Recycling bins at train stations? April 16, 2008

A campaign by the local green party in the area of St Albans have been successful in winning recycling bins at their train station.

 

Spokesmen Simon Grover has said: “It’s an opportunity to recycle a huge amount everyday”.

 

However, I find this new system somewhat strange. Placing recycling bins in train stations may reduce the amount of newspapers being littered, mainly the free London papers, but I don’t think it will reduce the amount of paper being used in total, if anything it will increase it.

I’ve always liked the idea of reusing anything that can be reused, and a newspaper is one of those products that can be reused numerous amount of times. So why place a bin which is going to encourage commuters to dispose their paper rather then leaving it on the seat for someone else to read. Seeing as we all do pick up newspapers on tubes, trains, trams and busses I think it’s an unintelligent step to take.

 

That is my opinion and I would be very interested in hearing some of yours, some comment away and let me know of your thoughts.

 

=)

Ditch Plastic Bags… April 13, 2008

At the check out point in the supermarket today, I noticed plastic boxes used instead of plastic bags to carry the shopping in. At £1 a box, it’s a very good investment as they can be reused many times, and will most defiantly be a step forward in reducing the waste in landfills, many of which are plastic bags.

 

I personally have made a start and purchased two boxes, and I found to be much easier to carry then carrier bags.

It would be great if one by one we could change our old habits and notice the problems we are causing subconsciously.

 

=)

Recycle Food Waste April 12, 2008

I’ve read an interesting article on the BBC news website about a new 12-month collection trial which involves thousands of householders in East Renfrewshire recycling their food waste.

This is really good news, as £800 million worth of food is thrown away each year just in the Scottish area, which according to the Scottish Environmental protection agency works out as almost £370 per home.

 

All the talk about authorities not doing enough has proved us wrong because they are finally doing something which actually seems to look like a good plan. There is nothing the householders will not be provided with as each house receives a seven-litre kitchen caddy and bags to go inside them. They even thought about vermin and foxes and a large seal-able container would also be provided to keep them out.

 

So really, there is no reason why these households who have been invited to take part shouldn’t recycle! It will make them realise how much extra food they buy which ends up in their bins and will also help the environment as they can reduce the amount of waste they send to the landfills from the current 65% to the expected level of 35% by 2020. That is a huge task that will only be achieved with the help of householders.

 

The authorities are hoping to spread this trial to the whole country, meanwhile we should start to do out bit by reducing the amount of unnecessary food we all purchase so we can reduce such big amounts of waste being taken to landfill sites…after all, there only so much space for rubbish.

 

Importance of recycling March 19, 2008

In today’s world the importance of recycling is becoming greater of a concern both for the general public and also to the economy. Recycling has become a major issue as scientific research has been suggesting for years that the earth is being depleted too fast to sustain a healthy balance. The earth’s natural resources are being consumed at a rate that reinforces the idea that we are living for today and the future generations will be paying for the consequences.

However many people and just as importantly businesses are realizing the problem at hand and the importance of recycling. Recycling along with reducing consumption is our best means to counter the damage we have been doing to the earth for centuries. The importance of recycling is now held in such a high regard even famous people are taking up the plight. Al Gore is now on a mission to educate the world on the effects of global warming. He is also concerned about how we can reduce the causes of global warming. A major part reducing the warmingis how we can recycle much of what we use instead of turning it into unusable waste. Recycling is incredibly important as a means to reduce poisonous emissions into the atmosphere and also to spare our natural resources.

Today many companies and individuals are improving their recycling habits by coming up with ways to reduce what they use. They are also reusing much of the original materials sent out for consumer use.  The importance of recycling is not only beneficial for the earth but also for businesses as they secure better relations with the consumers over the matter of saving the environment. They will also spend less on production costs and the consumers will pay less for the goods which will encourage more purchasing as their dollar will have more value on recycled products. People want to support companies that have a positive influence in society and that can be respected for reasons of morality. When companies and the consumers can work together they can combine the importance of recycling and truly make a difference to the Earth’s health.