The Waste Management & Recycling Blog – Page 27 – – Doing our bit for the environment

The Forge Guide to Composting at Home

As more and more of us become increasingly environmentally aware, many of us are taking an interest in our food waste, and what we can do with it. Some councils collect it from residents’ houses, but for those that don’t, composting may be the solution you are looking for.

It is also worth checking what your council does with their food waste if they do collect it; if it is sent to landfill, why not deal with it yourself at home instead? Read about the benefits, below.

Benefits of composting

Less waste to landfill

Waste that goes to landfill is bad for the environment – it creates greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn contributes to global warming.

Composting at home for one year saves gases equivalent to those your kettle produces annually, or the gases your washing machine produces in just 3 months!

Creation of nutrient-rich compost for your garden

The compost you produce from composting your food waste at home will be a great fertiliser for your garden. It will be full of all the nutrients your plants need, such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. This means it will also keep your soil pH balanced, and its condition improved. Why buy compost when you can create such a good, natural one yourself?

How to compost

Choosing and placing a compost bin:
Place your bin somewhere sunny, and on soil. If not on soil, ensure there’s a layer of cardboard or old compost on the base, as liquid will escape through the base.
There are a variety of compost bins available to buy, or even better – make your own, using wooden pallets or other wood you have lying around. Whichever you choose, ensure you have a plan for how to remove your ready compost from the bottom of the pile.

What you can compost

It is suggested that you create a 50 / 50 mix in your compost pile of ‘green’ items and ‘brown’ items. Green items rot quickly and contribute nitrogen and moisture, and brown items decompose slowly and bring carbon and fibre to the mix. If you layer them, it will create the perfect environment for compost creation.

Green items include:

Fruit and veg peel and scraps
Teabags and coffee grounds
Weeds and plants
Manure
Grass cuttings
Hedge clippings
Hay
Cut flowers
Fresh leaves

Brown items include:

Egg shell and egg boxes
Cardboard
Paper bags
Straw
Autumn leaves
Wool
Tomato plants
Nuts
Cork
Cotton towels
Kitchen roll
Sawdust
Feathers
Vacuum bag contents

If you’re not sure if you can compost a certain item, always check! Never add dog mess, cat litter, or any cooked food to your compost pile.

When will my compost be ready?

It generally takes 9-12 months for compost to break down and be ready for use. As you wait, continue to add a mix of green and brown items to your pile. If it gets dry and doesn’t seem to be rotting, add more greens. If it is too moist or smells, add some browns.

You will know your compost is ready to use when the pile has shrunk in size significantly and the items you put in it are no longer recognisable, except perhaps some eggshell and the odd twig here and there. Just fish those out of the mix, and add them back on the top of your compost pile.

Do you have any tips for composting? Add them in the comments below, and help others.

Resources

RecycleNow.com

GetComposting.com

Featured image credit: Pixabay

Bradford Council’s Fight Against Litter

Litter is a worldwide problem, but what about closer to home; specifically, what about Bradford? What actions are the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council taking to tackle litter? Bradford’s street cleaning teams remove over 10,000 tonnes of litter annually from its public areas, including over 200 bags from the city centre alone daily, and so this year the Council have decided to crackdown on this. Here’s how:

Garden litter

In March this year, the Council decided they would start fining residents who have dirty, litter-strewn front or back gardens / areas outside of their property. This was decided in the hope that people dumping rubbish in their own gardens would stop it, and people having to pick up other peoples’ rubbish from their gardens would be more likely to report the offenders if they are forced to clear it themselves. The fine for a filthy garden full of litter is up to £2,500, however you are given a written warning before it goes before a court.

Whilst I understand the theory behind this new fine, I have concerns it will lead to fly tipping; something which is already a large problem in the Bradford area. In fact, fly tipping already costs the District Council around £228,500 a year to clear.

Street litter

Residents who litter in the street are fined £75 on the spot, if they are caught. This includes dropping chewing gum, cigarette butts, fast food containers, and anything out of a car window. Food containers are a growing litter issue, with a quarter of Britain’s streets littered with them.

This street litter fine has been in place for years, however, members of the public are now being urged to report anyone they see dropping litter. You can do so directly on Bradford Council’s website.

Litter awareness courses are offered to young people who are unable to pay the fine, but considering the majority of people being caught dropping litter are teenagers, this is leading to few actual fines being handed out. Is an educational course going to put people off littering? I guess time will tell.

Cigarette butt litter

Earlier this month, the local Council started a crackdown on people who drop their cigarettes in the street; this is the UK’s largest litter problem, with 78% of all litter being cigarette butts.

The overall problem with cigarette butts is that those who are dropping them don’t tend to view them as litter. Educational lamp post signs and targeted posters are being put up around Bradford city centre, and business owners are being asked to display posters and inform colleagues and customers about the importance of the ‘Bin Your Butts’ campaign. Until people see butts as litter, they’ll continue to drop them – putting drains and local wildlife at risk, as well as costing the Council a fortune, and making the streets look ugly.

Resources

Bradford.gov.uk

TheTelegraphAndArgus.co.uk

Featured image credit: Wikipedia

The Food Waste Problem in the UK

“A whopping 24 million slices of bread get thrown in home bins every day in the UK.”

I imagine that quote from Slow Food caught your attention! Sadly it is a fact. A fact that desperately needs to change, and soon. In the UK, 38.7% of all lettuce ends up in the bin, along with 25.5% of every melon, and the average UK family bins a whopping 12 weeks’ worth of groceries every year; that’s almost £60 worth of food per month.

We are going to take a look at the history of food waste, the problems it causes, how it occurs, and what we are all doing to tackle the issue.

A brief history of food waste

The Women’s Institute was set up in 1915 and food waste was one of their key initial (and current) campaigns. This idea was, at this time, new to the general public. During the First World War, rationing came into effect, but it was far more extreme and strict during the Second World War; people would grow their own in order to bulk out the meagre rations they were allocated. By the summer of 1940, a law had been passed which meant people were to be imprisoned if they wasted food.

Sadly, as time went on after the war, the importance of not wasting food was forgotten by the masses; in its place nowadays we have supermarkets offering a plethora of BOGOF (buy one get one free) deals, all-you-can-eat restaurants, and a culture of burger ‘challenges’ which we seem to have adopted from the States!

Why food waste is an issue

Most wasted food in the UK ends up in landfill, which in turn adds to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and, therefore, climate change.

There is also the huge issue of global hunger; around 1 billion people worldwide are going hungry, yet 1.5 billion people worldwide are overweight, and 400 million are classed as obese.

Big changes need to be made to address these issues – we need to feed the world, by dealing with the excess, and keep food out of landfill. Within the UK alone, there are people going hungry whilst others are throwing masses of food away each week.

How food waste occurs

At home

Some UK dwellers are lucky enough to have council-supplied food waste bins at home, and others have compost bins in their garden, but the vast majority don’t, meaning rotten fruit and veg, and food scraps all go straight to landfill.

Supermarkets/grocery stores

Supermarkets are famous for their high levels of food waste. Before produce even hits the shelves, supermarkets are highly selective with the fruit and veg they want to sell; ‘ugly’ fruit and veg gets rejected, if it’s too small, large, or misshapen.

Food products and produce which has reached his ‘use by’ date is deemed not safe to sell, and thrown out. In the past all of this ended up in bins, which then went to landfill. Thankfully, supermarkets are starting to listen to advice regarding their waste. For example, this month Morrisons began a partnership with charity, FoodCycle, which means they will be donating rather than sending to landfill.

Restaurants/pubs/public food outlets

Restaurants and other public food outlets produce a large amount of food waste; out of date food, fruit and veg peel, and leftovers. What happens to this waste depends on each outlet, but in the past this will have all gone to landfill, no questions asked.

Tackling UK food waste

The Real Junk Food Project has taken off really well; set up by chef, Adam Smith, it began life in Armley in Leeds, but has since spurred the opening of over 50 other pay-as-you-feel cafes across the country (and beyond). It is an initiative run by volunteers who create and serve up meals cooked using waste food from supermarkets, greengrocers and foodbanks, which has been diverted from its original landfill destiny.

Locally, in Bradford, a new food waste hub is being set up to help feed those in need in the community – The Storehouse. It will collect food from local markets and supermarkets, and redistribute it to people in the Bradford area who need it. They have acquired a bus for food package drop-offs, and are expected to open a pay-as-you-feel cafe on site too.

What You Can Do

At home, people need to plan meals and not buy too much food, so less waste is created. Also, buy the ‘ugly’ veg that nobody else will buy; it’ll taste just as nice! Businesses need to ensure they are using an environmentally-friendly waste management company, who don’t send food to landfill.

Forge Waste & Recycling create energy from all of the food waste we collect from our customers.

Global issue

Of course, the food waste problem is global. Whilst countries like ours waste food in the above ways, developing countries unintentionally waste food through poor infrastructure and equipment, etc. A shocking 30% of the world’s agricultural land produces food that will be wasted.

Do you know of any local or UK-wide schemes for tackling food waste? Let us know in the comments – let’s share our knowledge.

Resources:

Independent.co.uk

SlowFood.com

TheGuardian.com

TheTelegraphandArgus.co.uk

TheTelegraphAndArgus.co.uk

Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Are You Ready for National Zero Waste Week 2015?

What is National Zero Waste Week 2015?

Zero Waste Week is a week in September which focuses on protecting the environment through sending no waste to landfill. The 2015 theme is ‘reuse’, which is great as it will help people realise that by reusing items, we are benefiting the environment and our purse/wallet.

This video explains National Zero Waste Week really well:

Ideas for your Zero Waste Week pledge

What will you pledge to do for NZWW 2015 – at home, or at work with your colleagues?

If you’re an individual, you could try:

Preparing all your lunches at home for the week (not buying packaged lunches)
Commiting to using only reusable carrier bags – no plastic bags
Repurposing all glass items you use in that week
Repurposing all tin cans you use in that week
Using a refillable cup for coffee shop drinks
Using a washable alternative to facial wipes or cotton wool for make-up removal, such as a flannel or reusable eco cotton pads
Using reusable and washable cloths for cleaning rather than paper towels or other ‘disposables’

Image of a disposable coffee cup and macaroon box — Image credit: Pixabay

At work, you could try:

Preparing your lunches at home
Using a refillable cup each for coffee shop drinks
Reusing any paper that is printed out: utilise both sides instead of just one
After shredding confidential documents, reuse the shredded paper – it can be used for packing items up, or as cat litter or animal bedding
Reuse all jiffy bags and boxes you receive deliveries in
Setting up a compost bin for fruit peel, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc., which staff members can then take home for their garden
Switching to a fabric hand towel instead of paper towels

Image of shredded paper — Image credit: Pixabay

What do Forge Waste & Recycling already do to reduce waste to landfill?

We are committed to helping the environment, and as a company who collect around 200 tonnes of waste per week, we don’t send any to landfill. Anything that can be recycled, is, and any leftover waste is turned into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which is then used to create electricity.

Even our plastic waste collection bins are recycled; when they are no longer fit for use, we remove the wheels and the plastic is shredded and granulated to produce other high quality items.

Of course, in an ideal world there would be nothing to recycle, but in 2015 there is still a lot of work to be done on this issue. This dedicated week is a great help though, so why not get involved?

What will Forge Waste & Recycling be pledging for Zero Waste Week 2015?

When we gave this some thought, we realised everyone in our office has been drinking bottled water to keep hydrated in the hot weather. Whilst we, of course, recycle these bottles, we know we need to eliminate them completely. So we pledge to reuse all of the plastic bottles we currently have for as long as possible, and not buy any more – ever!

plastic-water-bottles — Image credit: Pixabay

Where can I find out more?

If you’d like to know more about Zero Waste Week, the official website is here. The couple who run it have their own brilliant website too, which can be found here – take a look for year-round hints and tips on living waste free. Small changes can make a big difference if we all work together. Let’s be Zero heroes! What will you pledge this September?

Featured image credit: Pixabay

10 Recycled Gift Wrap Ideas

Not only is gift wrapping expensive, but it is prone to being a wasteful activity; brand new wrapping paper which is wrapped around a present, only to be ripped off and either binned or sent back to be recycled. Some local authorities don’t even accept wrapping paper or greetings cards in their recycling bins any more due to several reasons: attached glitter, sticky tape, ribbons, and tags, or the wrapping paper being coated in foil or plastic.

So, here are 10 suggestions for wrapping gifts which are not only good for the environment, but are also really unique, personalised and show the recipient you put in lots of thought and effort.

Paper Replacements:

1. Newspaper or magazines

Any newspaper or magazine would work, but if you can find a page which has the recipient’s date of birth on it or pictures of their favourite film star, for example, you’re really on to a winner. Have a good root around in your recycling bin and see what you can find.

2. Calendar page

Try wrapping your gift in a large calendar sheet, with the recipient’s special day circled. You are guaranteed to raise a big grin, and it will certainly be the best wrapping paper they receive this year!

3. Fabric

This could be any fabric, but why not recycle an old scarf, handkerchief, pillowcase or tea towel you no longer use. Alternatively, you might have some scraps of fabric lying around if you’re a crafter, or some old clothes you don’t want which can be cut up into squares for fun wrapping material.

4. Map

Do you have some old maps lying around? Why not wrap a gift with them! The result looks really lovely. If you can locate a map that is specific to that person, even better. Examples could be their place of birth, where they got married, or where they went on their honeymoon.

5. Shopping bags

A shop-bought or handmade reusable ‘bag for life’ could be great for housing a gift. It is essentially an extra gift – a useful one at that – and can help a friend or family member with their own recycling efforts. There are many pretty bags available, or a handmade one could be personalised for your lucky recipient.

6. Children’s drawings

All those pictures your child creates at school and home are wonderful, but there are sadly only so many you can display at once. What could be more wonderful than a Grandmother receiving a present wrapped in her Grandchild’s art work? I guarantee, they will LOVE IT!

Child's art as upcycled gift wrap — Image credit: Pixabay

Embellishments and extras:

7. Toilet roll tubes

Simple, but fun. Use a toilet roll tube to wrap a small gift, and present it like a cracker, using one of the above suggestions to cover it and create the cracker shape.

8. Leaves

For most of the year, leaves are widely available beneath trees and bushes. The good news is, they can look great on a wrapped present instead of a shop-bought bow. You could even decorate them with pens, paint, or glitter.

9. Handmade bows or flowers

Bows can be made from any scraps of paper you have: magazines, leaflets, newspaper. You can make several different types – from really simple to rather complicated. You’ll find tutorials on how to make them online.

10. Pom poms

If you have a length of wool, you could make a little pom pom to decorate a gift. All you need is the wool or twine, a fork and a pair of scissors. The below tutorial will show you how it’s done.

Featured image credit: Pixabay

10 Ways You Can Recycle AND Save Money

Some people don’t realise this, but recycling and money-saving often go hand-in-hand. With this is mind, we put this list together to show you 10 great ways you can save yourself some money whilst also benefiting the environment. They are so easy, you can get started today!

Drink tap water rather than bottled water

If you’re at home, use a glass which you can wash up. If you’re out and about, just reuse an old bottle which you can refill with tap water as you go about your daily tasks. More and more public places are happy to supply tap water, or have installed drinking water taps.

Sell unwanted clothes

Instead of just binning unwanted clothes, you could make money from them. Sell them in bags to a ‘cash for clothes’ shop, sell them on eBay, or sell them at a car boot sale. There are plenty more ideas here for what to do with old, unwanted clothes.

Reuse old fabrics

Old clothes, curtains, tea towels or bed linen can all be turned into something new and wonderful. Don’t throw them out – instead, try your hand at creating new clothes, cushion covers, bags, phone cases, etc. You could make something beautiful and unique. Even tweaking or updating unwanted clothes could make them wearable again.

Buy second hand clothes

When it comes to adding to your wardrobe, why not buy second hand instead of brand new? You’ll save yourself a lot of money, and it is amazing what some people donate to charity shops. It’s great if you enjoy a rummage. If you prefer to play it safe, or don’t have the free time to browse in charity shops, you can pick up some bargains on eBay – some charities sell on there too.

Reuse containers

Whether it’s a plastic water bottle, a takeaway container or a jam jar – it can be reused. A jam jar could be really useful and save you having to buy a new container if you, for example, make your own jam or chutney, or need somewhere to keep receipts, tickets, or buttons. Next time you have one ready to recycle, think about how you could give it a new purpose instead.

Reuse grocery bags

Keep all of your plastic grocery and shopping bags, and reuse them. If you use them in your indoor litter bins you won’t have to buy bags specifically for the job. They’re also handy for using as laundry bags when travelling, for scooping in the cat’s litter tray, for collecting the litter at picnics, in the car for sickness, or for protecting your shoes in muddy areas. There are literally hundreds of possible uses!

Compost food waste

We all produce food waste in our kitchens. Some of us just sling it in the bin for landfill, however if you do that you are missing a trick; food scraps are fantastic for creating nutrient-rich compost for your garden, which will save you money on other products. We have written a guide to composting, which you can find here.

Plan your meals

If you plan your meals in advance, you should be able to cut down on food waste from that food that you don’t get around to eating each week. Planning ahead will save you from buying food you aren’t going to eat. Also, by planning your trips to the supermarket or local market you can use less petrol. Bonus!

Get clever with giftwrap

Gift bags are easy to reuse, as you just remove your present and the tag, and refill when needed. If you like gift wrapping, why not try newspaper or magazines instead of splashing out on brand new wrapping paper? You could even use pretty scraps of unwanted fabric or an old headscarf.

Recycle old electronics

There are many companies out there who buy old mobile phones, meaning you can get some cash from an item you just had gathering dust in your home, not being used. If it is a newer model of phone, eBay could be a better option, and places such as CeX buy many electronic devices, as well as items like video games and CDs.

Do you do any of these money-saving recycling ideas already? Do you have any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured image credit: Pixabay

How Green Are Our Summer Music Festivals?

Summer is here in the UK, and for some of us this means only one thing: festival season is upon us. Music festivals (and others) grow in popularity year on year, and new additions to the circuit get added frequently. We can’t seem to get enough of live music in fields!

Glastonbury Festival started out in 1970 as a festival created under the ethos of hippie counterculture – peace, love and green living. However, is Glastonbury environmentally friendly now? Are any mainstream festivals actually ‘green’? Also, how are festivals going about tackling their litter and environmental problems?

Environmental Problems

overflowing-bins-glasto — Overflowing Glastonbury Festival bins. Image credit: Paul Holloway on Wikimedia Commons

The main challenges festivals face when it comes to keeping it green are:

Litter (including abandoned tents)
Transport
Water
Toilets
Energy
Wildlife

Essentially, festival-goers are living in a temporary town/city for a weekend, and so with that comes all the environmental problems a real town would face when overcrowded; lots of litter, danger to wildlife, and high carbon emissions. Plus others, including people toileting where they shouldn’t. Glastonbury in the 1990s became a hazard to fish in the nearby river due to urine-induced high ammonia levels (due to people peeing on the ground). The organisers have, of course, since added many, many more toilets, including lots of compost loos.

The Glastonbury 2015 Clean-Up

Glastonbury 2015 involved a clean-up operation requiring 800 voluntary litter-pickers to collect and sort 1650 tonnes of waste. The entire clean-up cost around £780,000. This waste included 5000 abandoned tents, 9 tonnes of glass, 54 tonnes of plastic bottles & cans, and 41 tonnes of cardboard.

135,000 people on one farm results in quite a lot of waste, and way too much litter! Glastonbury does, however, skip a year every 5 years, to give the natural environment time to recover and replenish from the crowds and their effects.

Dealing With The Problem

Each large festival seems to have their own approach to dealing with green issues, and all appear to be trying – albeit, some a lot more than others.

Energy Supplies

Most festivals now seem to be aware of their overall carbon footprint and how that is impacted upon by the thousands of people travelling to and from their site. In fact, 68% of the total emissions caused by the average festival come from this travel. To combat this, festivals now promote car-sharing schemes, and the use of public transport. Also, bicycles are suggested, although I imagine that’s not as handy for carrying your tent etc.!

Glastonbury, for one, rewards those revellers who use public transport.

Litter and Water

Leeds and Reading Festival run schemes which encourage people to collect litter or at least bin their own; there’s a 10p cup and water bottle deposit, and collecting a bag full of cans equals 1 free beer at the recycling exchange.

Festivals such as Beat-Herder and Blissfields take a £5 refundable litter bond from attendees, who are expected to collect 1 full bag of rubbish during their stay.

Many festivals have cut down on the use of plastics and some, such as Shambala, have done away with plastic bottles completely – encouraging people to re-use one they bring with them instead.

T In The Park organisers – frustrated at the litter problem, and in particular the abandoned tent issue – launched a huge campaign and asked fashion designer, Iona Crawford, to make a dress from discarded festival tents. This highlighted the problem of discarded tents, and promoted alternative uses for damaged tents if people took them home.

Inherently Green Festivals

Of course, Green Gathering is, as the name suggests, a sustainable festival which is powered entirely by renewable energy; the stages are solar, and wind power is also used. They even run workshops on how to create renewable energy at home, and have speakers from the environmental movement too.

If Green Gathering can manage it, surely the others can follow suit in time? If some go back to their roots, they may rediscover their environmentally friendly ethos and potential solutions.

Resources:

Featured image credit: Pixabay

7 Ways to Recycle Your Unwanted Clothes

Everyone has some clothes in their wardrobe that they no longer wear – maybe they no longer fit, have lost their shape, are stained or are just out of fashion. Whatever the reason, the chances are you have some clothes, curtains and/or bedding that you need to get rid of.

What should you do with these textiles that you no longer want or need? Please don’t throw them in your normal rubbish bin, as they will just go to landfill. Below we look at your options: Continue reading 7 Ways to Recycle Your Unwanted Clothes

Cigarette Butts: The ‘Invisible’ Yet Toxic Litter Problem

Are Cigarette Butts Invisible?

Yes and no. The problem is that many people still do not think of dropping their cigarette on the floor as dropping litter. In that sense they are invisible.

Sadly, they are very much a real and visible environmental problem for the planet as a whole, our animals and our waterways. They may be small, and therefore seem insignificant, but in bulk they are a big hazard and are wreaking havoc.

Continue reading Cigarette Butts: The ‘Invisible’ Yet Toxic Litter Problem

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