Anyone who has ever been involved in planning a wedding will know that it can become a very wasteful experience — from the disposable decorations to the excess food; from the paper invites to the wedding favours. Not only is there a lot of waste created for one day, but all of these things add up to cost you a small (or large) fortune. Why not do your pocket and the planet a favour by opting for a low waste wedding in-line with your lifestyle? We have collected some great ideas for you below.
Author: Lucy Ravenhall
Lucy is a long-standing editor of the Forge Recycling blog and loves writing about her environmental passions.
Eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions for 2019
Whether it’s the start of 2019 when you are reading this blog post or later in the year, there’s no time like the present to make some small changes in your life which have a big positive impact on the planet. The problem with wanting to ‘go green’ is often not knowing where to start, which can then put people off trying at all. So, we’ve collected together some ideas for green changes you can make as New Year’s resolutions.
Continue reading Eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions for 2019
How to waste less this Christmas
Around 108 million rolls of wrapping paper were thrown out by Brits last Christmas, alongside 54 million plates of food and 189 million batteries. In fact, when surveyed on the matter, eight in 10 Brits admitted they don’t even try to justify the amount of waste they produce throughout the festive period — with six in 10 people saying they don’t even feel guilty about what they bin over Christmas.
Disposable nappies or real nappies: which should you use?
If you are a parent of a baby or a soon-to-be parent of a baby, the subject of nappies is no doubt a common one in your household. After all, the average baby needs changing around 5,000 times in its lifetime. Sadly, if you choose to use disposable nappies, this translates into 12 wheelie bins’ worth of nappies per year per baby, and eight million nappies binned across the UK per day.
Some people have not heard of the alternative, and those who have may not know the facts. So, this blog post delves into the world of disposable nappies versus real nappies.
Continue reading Disposable nappies or real nappies: which should you use?
Interesting facts you didn’t know about coffee
As we have recently started a new venture involving the recycling of disposable coffee cups, we have been very interested to learn more about the popular drink they contain. After all, the whole nation is hooked! We have collected together some of our favourite and most interesting coffee facts and figures below for your enjoyment.
Continue reading Interesting facts you didn’t know about coffee
Colgate launches a toothbrush recycling service
Colgate UK has announced that it has partnered with TerraCycle and set up the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme.
This new recycling scheme allows customers to post their used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes, toothpaste caps, toothpaste packaging and electric toothbrush heads to TerraCycle for free, who will then recycle everything on behalf of Colgate. This scheme covers all brands of toothpaste and toothbrushes — not just Colgate.
Continue reading Colgate launches a toothbrush recycling service
Can padded envelopes be recycled?
Most offices across the country have a stock of padded envelopes in their stationery cupboard, as do many homes. These envelopes are made from paper and plastic bubble wrap usually and are ideal for posting anything that needs a bit of extra protection as it makes its way through the postal system. As online shopping has increased in popularity, so has the use of these packages. However, once a padded envelope has been used, what happens to it? Can it be recycled?
Carlsberg ditches its plastic can holders
Carlsberg, one of the world’s largest breweries, has unveiled plans to replace its plastic can holders with a glue that’s fully recyclable.
Plastic can holders — also known as plastic pack rings, hi-cones or yokes — have long been the focus of discontent, not just because of the material they are made from, but for the danger they pose to wildlife and marine life. In fact, as far back as the 1970s there were wildlife campaigners telling consumers to cut the plastic rings up with scissors before binning them to reduce the risk of harm to animals.
How to use up leftover paint
You may have recently completed the redecoration of a room in your home, or you may have some leftover paint lurking in your garage or shed. Whatever the situation, don’t be tempted to throw the paint away — you may feel like you have no further use for it, but once you have read through our ideas below you won’t believe you were ever going to chuck it out!
Aldi boosts its recycling rate with plastic tray switch
Budget supermarket, Aldi, has boosted its recycling rate by switching some of its black plastic fruit and vegetable packaging out for clear plastic packaging, which is much more easily recycled.
The rest of Aldi’s black packaging will be phased out as part of the company’s commitment to making sure all of its packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. This simple change from black to clear plastic will divert 265 tonnes of plastic from landfill annually.
Continue reading Aldi boosts its recycling rate with plastic tray switch