Author: Lucy Ravenhall

Lucy is a long-standing editor of the Forge Recycling blog and loves writing about her environmental passions.

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.

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What is Global Recycling Day?

Recycling is a hot topic right now, and rightly so — it is an important method of saving the majority of our waste from landfill sites. Waste sent to landfill results in further use of virgin materials, and a negative impact upon the environment in terms of leeching and CO2 emissions. In fact, the recycling industry reduces CO2 emissions by 700 million tons per year, which is the equivalent of offsetting the total CO2 emissions of the aviation industry each year!

So, this month sees the arrival of Global Recycling Day. We’ve received a few questions about what this is and how people can get involved in it, so we thought we’d write a blog post dedicated to it. After all, we love all things recycling!

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What personal stylists think about fast fashion

A cross-party group of MPs has suggested the introduction of a 1p tax on each item of new clothing to encourage retailers to work in a more sustainable and eco-friendly manner. This would mean that those retailers which continued to make clothing from virgin materials would be penalised, as would those who didn’t set up a recycling scheme for their clothing.

We spoke to two personal stylists — people who style others for a living — to find out how they view sustainable fashion and to get their opinion on the proposed 1p garment tax.

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Britain’s battle against 1.2bn bread crusts

A study has revealed that Brits collectively throw out 1.2 billion edible bread crusts annually — valued at approximately £62 million — not because the bread has gone mouldy, but simply because they don’t enjoy the crust of the loaf. This figure equates to 50 million loaves of bread being binned every year.

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5 reuse ideas for single-use plastic bottles

Plastic is a hot environmental topic at the moment and while most people are trying to cut down on single-use plastics, or cut them out of their lives altogether, many of us will have a few old plastic bottles lying around. Instead of sending them straight to be recycled, why not give them a new lease of life by upcycling them into something useful? Upcycling is a great way to delay the recycling process, breathing new life into unwanted or seemingly useless objects.

Looking for some inspiration for your plastic bottle creations? Then look no further!

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Zero waste gift ideas for Valentine’s Day

The breeze may be cold at this time of the year but love is very much in the air in February, too! Valentine’s Day is on February 14 — a popular celebration of love, and often an excuse to buy your sweetheart a gift and a card to declare your affections. If you’re trying to cut down on waste, why not change up your usual plan this Valentine’s Day? You could buy a card made from recycled paper, send an e-card, or ditch the card altogether. How about the Valentine’s gift? Well, we’ve listed some great options for you below — there are loads to choose from.

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Tips for eco-friendly travel

Travel in itself is not a very eco-friendly activity as it always involves the use of transport, however many people find travel highly enjoyable and aren’t willing to give it up for the sake of the environment. After all, travel isn’t all bad — it can be highly beneficial in broadening the mind and boosting mental health, as well as giving local economies a lift.

Luckily, there are a number of ways to enjoy a holiday while keeping your environmental impact to a minimum.

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UK’s bottle banks overflow following the festive period

Following on from the UK’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, bottle banks across the country have been left overflowing with empty bottles that were once filled with wine, beer and other beverages. Unfortunately, instead of returning with the glass waste when the bottle banks have been emptied, users have been piling the bottles up next to the banks — in bags, boxes, or just loose — essentially flytipping, and not making the job of the recycling teams any easier! Let’s hope they are all emptied soon, as some of the images look like a health and safety hazard.

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8 zero waste swaps for the bathroom

The zero waste movement is picking up momentum and that’s understandable when you consider the current single-use plastic problem, our culture of disposables, and the shocking volume of general waste that gets sent to landfill daily, where it will never decompose. All of this can be avoided by simple changes, and these can start at home.

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