Author: Lucy Ravenhall

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

What Everyone Should Know About The UK’s Litter Problem

Litter may not always be at the forefront of people’s minds in our busy modern world, however statistics – and sometimes a quick glance at the area around you – show that we really do need to take action on this growing problem in the UK. Whilst it is suggested by Keep Britain Tidy that 57% of people in our country believe that litter is a problem in their area, it is people who cause the problem in the first place. And what a big problem it has become.

Continue reading What Everyone Should Know About The UK’s Litter Problem

How Sky Lantern & Balloon Litter Can Kill

Many think of litter as unsightly and, at worst, a nuisance or perhaps a bit unhygienic. However, certain types of litter can actually be very dangerous, and can kill. Here we take a look at both sky lanterns and helium balloons and how they impact upon the environment when they fall back to Earth as litter.

Chinese/Sky Lanterns

Image credit: Pixabay
Image credit: Pixabay

Sky lanterns are still a relatively new item for celebrations in the UK, and are commonly released on New Year eve, and for weddings, birthdays, memorials and other similar occasions. Due to the novelty factor, the cheap availability, and simply the beautiful appearance of the lanterns in the night sky, these items are very popular. They can be written on with pen directly or sometimes sentimental notes are attached, depending on the occasion. Continue reading How Sky Lantern & Balloon Litter Can Kill

The Secret of Mount Everest’s Human Faeces Litter Problem

When you think about Mount Everest, I imagine the last thing that comes to mind is litter. Yet if you are wanting to climb Everest, you now have to collect 8 kilograms of litter and human waste whilst you’re up there, which can’t include your own.

Scaled for the first time ever in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, Mount Everest is still a very popular mountaineering destination; being the highest mountain on Earth at 29,035ft, it is the ultimate challenge for many climbers. Being a vast natural space, there are no bins or toilets on Everest beyond the base camp at 17,380ft, so it seems many on expeditions simply discard their rubbish and human waste on the mountain with little thought given to its impact on the local environment. Continue reading The Secret of Mount Everest’s Human Faeces Litter Problem

5 Creative Council Campaigns to Tackle Dog Mess

clean-up-after-dogs-posterIf you ever walk anywhere at all, you are probably aware that dog mess is an ongoing litter problem on our footpaths and green spaces in the UK. If you ever walk on popular hiking routes you have probably also noticed that even when dog owners are picking their dog’s mess up, there seems to be a trend of leaving the bagged mess in public rather than binning it or taking it home. Continue reading 5 Creative Council Campaigns to Tackle Dog Mess