Litter is a big issue in the UK, with more than two million pieces of litter being dropped daily.

If you are infuriated by the litter in your local area, you might like to organise a litter pick to clear the area of rubbish and return it to its natural state.

Organising a litter pick involves a little more planning than you might expect, but don’t worry — we have created this step-by-step guide for you.

Our guide includes everything you need to know to organise a successful litter pick involving five people or 500.

Choose a location

Choosing a spot won’t be hard; the reason you want to organise a litter pick is probably that you keep walking, cycling or driving past an area that is inundated with rubbish.

It could be a residential street, some woodland, a towpath, farmland, or a town centre.

Check to see if there is already a local group

LitterAction has a handy tool that lets you search for litter picking groups in your area. You could also have a search on Facebook.

If there is a group for the area you want to litter pick, get in touch with the group leader and see if they would be interested in litter picking in the specific location you have in mind.

If so, join the group. If not, follow our guide below. Continue reading How to organise a community litter pick

How to get kids into recycling

Statistics tell us that adults in the UK are slowly but surely getting better at recycling – especially since the introduction of the fairly recent plastic bag charge, which has forced people to think about their actions – but what about our children? Waste and recycling is tackled by the National Curriculum in schools from Key Stage 1 now, but we all know that kids tend to learn some things better through example rather than simple spoken word. Meaning, if you don’t engage your child in recycling at home, they are less likely to be interested in it, or do it themselves when they are older.

So, how can you get your child into recycling at home? Follow our tips below.

Lead by example

Children love to pretend to be adults, so if your little one sees you reusing and recycling at home (and when you are out and about) they are far more likely to want to do the same, and learn more about what it is you are doing. Pique their interest early on, and normalise your actions.

Make recycling fun

Help your child to learn about recycling in a fun way by setting up a home recycling centre, with different boxes for each type of recyclable. This will be a great game for a small child. Label each box, and let your child explore the world of recycling through learning about the different types and choosing which box to place each item in. Why not make up a song about recycling which you can sing when you’re doing this? Continue reading How to get kids into recycling