How to report littering in Leeds & Yorkshire

It is estimated that 2 million pieces of litter are dropped daily across the UK; a shocking statistic when you consider the size of our island and the number of people who must be dropping that litter.

Litter is unsightly, but that isn’t the only issue; it is also terrible for the environment.

Being a crime, littering can be reported in the UK so, in this blog post, we will explore what litter is, what the fine is for dropping it, and how you can report incidents of littering in your local area.

Firstly, let’s begin with the basics.

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Reduce food waste in your restaurant or café in just 10 easy steps

WRAP estimated that the UK created around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in 2018, with 70 per cent of that total intended to be consumed by humans. This total doesn’t include the waste redistributed as animal feed or via charity and commercial routes.

While the 2018 figure was down from 10 million tonnes in 2015, I think we can all agree that action urgently needs to be taken to dramatically reduce the volume of food waste being created in this country.

Hospitality and food service contribute 12 per cent of the country’s total food wastage, which costs the sector approximately £682 million annually.

This blog post will explore why food waste in restaurants and cafes needs to be reduced and how that can be achieved.

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5 ways to recycle your spectacles

It’s estimated that 75 per cent of the population requires vision correction, with around 64 per cent of people choosing to wear glasses to correct their vision and 11 per cent opting for contact lenses — either solely or alongside eyeglasses.

With so many of us wearing spectacles and having annual eye tests, glasses can, unfortunately, become ineffectual for the individual they were made for within just one year.

Often made from metal or plastic, glasses can’t just be thrown in your household recycling bin, so many people are left wondering, ‘where can I recycle spectacles?’

You’d be amazed at how many pairs of old prescription glasses are lurking at the back of drawers in houses across the country.

So, in this article, we’ll take a look at where to recycle spectacles — whether it is prescription or reading glasses you need to dispose of.

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A quick guide to the litter problem in Cleethorpes

Like most beach resorts across the UK, Cleethorpes is, unfortunately, no stranger to litter — especially on hot days when people head to the beach in their thousands.

It’s no wonder people flock to Cleethorpes beach when the sun makes an appearance, though — it’s beautiful and award-winning, with The Trainline naming it the second-best beach in the UK in 2021 — ahead of Blackpool, Filey and Skegness.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the litter problem in Cleethorpes and why solving it is so vital to the area.

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8 clever ways to reuse plastic bottles

Back in 2019, we shared five reuse ideas for single-use plastic bottles on the blog, and a lot of you found it helpful.

Today, we are back with eight more clever ways to reuse your plastic bottles.

The bottles used for bottled water and other drinks are sadly intended to be single-use, so avoiding them altogether would be the best move for the environment.

However, we know that, realistically, a plastic bottle may be the only way for you to purchase your favourite drink on the go.

In which case, why not reuse the bottle when it’s empty and clean — giving it another lease of life, rather than sending it straight for recycling?

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What is domestic waste?

Domestic waste is any waste that is produced in the home environment.

Local authorities’ waste teams regularly collect the bulk of this, and additional household waste can be collected via one-off waste collections or skip hire.

Larger or extra domestic waste can also be taken to a local recycling centre for disposal.

This blog post will explore what domestic waste consists of and what happens to it after being collected from the nation’s homes.

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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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Everything you need to know about fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is more than just a nuisance. For businesses, disposing of other people’s fly-tipped waste can be costly and inconvenient.

Illegally dumped waste dodges eco-friendly waste disposal rules such as recycling as much as possible, too, which is bad news for the environment — especially when the waste includes hazardous materials like hydraulic fluids and paint.

In this article, we’ll look in detail at the origins of this unwelcome practice, the impact on victims and the environment, and some of the solutions to reduce fly-tipping in the future.

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The ultimate guide to eco-friendly gift giving

Eco-friendly gifts are not just for Christmas. We give each other presents all year round for birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and many more celebrations.

By choosing sustainable gifts and eco-friendly wrapping paper, you can make sure the presents you give your friends and family don’t have an adverse impact on the environment.

Here’s our ultimate guide to the best eco-friendly gifts for different occasions throughout the year and how you can give them in a more environmentally friendly way.

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How to be a zero waste festival goer

As the UK continues to emerge from the most severe phase of COVID-19 restrictions cautiously, it looks like festivals are back on the menu, along with other crowded events like full-capacity sporting fixtures, cinema and theatre.

But with large crowds comes lots of litter. Waste is an unfortunate inevitability of all major events.

Festival waste management is a particular challenge as there are often relatively few places to dispose of litter while the event is going on.

For a truly sustainable festival, you want to leave no waste behind.

This article will look at ways to host and attend a zero-waste festival, including how organisers can cope with waste clearance and how individuals can reduce the amount of rubbish they generate.

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