Recycling

[janh]

We went to Sweden for our holiday this year and I was so impressed by their bottle/can recycling system (apparently it works with other things like batteries too but I didn't come across that).

When you buy bottles (glass or plastic) and cans you pay a recycling tax, or deposit. (It's called PANT, which made me laugh, how childish!) The PANT on a bottle of pop was about 30p, we never went to the state alcohol shops so I don't know how much it is on wine; for cans you pay a smaller amount per can, a few pence each.

Every supermarket has a recycling machine, you save up your empties and take them when you shop; as you put your bottles and cans into the machine it adds up the PANT you paid, via barcodes, and at the end gives you a coupon to the full value which you redeem against your shopping.

Why can't we do this, or something similar? As long as you do recycle it doesn't cost you anything, except in the possible inconvenience of storing up the empties - of course it would be an extra cost for people who don't have cars, and have to get taxis home from the supermarket, if they were carrying lots of empties they would have to get a taxi there too, but once people were used to the idea they could just take a few backwards and forwards each time, and it would be much more efficient than charging people per extra bag of rubbish!

[jenny2998]

I've been meaning to start a similar thread for ages. I've always been "into" the environment, but all this funny weather recently has made me very aware of the issues again. Does anyone else feel, like me, that Mother Nature is sending out pleas for help? I feel that we all have a responsibility to the earth and should all be doing our bit. Recycling is such a simple thing to do. We recycle everything here.

I just wonder what legacy we are leaving our children. It's such a beautiful planet and I think we should make an effort ti look after it. As the saying goes - We do not inherit the planet from our ancestors, we borrow it from out children.

[robinw]

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[janh]

Yes, but home delivery costs £5, Robin, and I bet most of the people using taxis only pay a couple of quid - also, that's a good point, if you used home delivery would they take your empties away and give you the credit?

When I were a lass we used to go round the neighbours collecting empties and take them down to the offie to buy choc with - it was either 3d or 6d a bottle - those were glass bottles, of course.

Here (E Lancs) we have a fortnightly kerbside collection of paper - white/junk mail/catalogues - they won't take brown paper or cardboard. I save all that too and DH takes it to the tip now and again. The supermarkets have clear/brown/green glass bins and old clothes, books etc go to Oxfam. I am doing my best here but it feels like I'm on my own!

There is no plastics recycling facility anywhere around here. I have bought, from Lakeland, 2 of their big square sturdy shopping bags but keep forgetting to put them back in the car and my carrier bag holder is overflowing. We have a compost bin but it stinks - I would prefer to donate my kitchen waste to the council to make compost which I could buy back, frankly!

I'm sure a lot of people would like to recycle more but there need to be more incentives - and deposits on drinks containers would be a major one, IMHO. At least, that way, even if people couldn't be bothered to recycle, they would be paying for their landfill use, or maybe for somebody else to filter their rubbish and recycle it for them.

[Enid]

We recycle kitchen waste in the compost heap, glass, plastic (milk cartons and fabric softner bottles), tins and paper go to the recyling centre and old clothes go to Oxfam.

It does make me depressed though when I think of how little it actually gets used.

I really should use washable nappies too but can't quite do it yet...

[XAusted]

There was somebody on the Jimmy Young (except that it's not Jimmy Young at the moment but you know what I mean) programme the other day talking about the scheme in Ireland where they're charging people for carrier bags. What a good idea. Most of us need to be made to consider the amount of stuff we waste. I think supermarkets should charge for carriers. Our Tesco store does have a recycling bin for carrier bags so that's better than nothing. Only one problem, I have my shopping delivered by Tesco.com (well worth the delivery charge in saved petrol, time, stress) and it always comes in about 20 bags. Perhaps the delivery vans could collect empty bags for re-use??

Our council gives us two wheelie bins, one for compostable waste and also collects newspapers, etc. Even though we live in a smallish village we have facilities for glass and cans to be disposed of. Plastics and cardboard have to be taken a little further afield.

But I think re-use should come before recycling. Definitely bring back deposits on glass bottles and jars. Do the Body Shop still refill bottles? Surely more shops could do that?

Hopefully we can bring our children up to be aware of waste.

OK, I'll stop, enough waffle.

[jenny2998]

I believe the Body shop do still recycle bottles. But yes, I agree with paying deposits on bottles and the like. But didn't they stop doing that because it cost too much to administer? No excuse really.

And again with charging for carrier bags. It always amazes me - if you are helped with your packing at the checkout they put about 3 things in each bag. It really irritates me.

[robinw]

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[janh]

My DH sometimes makes special trips, in the car, to the tip about 2 miles away! It makes me seethe but he says until I can quote specific statistics about how much pollution he is causing he won't stop.

He doesn't believe in only boiling as much water as you need either.

I have to do as much recycling as I can to counter his pollution!

Our Tescos, which admittedly has a v small car park, recently got rid of all its recycling bins to free up a couple of spaces. How stupid.

jenny, they did stop recycling glass bottles because of the cost, when plastic bottles became available, but at that time they were only thinking of the financial cost, not the environment. I'm sure it would still be an expensive process but so worthwhile.