Posts by Rubbish Please

Interactive Waste Bin Promotes Recycling

Posted on February 17, 2015
Interactive Waste Bin

Image Credit: Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

Would you like to know the impact your recycling efforts are having every time you pop a drinks can or plastic bottle into a recycling waste bin? Well now you can! A collaboration between an Abu Dhabi company and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has come up with an ingenious interactive waste bin. Every time you make a deposit you are told of the positive impact your waste item has had. The waste bin has separate compartments for paper, metal, plastic and general waste. So far it is only a prototype but we hope the idea will catch on and you might find them on your local high street in the very near future.

Some of the messages you can expect to hear include:

  • Recycling one plastic bottle saves enough energy to run a fridge for over 2 hours

  • By recycling a plastic bottle you are saving over 10 litres of water

  • Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to power a laptop for almost an hour

  • A tonne of recycled paper saves 17 trees

  • Plastic can last up to 1,000 years in landfill

These are only a few examples of the messages that can be conveyed by the interactive waste bin. The messages can actually be customised to the particular needs of the location. For example a bin located on school premises could convey information relevant to young children. Whereas the messages for a bin located in a busy factory would need to be very different. Many more electronic features can be added including real time alerts on the amount of space left and quantity waiting to be collected. Either via Twitter or email to the collection company.

If the bins are placed in locations such as institutions, schools or company premises they can be linked via the internet enabling the type and quantity of waste collected to be tracked. Thereby allowing waste campaigns to be tailored to a particular locations needs. We think this is all pretty useful information as it promotes action on a personal level without actually telling people what to do.

In New York there is another twist on the traditional receptacle popping up to assist in encouraging recycling and making the process quicker and simpler. The recycling receptacle is able to compact the waste automatically and alert the collection company when it needs emptying and in addition it is solar powered.

Pimp My Trash Cart

Posted on February 10, 2015

This week we’re going to put the spotlight on the people who collect recyclable materials for a living, and without who many towns and cities would find their streets littered with junk, rubbish and recyclable waste. What brought their work to our attention was a talk we came across on the internet given by TED. TED is a set of conferences held across the globe, run by a non-profit organisation called the Sapling Foundation. Their cause is to spread ideas on a wide range of topics from science to business and including issues that affect society globally. (www.ted.com)

Pimp My CarrocaThis particular talk highlighted the plight of Brazil’s “catadores”, but has equal relevance for many other countries both in the developing and developed world. They collect junk and recyclables, removing it from the city streets and taking it to places where it can be recycled. Amazingly 90% of Brazil’s recyclable waste is collected by these superheroes.

A graffiti artist by the name of Mundano was the speaker and he was describing his latest project “Pimp my Carroça” (the name given to the carts of these heroic workers). His idea is gaining momentum and set to become a global sensation. In 2007 he turned his artistic attention to the carts that are built from wood or metal found on the streets of Brazil. By adding humour and art to these otherwise invisible collectors of trash and their vehicles, he has boosted them to almost celebrity status.

He has so far painted more than 200 “carroças” in countries such as Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Turkey. Not forgetting more developed countries such as the United States and Japan. His movement has grown into large crowd funded events. The catadores are given assistance by professionals such as dentists, physicians, hairstylists, massage therapists and much more. Safety equipment such as raincoats, gloves, eyeglasses and shirts are given out while the carroças are renovated by a team of amazing volunteers.

In only 2 years this movement has helped more than 170 catadores. And more than 800 volunteers, 200 street artists and 1,000 donors have added their support to this fantastic movement. The contribution that catadores make to many different societies is now receiving the attention and praise that it truly deserves.

You can check Mundano’s spirited talk about his project at http://www.ted.com/talks/mundano_pimp_my_trash_cart

The Definitive Guide to Packaging Symbols

Posted on February 6, 2015

Don’t be Bamboozled by Packaging Symbols. Here’s our handy guide.

Manufacturers are using an increasing number of symbols on their packaging in order to help the consumer decide what can and can’t be recycled. This is all well and good but maybe it would have been more helpful to explain why and what these recycling symbols actually mean. So to help all consumers, not just members of the Rubbish Please family, we’ve devised this definitive list. Hopefully you’ll find the time to take a look and be better informed and able to improve your level of household recycling. Continue reading →

UK Food Waste—History and Future Changes

Posted on January 24, 2015

Food WasteHere at Rubbish Please we’ve been reading a new report written by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) which assesses how food waste levels have changed over recent years and how these can be influenced in the future. We thought you might be interested in some of the information so we’ve decided to share them with you in our blog.

Since 2005 there have been extensive interventions in place throughout the UK with the aim to reduce food waste. Since then and up until 2012 reductions have been made to the tune of 1.6 million tonnes, around 12%. It’s been estimated that future reductions could bring this figure up to £4 billion, by 2015. Saving around 7 million tonnes of CO2e. Add the figures together and around £24 billion, 12 million tonnes and 40 million tonnes of CO2e will have been prevented from being wasted between 2007 and 2015.

It is thought that the UK could achieve a reduction of 25% by 2025 but it will mean big challenges ahead for consumers and supply chains. A lot of external factors come into play such as food prices, population levels and economic conditions across the world. But that won’t mean it’s not worth trying to achieve.

It’s difficult to accurately estimate the full costs and benefits but there is evidence available to suggest that 20 million tonnes of food waste could be prevented from entering the waste stream, at a cost of between £200 and £500 million over the ten year period.

WRAP has a inspiring vision that includes a world where resources are used sustainably. They work together with Government, businesses, communities and other like minded people to help the UK use its resources more efficiently and produce less waste. By looking at ways we can improve how products are designed, produced and sold and by looking at how consumers can be helped to recycle and reuse much more.

We’re all behind their vision and look forward to keeping our finger on the pulse in the future. And helping all our clients, both old and new, do their bit for the environment and bring about an overall reduction in the amount of waste that ends up in our limited landfill sites.

Different Ways to Use Your Old TV

Posted on January 14, 2015

Reruns on TV

Televisions have changed remarkably over the past decade. What were once boxy behemoths have become sleek and thin vessels of not only television shows, but wifi streaming and HDMI inputs. As the gears of technology keep grinding forward, plenty of old TVs have fallen by the wayside. Where it may be easy to give them to your kids or a neighbor or a charity shop, we thought of some fun new ways to reuse…ahem…Rerun your old TV. Continue reading →

New Waste Regulations in England for 2015

Posted on January 6, 2015

2015 England Waste Regulations2015 is now well under way and new waste regulations mean there must be a “separate collection” of paper, plastic, metals and glass for recycling. These changes have been introduced to reduce contamination and increase the quality of recycled materials. Good quality recycled materials have a high value whereas poor quality equates to low value, bad odours, health hazards and a high risk of fire.

The Environment Agency will be the enforcer of these new regulations in England. And they’ll be keeping a close eye of all collectors of these recyclable materials to ensure they are kept separate, whether the collection is for household or commercial waste. But the Agency won’t just be looking for companies who aren’t doing what they’re told and imposing huge fines. They will be actively helping collection authorities meet their obligations and encouraging them to do so with a minimum of fuss.

So how will this affect businesses across the UK? It means that your business or organisation will now have to ensure dry recyclable waste you produce is stored and removed separately from your food and non-recyclable waste. To keep yourself legally covered under the Regulation it’s your duty to appoint a licensed mixed recycling waste carrier for the collection of your recyclable waste and a general waste carrier for anything else. You aren’t necessarily required to keep each recyclable material separate as long as they are not mixed in with non-recyclable waste. You can choose whether these recyclable materials are collected on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis and your chosen recycling service provider should be able to supply you with colour coded recycling bags or bins, depending on your needs.

And your recycling efforts don’t have to stop there. Additional recycling services are available right across the UK for food, confidential paper, electronics, batteries, fluorescent lights, toners and light bulbs. Fantastic Services offers an all-round waste collection service with the Rubbish Please branch of the family. So why not give us a ring and see what we can do for you and your business.

Could the UK Face EU Recycling Fines for Using less Paper

Posted on December 26, 2014

Recycling PaperAnnual targets for recycling are constantly changing but it appears that household recycling has barely changed in recent years. Last year there was little change from 2012 and experts say that it’s due in part to the fact that consumers are using less paper. Which in turn means that there is in fact less to recycle. The switch to online reading and the purchase of products that use less packaging mean it looks increasingly unlikely that we’ll meet the targets set in Brussels. The current target is for UK recycling rates to hit 50% by 2020 and failing to meet them could mean we face fines of more than £500,000 per day, if estimates are right.

Recycling industry bosses have cited the reduction in the weight of paper and packaging being used as one of the reasons for the current flat-lining in recycling rates. Consumers are opting for products that use less packaging so there is less packaging to be recycled. Switches are being made from heavy glass to plastic which again impacts on recycling figures. While we understand the need for targets to be made more has to be done to take into account peoples changing habits. There seems little point in imposing heavy fines. We’d be being penalised for our own success.

If we want to hit the targets further changes will be needed such as smaller wheelie bins to physically limit the number of black bag waste and discounts for local councils that are able to achieve higher recycling rates. But it has to be said that the reduced amount of packaging and use of less paper cannot be the sole reason for not making any improvements in recycling rates. Across the Severn Bridge in Wales consumption is no different but Welsh authorities have made hitting the targets mandatory not an option. Food collection is mandatory which helps to drive up the rates.

Measurement of recycling rates is actually done by weight. So if a household cuts their use of paper and switches to plastic rather than heavier glass the recycling rate will fall. Because it doesn’t take into account the fact that they are actually throwing less waste away in black plastic bags but more that the weight of the materials they’re recycling is in fact less.

We hope that UK consumers will not be deterred by the powers that be over in Brussels but will continue to reduce first, then reuse and finally recycle for the future of the planet. Not because someone is telling them to do so.

The Gadget Recycling Problem

Posted on December 18, 2014

Spare a thought for those gadgets you’ll be replacing this Christmas! After all shouldn’t your new IT device be more than “just for Christmas”?

Recycling ElectronicsWhen you’re buying a new gadget for your loved one this Christmas spare a thought for the item it’ll be replacing and what’s going to happen to it when it’s no longer needed. In 2011 nearly 42 million tonnes of electronic waste was generated, a figure that is set to increase to almost 100 million tonnes by 2016. And the sad fact is that the gadgets that are being upgraded or replaced usually end up in landfill rather than properly recycled. But it’s not just consumers who need to be aware of the waste they are creating. Manufacturers also need to think about recycling and not only in the manufacturing plants. Sure many of the top companies are introducing green initiatives that involve using greener energy, reducing packaging and designing products that use less power. But they must also be responsible for the products that consumers no longer use.

Once upon a time, long long ago products were designed to be repaired more than they were replaced. Components were easily accessible and the product was simple to take apart. Our need for smaller, more compact devices, brought about in part by successful advertising, meant companies brought onto the market products that while being slim, beautiful and more functional, were more difficult to repair. And the cost of replacing some of the parts was astronomical. Making it more cost-effective for the consumer to buy something new.

The problem of such large quantities of electronic waste has not been helped by people’s lack of understanding and the inefficiency of recycling. But it’s still something we all need to consider, particularly at Christmas. Your outdated smartphone or tablet contains harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. And what happens when these devices languish at the bottom of the local landfill? Those noxious chemicals leach into the surrounding soil causing damage to the environment and often ending up in your own water supply.

So when you open your Xmas present and gaze in awe at your latest gadget think about where and how you dispose of the old one it’s replacing. Hand it in at your local recycling centre or store and it will either be repackaged and resold, if it’s still in good working order, or broken down and recycled in a responsible way.

The Eco-Dilemma of Choosing a Real or Artificial Christmas Tree

Posted on December 10, 2014

Every Christmas Thousands of People Face the Imminent Quandary of Real vs. Fake Christmas Tree. Before Making the Final Decision Make Sure You Have All the Facts

The debate over whether you should go the au natural or artificial route replays itself every year when it comes to the Christmas tree. Christmas has become a time when little thought is spared for the cost to the environment or the strain on your bank balance but we thought it was time to try and set the record straight. The unfortunate truth is that both real and artificial have their pros and cons. So let’s take a look at each one in turn.

ARTIFICIAL

Guilt is one of the biggest reasons for people to go the artificial route and for many this is a very valid reason. Paying extortionate prices for trees that have been cut down doesn’t sit well with many people and quite rightly so. Cost and convenience are also very important factors to bear in mind. An artificial tree is a worthy investment when compared with the annual expense of a real one and it doesn’t need constant watering or require picking up the endless round of dropped needles. Many experts however feel that the environmental impact of an artificial tree pales into insignificance as many come all the way from China. They are also manufactured using plastic, not a very bio-degradable material at all.

REAL

A real Christmas tree on the other hand can be recycled. It can be turned into mulch and used for landscaping and gardening, paths and walkways. A lone farmed pine tree absorbs more than 1 ton of CO2 in its lifetime and an acre of trees produce enough oxygen to supply the daily needs of 18 people. Xmas tree farmers use sustainable methods to ensure a regular harvest of healthy trees and thousands of people are employed in the natural Christmas tree industry as well.

The debate will probably continue for many more years but we’ve thought of a couple of interesting alternatives to these two contenders. Why not plant your very own Christmas tree in your garden and bring it in every year? Keeping a tree healthy year after year will require careful tending and possibly green finger will be an advantage. But the most eco-friendly alternative is to decorate one of your house plants. Although it’s not traditional and might take a little adjusting to the idea what’s wrong with decorating your favourite rubber plant with tinsel and fairy lights. It’s certainly something we’ll be considering this year!

Image source: flickr.com

Eco-Friendly Christmas: Decorations from Recycled Materials

Posted on December 1, 2014

DIY projects, wooden raindeer faces, Christmas decorationsChristmas Shouldn’t be all About Spending Money – Spare a Thought for the Environment too!

It seems that no sooner Bonfire Night and Halloween are out of the way our thoughts quickly drift to Christmas celebrations and the endless round of shopping trips and spending excess. In recent years we’ve become accustomed to spending truckloads of money with little thought for whether it’s really necessary. Here at Rubbish Please we’ve been considering ways we can cut back on spending during this holiday time and how we can help our customers reduce, reuse and recycle more.

With that in mind we’ve come up with some interesting Christmas decorations you can make using recycled materials.

FESTIVE GARLANDS USING OLD CHRISTMAS CARDS

Christmas Ornaments

Find the full step-by-step tutorial at Party Planning Center

This is an excellent project if you’ve got young children as it requires no complicated folding techniques or messy gluing. Just take a pile of last year’s Christmas cards you’ve probably still got hanging around, cut out some shapes and stick them to a piece of string using sticky tape. If you haven’t got any cards try junk mail or colourful magazines. Many high street stores have already brought out their Xmas magazines so why not bring a few home for the kids.

WINE CORK REINDEER

Wine Cork Raindeer

Tutorial by Jen Kim Made

For all you wine lovers out there don’t be tempted to just ditch your old wine corks but keep them and make some cute reindeer decorations for your home. Nip out into the garden and gather a few festive twigs and if you’ve got older children you can involve them in creating their very own festive reindeer and you never know they may come up with some ideas of their own. If you’ve got a few little bits of Christmas ribbon left over why not add these to the reindeer for a bit more colour.

XMAS TREE DECORATIONS FROM AN OLD KEYBOARD

Keyboard Key Ornament

Easy guide in Instructables

Are you expecting to receive a new computer keyboard for Xmas? Then why not put the old one to good use rather just throwing it away. Dismantle the keyboard and thread the keys onto some festive string. See if you can come up with some fun Xmas words.

 

 

PLASTIC BOTTLE SNOWMEN

Yoghurt Bottle Snowman

Have fun with your little angels with this tutorial by Little Learning for Two

Are your kid’s avid yoghurt or fizzy drinkers and you find yourself throwing large numbers of empty plastic bottles away every week? Using some simple craft supplies and a bit of imagination you can have fun with your kids creating some wintery snowmen.

EMPTY JARS TRANSFORMED INTO SNOWFLAKE LANTERNS

White Christmas Mason Jar Luminaries

Classy mason jar craft tutorial by Ginger Snap Crafts

Bet you’ve got a few empty jars hanging around and unwanted piles of junk mail waiting to be collected for recycling. Cut out some snowflakes from the junk mail and stick them inside the jars. For added festive appeal use a tea light for some festive atmosphere in your home.

We hope we’ve given you a bit of Christmas inspiration and you can come up with a few ideas of your own. But remember increasing levels of recycling is not just for Christmas it should be a goal for life.