UKC

Just wondered how much effort you folk make to 'save our planet'.

In reply to Blizzard: We do, but to really save the planet we realised its best to cut down on how much you buy in the first place.

In reply to Blizzard: Our recycling gets reclaimed from our general waste as apparently it's cheaper to operate in a rural area. People still go to the bottle bank though, which is amusing. They must care enough what people think of them but not care enough to be aware of a scheme that's been implemented here for almost half a decade.

In reply to Blizzard:

Did you know the first UK bottle bank was in Barnsley, it's grim up north eh!

In reply to johnj:

Didnt know that. I just wonder as a person who recycles everything, and has cut down on consuming, is it a worthhile cause? Especially when I know neighbours who simply dont bother. Recycling for me is ingrained. Wonder how many UKCers recycle packaging, etc

In reply to Blizzard: I'm with you Blizzard. We recycle everything, and tend not to buy things wrapped in plastic - since when do bananas need to be wrapped in plastic at the supermarket?! We don't use plastic bags - always have some of our own instead. Tetrapacks are the only PITA as there aren't many ways of avoiding them completely and there are few places that recycle them...

I am of the feeling that - I hate waste! In whatever form, it really annoys me. I am always amazed that in the UK we throw away 1/3 of the food we buy - not in my house we don't!

In reply to Blizzard:

Recycle most stuff. To the extent of cutting the windows out of envelopes since they won't recycle them as paper otherwise. Sometimes we get lazy if there's a large volume of stuff to sort, but we do pretty well, I think.

Yes. We have one bin that almost everything can go in. Then another for garden waste but we compost most of ours. Newspaper is separate. We have one small bin bag per week of waste, probably 15 L.

Stopping buying meat from supermarkets in those stupid trays really helps reduce waste.

In reply to Blizzard:
Num Num has had a think about this and has decided that he makes no effort whatsoever to save the planet. Num Num is a pure consumer.

In reply to Blizzard:

I recycle what I can. Paper, tins and plastic go in the green wheelie bin, glass and tetrapaks go in the recycling bins at my local asda. I try to keep waste to a minimum by avoiding heavily packaged stuff if possible and I reuse lots of bits and pieces (lots of our newspaper and boxes end up as toys/bedding for my pet rats). Also try to always use reuseable bags instead of carriers.

However i'm well aware that this is something of a greenwash given I fly at least once a year and drive about 15k miles (albeit in my small efficient diesel pug) for work and pleasure.

In reply to Blizzard:

I recycle packaging, cans, plastics and paper.

Though I feel that those who buy only products in reduced packaging are fighting a loosing battle, so what if you don't buy it? It'll end up in the bin (either someone else will buy it or the store will ditch it) and they may/may not recycle.

At least if you buy it you know for sure that it's going to be handled right?

Although we get a bi-weekly recycling collection (alternates between general waste and recycables) we don't put it out for two reasons.

a) we've had it blow away far too many times around the street, once we even had our neighbour phone my mum at work to tell her that it's all over the street, not that my mum could do anything about it at the time!

b) too conscious of what others think of our consumables. We have a lot of alcohol bottles/cans compared to everyone else in the street and well noone likes the neighbours talking about them.

In reply to Blizzard:
Recycling is made quite easy by our council so glass, plastics, cardboard and paper go in the recycling, food waste (of which there isn't much) goes in a separate food waste bin. We still have a bit of general rubbish but normally less than half a sack a week for a family of 4.

In reply to Blizzard:

North Somerset collect recycling and food waste every week and general refuse and garden waste once a fortnight so we recycle as much as we can. We keep a small food waste bin by the sink and 2 plastic ikea starage boxes in the corner of the kitchen, one for glass and paper the other for tins, cardboard and plastics. The wife also takes clothes and things to the charity shop, she's much better at that than me, probably because I wear things or use things till they break and nobody would want them then anyway!

Whoever it was that mentioned bananas wrapped in plastic - the one that gets me is the individually wrapped peppers that morrisons used to (still do?) sell, completely unnecessary.

In reply to wibb20:

I agreed with you until I heard a discussion about it on the radio. Shrink wrapped food and food wrapped in plastic lasts longer and as a result has a longer shelf life. This means that the waste generated by the supermarket is less and also means that the supermarket doesn't need to transport as much stock from the warehouse to the store.

Bottom line - food wrapped in plastic is actually more eco friendly!

In reply to EeeByGum: So the moral of the story is....avoid supermarkets. Shp little and often.

In reply to Blizzard:

Well we recycle as much as possible and our council makes it easy for us to do so but I'm under no illusions that what we are doing is not "saving the planet" in a hugely significant way.

Like most people, I haven't made significant lifestyle changes - I still drive and I still take flights

In reply to Blizzard:

Not a lot more than can be done via the recycle bins provided and the addtional recycle facilities at the dump. I did try and recycle a rope a few years back, wrote to Patagonia, found out that Lyon in France did it. So when I was in the Alps the following Summer I took the old rope across and dropped them in.

I tend to take the reduce and reuse approach first. As my ropes age, they move from lead ropes, to scrambling ropes, to top ropes, to cut up bits for winter belays, to practise ropes for local scouts to try tying knotts.

My outdoor clothing gear is also nicely ageing and shows little sign of wearing out.

In reply to Phil1919:

From a purely eco point of view, it doesn't really make sense to buy from small shops. Each shop will have its own carbon footprint for delivering fresh produce and will have problems with having to discard stuff that has gone off. Supermarkets may practice in ways that some find ethically challenging, but you can't deny that their constant cost cutting measures and drive for ever increasing efficiency where waste and fuel costs are there to be cut can only drive a smaller overall carbon footprint.

In reply to Blizzard: I like it when people drive 5 miles to the council tip to stick a few bottles and newspapers in the recycling bins.

In reply to Blizzard:

The annoying thing is the inconsistency between local council recycling provision. My local council will take all plastic bottles (including oil canisters), but no food packaging at all. They will take tetra packs, at last. They won't take glass (fairly sensible, IMHO, due to safety concerns). My parents can recycle glass, but not plastics...

My council recently sent a 'what you can recycle' leaflet, with dire warnings of fines for 'contaminating' the recycling. Personally, I think they should be fined for not recycling the things that they can; plenty of other councils will recycle food packaging (e.g. PET trays).

In reply to Phil1919:


I'm not sure where on earth I would shop if I didn't shop in a supermarket. I work during "normal" shop hours so the only time I'd be able to shop elsewhere (where would that be, by the way?) would be weekends. Which wouldn't be little and often.

In reply to Blizzard:

I chuck all mine out the window. I think that's a very green action.

Ripper, where are you?

In reply to Blizzard:

Back in 1994 I was in my local Tesco's at the checkout and pulled several Sainsbury's plastic bags out of my pocket and start packing.

The woman at the checkout rounded on me hissing "You can't use those in here!".

In reply to EeeByGum: I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but in my mindset, supermarkets encourage us to buy more stuff. In my dreams I would envisage market gardening near to Kendal supplying sole traders in a more traditional market. One things for sure, a greener future will mean consuming a LOT LESS, and this would help pave the way for alternative, more sustainable systems. Supermarkets encourage consumption, usually pay the minimum wage, and deliver to shareholders.

In reply to Ava Adore: Theres no doubt that a greener future where we consume say, 80% less energy, will mean drastic changes to the way we live. We are just stuck in a mindset at the moment that we have to commute, work 40 hours, etc etc.

In reply to Phil1919: No - I am no expert and you make a fair point. Supermarkets do encourage us to consume but we as individuals can certainly choose not to fall for the supermarket's whims. If we all did consume less, the supermarket would still unfortunately be a more efficient mechanism for distributing food than local shops.

You often hear about restaurants whose chefs forage on a daily basis for their menu. It sounds like a Utopian way of living, but it only works of only a few people forage.

In reply to Phil1919:

Well as soon as I don't have to work a 40+ hour week, I promise I'll shop in non-supermarkety places. Assuming I've not been sacked of course....

In reply :

Who is Ripper?

I'm glad that I am not the only one making an effort. Its nice to hear others realising that we as a race are going to have to change our ways. At last. (10 years ago people were simply not taking any environmental responsibility seriously)

In reply to Blizzard:

Used to be a cynic who didn't care since I would be a drop in the ocean, but now I do... I don't know why I've changed, but I care and want to be a drop. Now I recycle everything I can, and try to make my housemates do it too. Don't like flying due to the carbon cost, and am getting to be a veggie (but I don't like to admit it to friends!).

In reply to Blizzard:

Re-use is better than recycling for most things. If you have something that still works but you don't need it, try offering it on your local Freegle group (Freegle is the UK-run version of Freecycle that came into being when US-run Freecycle decided to flex its muscles and expell dissenting UK volunteers).

I've found new owners for my old (too big) microwave, and had a whole tree lugged away in small bits to be used locally, among other things...

In reply to Blizzard:

in japan its enforced to put things into about 7 different categories. this is done by collection utilities collecting certain things on certain days and anything not right gets left, with a message on it. in some areas you have to put your name on the collection bags to be further accountable.
in apartment blocks its done by building staff.

at recycle centers they check what you are disposing of.

that said, what they deem 'combustible' in japan is a bit disturbing - it includes foam and most plastics. meanwhile the containers for take away food are recycled separately.

and the whole lot just gets dumped in china anyway

In reply to Jonay:


I drink too much and our recycling looks like the bottle bin of a pub. It stands out like a sore thumb on recycling days as most of the other people on my street are pensioners. I'm not too bothered about it though.

In reply to doz generale:

That's cos you're still pissed, innit?