Do you recycle ???

[WSM]

A few months ago our local council started a recycling collection scheme in my area. We are given a 2 batches of plastic bags (one purple one clear) for paper & cardboard, and plastic & cans.

I have to admit to never bothering with it before, I always procrastinated and then DH would end up just putting it out for the bin men. In the end I noticed that every other person in our street was using their bags and so I was sufficiently put to shame. I now have 2 extra bins in my garage (which is where the main kitchen bin is anyway) with 'Plastic & cans', and 'Paper & Cardboard' written on the lids, as well as our normal black bin bag type bin. I've really noticed the difference in the number of black bin bags we put out every week, it has halved. Both the black bin bags and the recycling ones are collected on the same day so it causes no more hassle than putting the rubbish out normally does. My DS2 has appointed himself 'recycling monitor' and checks that we are putting the right thing in the right bags

How many other mumsnetters have this in their area ?

WE collect up all our glass jars/bottles and any newspapers and take them to the recycling bins over the road in our local supermarkets car park. There is also a recycling bin for books and video's I think and there is a clothes bank as well.

Our council doesn't run a door to door service for the street that we live in but they do run one for a housing scheme further along the road from us. And the stupid thing is that they probably pass our street on the way to those houses to pick up their recycling, So they could easily pop into our street and do ours as well but they don't. Another street near my dd's school has a wheelie bin with a blue lid for recycling. And a village 7 miles out of town where my friend lives also has this service, but I don't and I live in town.

The big main recycling area in our city I'd need a car to get to and since we don't drive we can only recycle what we can carry to the nearest recycling point which is the glass and papers, clothes.
I wish we could recycle the cardboard,plastic and aluminium as well but at the moment we can't. shame really, if they offered the facilities I would use them so that I could do my bit for the environment.

sorry about that computer froze

Council takes away glass, tins, 1 & 2 plastics. Compost kitchen waste. Use cloth nappies during the day. Use grass clippings as mulch. Take 2 plastic boxes to supermarket instead of using bags. Walk to shopping centre with pram instead of taking car if I'm window shopping - oh my, just realised I'm actually a hippy.

BTW I've been putting scraps into a quite small compost bin for 3 years now and its still not full. Where does it all go?

Discovered an excellent reclying centre next to DDs nursery (neighbouring council much better than ours) so now take all plastic, glass and aluminium there. Going there anyway so no extra hassle or petrol. Try to compost orgnaic matter and started burning my teabags! (always worry they will make the compost too acid). Also use washable nappies, wipes and hankerchiefs.

BTW there is a biodegradable nappy called Weenies but only available from \linkwww.teamlollipop.co.uk/lollipop{} - they break down in 150 days and wee ones can even go with the compost. However although originally designed by a UK mum they are now imported from Australia so need to weigh up transport impact).

The council collect bottles, jars, cans, clothes/textiles/shoes and paper (but strangely not cardboard).

We recycle all of these plus I try and take cardboard to the dump.

Suedonim I've never heard of a CD/DVD recycling unit before - but great for all those freebie ones that come through the door - we used them as coasters for a long time, until DD tried to eat one and it cracked into really sharp splinters!

CDs very good for friends with veg gardens/allotments as they scare birds away.

Katherine, I didn't know teabags were acid! Recently stopped putting orange peel in - think I got that from the Wiggly brochure. Anything else that shouldn't go in (apart from meat and other protein?)

I think the cd's/dvd's may be resold, or something, as you put them into an Oxfam collection box, along with unwanted books.

There's a jumble sale locally next week and I can't wait to get rid of some of our clutter to them! DD's school is having a Macmillan coffee morning tomorrow and I've given children's books and vids to that for the bric-a-brac stall - or, as dd says, the 'bring-it-back' stall! Noooooo, I want rid of it!!

AGGHH S, I know what you mean. DD spotted a box of her old toys/books in the shed waiting to go to the charity shop, and got so excited about being reunited with them it broke my heart to take them away... something has to go soon!

I didn't know about the teabags either... and thanks for the tip about the CD's CD - will try to palm them off of a friend tonight...

suedonim, I like the "bring-it-back" stall !

I once sent a Dick Bruna book to Oxfam and DS2 got it back as a birthday present from an elderly neighbour who helps in the shop!

Fed up with AOL CDs? Telegraph article

Similarly - see here

BTW, we recycle cans, glass, plastic, paper and textiles. I'm going to start proper composting soon, but in the meantime have a very small food waste container/composter from Lakeland. We use washable nappies too.

LOL bobsmum - think of all those CD anoraks pouring over the different colour schemes and slogans on the CD's! Just shows how many landfills the worldwide free CD collection would fill though, doesn't it.... tsk, these global multi-nationals... but thats another story!

Lol, Janh! I also laughed (sorry!) about you getting told off for not using the bags you weren't given.

That's OK, suedonim, I laughed too!

Janh,

I used to have an elderly neighbour who regularly went into town wearing one set of clothes , and came back dressed differently having bought 'new' clothes from the Oxfam shop, and leaving the ones he went out in.

One week he came back in a jacket he'd owned 2 weeks earlier. I think it must have been cheaper than him taking them to the dry-cleaners.

By the sound of it our council do pretty well on the recycling front - we have two wheelie bins - black is normal rubbish and green is compostable waste (garden waste, peelings, rabbit waste, cardboard and phone books), these bins are collected on alternate weeks. We also get plastic & cans and paper, glass & textiles collected from the door too - again on alternate weeks. This started in our area as a trial and I read recently that it is being extended to the rest of the district - apparently the waste put into landfill has been reduced by a third.
I have to admit that I never really bothered before this scheme was introduced but it is not too much hassle to separate things - I feel quite guilty now for not doing it before.

Katherine,

Wow thanks for the link on biodegradable nappies (weenies) - I never knew they existed.

Just been sent a link that might help amuse you or your kids for a few minutes, if your talking to them about recycling. Its a short game, click on 'I'm alright Jack' .

Are teabags so bad? We put everything veg or food-related on the compost heap except cooked meat, which I only leave out because I don't want rats (they haven't come for the eggshells or other bits of cooked foot... ?yet!). I split the teabags open. I know someone who composts old cotton clothes, too, but I don't since we grow veg with our compost and don't want the pesticide and cloth dye residues going into our veg.

We just had 2 weeks in Italy and I found it very stressful that we were able to recycle so little and just kept adding to the trash.

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Only as long as you put it straight onto the compost heap -- only 50% joking. It's the ideal fertiliser, you know.

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We have clear plastic bags - one for cardboard and paper and one for plastic, metal and stuff - council collects this weekly on rubbish day. Sometimes don't bother putting out the wheelie bin.

Two controversial points:
cloth nappies are not too much work for working parents - you have to have enough of them, and you need a good washing machine and tumble dryer (yes I know I use lots of power drying them but there's lots of power used in making disposables and land-fill is my particular bug-bear). Also find a nursery which will wash cloth nappies and your work is halved. We both work full-time and I don't find the washing particularly arduous at all.

You are only recycling if you also USE recycled goods. How can we tell if our glass and plastic has already been recycled? I saw a bench outside Waitrose which was made from recycled carrier bags.