Author: Lucy Ravenhall

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

Five ridiculously easy ways to recycle your mobile phone

Whether you have a contract where the cost of your phone is included, or you buy a new phone when you need one, most of us end up in possession of mobile phones we don’t need anymore somewhere along the line.

Many handsets end up lurking in the back of kitchen drawers, where they get forgotten about until they are eventually chucked in the bin.

No mobile phone needs to end up in the bin though — most are 80 per cent recyclable.

In this article, we’ll outline all of the options available for mobile phone recycling.

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4 things you need to know about upcycling furniture

If you’ve recently been considering upcycling a piece of furniture, then this blog post will outline the reasons why you might want to, alongside four things you need to know before you get started.

Popular furniture pieces to upcycle are dining tables, chairs, cabinets, dressing tables, and footstools.

Upcycling furniture projects are a great idea for many reasons:

  • They’re beneficial for the environment because your upcycled piece of furniture replaces the need for a new piece to be manufactured.
  • They result in a bespoke, one-of-a-kind piece of furniture that nobody else owns.
  • They save you money.
  • You learn new skills in the process.
  • They’re easier than you might expect.
  • They’re fun!

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Everything you need to know about the Great British Spring Clean

Over the past year, many people have connected with the great outdoors in a way they never have before; while living through national and local lockdowns, our outdoor spaces have been more important than ever to all of us.

Coming soon is the opportunity to give back to the environment that supported us all through the low times of the pandemic, while also benefiting your physical and mental health.

Introducing the Great British Spring Clean.

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Hessle woman fined when someone fly-tipped her waste

Late last year, a woman who lives in Hessle received a fine of £200 from East Riding Council for fly-tipping; however, she didn’t fly-tip the waste herself.

In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at what happened, why the woman received a fine for the incident, and how you can avoid the same thing from happening to you if you need to dispose of waste and live in Hessle, Hull, or anywhere in the UK.

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Why recycling is important

We talk a lot about waste and recycling on our blog, and we wanted to go back to basics this month and talk about why recycling is important.

With recycling being such a common occurrence nowadays, it sometimes feels like the reason behind it has been lost over time.

So, in this blog post, we’ll take a look at the reasons behind us all separating our recyclables from our general waste.

If you don’t currently recycle and want to know why you should, this is certainly the perfect read for you too!

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Where to source a free community litter pick kit in Yorkshire

Street cleansing costs UK taxpayers almost £1 billion per year in England alone, and that is just the monetary cost of litter; it also impacts upon community wellbeing and mental health, wildlife, local business, tourism, and the environment.

Furthermore, it encourages other anti-social behaviours.

Despite the best efforts of local councils, there are still many spots around Yorkshire (and further afield) where litter builds up – after all, 62% of people in England drop litter, although only 28% admit to it, and councils have a budget to work within.

However, it’s been found that 57% of people in England feel that litter is a problem in their area.

Is it an issue in your area?

If so and you’d like to take action as an individual, a community group or a business, we’ll outline how litter impacts local businesses, how to organise a litter pick, and how to source litter picking equipment in this blog post.

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Forge Recycling aims to raise £5k for local children’s charity

You may remember that, back in March, we planned to raise £5k for local charity, Leeds Children’s Charity, by organising the Forge Spring Clean Beard Shave.

The shave was due to take place in May following two months of hair growth; however, the world had other plans, the nation’s barbershops were closed, and… well, you know the rest.

So now, seven months later, we have five extremely hairy guys here at Forge Recycling in urgent need of a shave!

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Why food waste should be prevented

Food waste is a huge ongoing global problem that is not discussed often enough in the media. Not only can food waste end up costing you more money, but it can also negatively impact the environment in several ways.

Whether you’ve bought too much from the supermarket, have eyes bigger than your belly when you cook, or have products in your fridge and cupboards that have gone out of date — all that food ends up being wasted.

Likewise, if you run a kitchen in a café or restaurant.

Keep reading for more information on why food waste should be prevented and the ways you can battle the waste.

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Everything you need to know about electronic waste recycling

When you need to dispose of your broken or unwanted electronic items, it can often be unclear what options you have.

Due to the harmful chemicals present in electronic waste, it is crucial that it is disposed of and recycled correctly and safely.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about electronic waste recycling and how to dispose of your electronic waste — whether it’s domestic or commercial.

Continue reading Everything you need to know about electronic waste recycling