CATEGORY - RECYCLING

Another evolving category:

General

Times - Recycling is a waste of time - That's a nay

Times - Sorting waste is a pain, but I'll do my bit - That's a yay! Though the pre-sell needs work.

Times - Are recycling incentives simply money for old rope?
End benefit and reward-based incentive systems... there's a novelty.
And here was me thinking fine, fear, threat, nanny, guilt and and scare, with a good dose of illogicality, total impracticality and rank hypocrisy were motivating the public so well.
Just... make sure the enviROI works out, too.

Telegraph - Will recycling your rubbish save the planet? - Lots of new terms bandied about that I simply don't understand, such as 'Eco-sceptic'. What's that mean? Then there's the 'waste of' arguments. They really can't, and shouldn't be lumped together. Time is different from money. And both from putting in a little effort to help make the future a tad better. But... only is it worth it if the enviROI adds up. And that is where the agenda-makers and box-tickers are looking more and more wanting, especially in how they are selling the notion. So yes, questions need to be asked, answered and, if necessary responded to with more than blind obedience.

ps: question. Bottles, can, etc being put out. Better to wash (often requiring hot water) at home, or leave to the industrial systems to do in one shot. If we' help' at home that certainly brings the bills down at the facility, and hence boosts profits, but is this action good for the planet overall?

Addendum:

Thanks for those two very useful sites. There are several more, too, top of head, such as http://www.recyclenow.com/ and http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/257940

But just wondering, who pays for them, and how much? There seems an awful lot going into overlapping quangos and comms budgets that might be better spent on centralising systems and coordinating messages to actually DO something about managing the waste better.

Observer - The key to recycling unusual objects

Letsrecycle - RecycleBank set for the UK?

Gaurdian - Climate change: How quest for zero waste community means sorting the rubbish 34 ways - and why not? Plus I know a certain website geared up to help.

Times - via Junkk - Paying to have what you paid for taken away to make money for others. Interesting concept.

Guardian - A waste of time - Got to admire the author for his choice of venue.

It's an interesting set of points, and hence debate to stimulate. I actually do concern myself with numbers across much of the 'green' agenda, from wind turbines to atmospheric hoovers, and often find there is a worrying amount taken to be 'good' based on little more than an assumption that because some kind uncle in authority says it is, well, then it must be. Despite their current lack of fashionability in government from EU to LA, let's be in no doubt that bonusses still get accorded based on savings and/or makings that might not serve the planetary enviROI as well as they might first appear to.

I don't propose to address the why's or wherefore's of how my, willing, daily, labour serves to add to the profits of contractors or the careers of those who spend much money (vast quango expenditures and comms budgets that could be better applied to tangibles IMHO) persuading us to to do so for free or, less engagingly, resort to threats if we do not. I view it as one of life's little 'why nots', and is a small trade for a better community.

Where I do get more concerned is when the numbers, especially by their absence, often do not add up. Some earlier points about national continuity resonate. With little local quirks looking to me, at first blush, barking. Residents required to rinse on an individual, home by home basis? Nice to use my water and energy to heat it to help the cleaning bills, but surely much more eco-efficient to use an industrial system in one shot?

In my county we're soon to lose our separate RE:Box blue plastic boxes after only a few years. Don't know how their sacrifice equates in plastic bags, but soon we get one, big, green wheelie. It's better and more convenient. All gets tipped in and a machine deals with the rest.

Thing is, I have been told that the recyclates produced by such machines are seldom of much use to recyclers, so they don't want it as they can't use it.

But no matter, in the great box-ticking, bean-counting, target-meeting, bonus-accruing, career-enhancing scheme of things this doesn't matter. All that does is that the tonnages are 'for' recycling even they actually can't be used.

That does not serve my kids' futures well at all, and I would like explained in ways I can grasp, with numbers that do add up. If they do, I am on board 100%. If not, or they remain vague, or their lack is defended by evasion, distraction and/or derision, then one has to assume those who should know the answers either do not, or do and don't like them for some not very good reason.

Oh, and FWIW, if you've done all you can to reduce, consider reuse. I've tried to find the down side, but can't seem to avoid it saving time, money... and planet.

Plus it's fun. Not a bad thing, reading back on most posts.

WRAP - WRAP drives action to recycle more mixed plastics
I got quite excited, but then didn't seem to come across any details.
Again I have cause to ponder what is spent, who pays, and what is derived as a result.

Telegraph - Green scheme scrapped as household recycling is sent to landfill

Packaging News - Keeping the faith - An interesting debate between 'experts'.

Telegraph - Householders to be rewarded for recycling - :)

FT - Commodity price falls leave councils carrying the can - so soon, a ;( Maybe we need to think beyond recycling? Now, reuse... there's a notion!

Indy - NEW - Revealed: the tonnes of rubbish put out for recycling that end up in landfill sites - Useful comment by a recycling officer in there, somewhere

Which? Report - Recycling right could save taxpayers millions


INFORMATION

beyondrecycling.net -
letsrecycle -
reducefootprints -
recycling4live.com -
recyclethis.co.uk - actually, mainly reuse ideas
Which? online guide - leads to a plethora of useful sub-categories
Which? - what happens to your rubbish

Bulbs

recolight.co.uk - NEW

Furniture

Furniture Recycling Project - Gloucester

General

hmcrecycling.co.uk - South Wales
ghsrecyclingltd.co.uk - South Coast, passed on by these nice folk: Myzerowaste

Keys

keysforkindness.com -

Mobiles -

coolafone.com - via this article. Note: I have had, and still do have many issues with many of these schemes.

Plastic
Bottles
Milk
bottle2bottle.com/ -

Textiles

lmb.co.uk -

Tights

tightsplease.co.uk -

VHS tapes

keymood.co.uk - Local to our town!