Lucy Ravenhall – Page 11 – The Waste Management & Recycling Blog

How litter harms our wildlife

Litter is a real buzzword at the moment, with plastic litter being the central focus. Thanks to Sir David Attenborough’s recent documentaries, people’s eyes are now being opened to the true extent of the world’s plastic dependence and the related litter problem.

Shocking as the sight of all the litter was on these shows and in newspapers of late, it was the impact the waste had on the wildlife that really helped to highlight the issue.

Seemingly quite pivotal viewing, the video below shows just some of the ways that Blue Planet 2 inspired people to make changes in their lives.

In fact, it is estimated that one million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die annually as a result of eating plastic or getting trapped in it.

How eco-friendly is Glastonbury Festival?

Following every year of Glastonbury Festival, the media is awash with images of the trash left behind by the festivalgoers once they have headed for home. This equates to fields of litter, some recyclable and some not, all left for someone else to deal with.

This has sadly become the norm over the years, with around 8oo litter pickers descending upon the festival site to gather up all of the rubbish and deliver it to the onsite recycling centre — both throughout the festival and when it is over.

In this blog post, we look at how eco-friendly the Glastonbury Festival is — from its waste to its energy, to its plastic use.

How to reduce your carbon footprint when travelling

We live in a time where travel is prevalent — both for work and leisure. However, this travel can come at a large cost to the planet by way of carbon emissions, and some travel habits truly have a huge impact.

Flights, for example, are relatively cheap to buy but planes produce very high carbon emissions. Until new aircraft arrives, flights will, unfortunately, remain one of the most significant contributors to the issue of climate change.

So, how can we all travel in an eco-friendlier way? We’ve gathered some ideas for you below.

What is aluminium?

Most of us know that aluminium is used to make drink cans, food tins, and aerosol sprays. Many of us also know that it can be recycled. However, what the majority of us don’t know is what aluminium is and where it originates.

Read on to discover all the fascinating facts and figures related to aluminium — you’ll never look at a can of pop in quite the same way again!

A beginner’s guide to geocaching

If you love exploring the great outdoors, finding new places of interest, and taking part in treasure hunts, then geocaching could be the hobby for you. Play alone, with friends, or with your whole family — people of all ages love this pastime.

So, let’s get into what it is and how you play it.

Continue reading A beginner’s guide to geocaching

600,000 Leeds coffee cups recycled in six months

In just six months of the Leeds By Example campaign, Forge Recycling has collected 600,000 coffee cups from drop-off points around the city centre. That is 600,000 cups that have been diverted from landfill.

These cups have all been lightly sorted, compacted, and delivered to the James Cropper recycling facility in Burneside, Kendal. There, they are stripped down, with the paper being removed and then used to make new products.

Alongside the coffee cup success, 65,000 cans and 55,000 plastic bottles were collected by us during the six-month period in Leeds.

Continue reading 600,000 Leeds coffee cups recycled in six months

What is closed loop recycling?

Closed loop recycling may be a term you have heard before, or perhaps not, but we thought it might be helpful to delve into the topic on our blog and discuss what closed loop recycling is and why it is important.

In a nutshell, closed loop recycling is the process by which a product is used, recycled, and then made into a new product — therefore not ever entering landfill.

This means that these waste types are better for the environment than those that are recycled but have to be mixed with virgin materials to make new products (this is open loop recycling), and, of course, those that can’t be recycled at all.

Continue reading What is closed loop recycling?

How and why to create ecobricks

If you are spotting lots of plastic litter when you walk around your local area or when you are doing a litter pick, it might be time to take control and, while working on reducing the amount of plastic waste your community produces, create some ecobricks.

Continue reading How and why to create ecobricks

Young people are selling electronics on rather than recycling them

A recent survey by compliance scheme REPIC has revealed that under-30s are choosing to sell on older electrical items rather than recycle them. This is good news for the environment, as items are having their life extended through reuse, however it is bad news for the measurement of the UK’s WEEE recycling.

Continue reading Young people are selling electronics on rather than recycling them

How to reduce your business’s plastic waste & save money

Plastic is a real buzzword at the moment and rightly so — it is polluting our planet, killing wildlife, and contaminating our seas. In fact, approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans daily.

Many of us are trying to cut down on single-use plastic at home, but businesses need to look at their use too. After all, a business will use much more plastic than an individual will, and it will be costing lots of money in waste collections too. Not only that, but addressing plastic waste issues will enhance your brand’s reputation and help you to attract eco-friendly customers. There’s literally nothing to lose — except the plastic.

Continue reading How to reduce your business’s plastic waste & save money