Recycle Week
Recycle Week runs from Monday 22 to Sunday 28 June 2009 and this year the Recycle Now campaign is encouraging us all to think about the many, easy ways we can waste less and make more of the resources we have.
Two-thirds of us now consider ourselves committed recyclers, and we are currently recycling 34 per cent of our total household waste across the UK, with Merseyside just below this at 29 per cent.
From recycling more of our everyday items like glass and plastic bottles to reducing our food waste, re-using carrier bags or trying out new things like home composting, there’s lots of things we can do to help cut back on the amount of waste we send to landfill.
In the past five years alone we’ve saved 30 million tonnes of CO2 – equivalent to taking a third of our cars off UK roads for a year – so recycling really is making a difference.
There will be eco-activities and events taking place throughout the week across the country, contact your local council to find out what’s happening in your area. For instance, Sefton Council will be issuing a recycling newsletter to all its households with advice on how to waste less. And Liverpool City Council will have their Recycling Roadshow up and about at various points in the city centre all week.
You can also register a personal pledge to waste less by SMS text or at www.recyclenow.com, the national recycling website. On signing up to one of a selection of pledges – everything from recycling old electricals and unwanted clothes to going completely waste free for a day – pledgers will receive details about the positive effect your pledge will have on the environment. On the website, you can also check-out eco-celebrity pledges and read reports from our team of eco-bloggers who are tackling their own waste-free challenges.
Carl Beer, Director of Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA), said: “Recycle Week is a great opportunity to find out just how easy it is to reduce, reuse or recycle the resources we’d otherwise waste. There’s always more we can do to make the most of our existing habits, by doing something new or more of the same. The range of materials we can recycle locally has increased, so it’s never been more convenient to be eco-conscious in our living – all year round! It helps the environment and you might even save money in the process.”
The Merseyside Waste Partnership (made up of MWDA plus Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral Councils) has also launched a brand new website for local people – www.recycleformerseysideandhalton.com. Here members of the public can find out what can be recycled in their area, how to reduce waste, tips for composting and other ideas for recycling.
A tip a day for waste-free living this Recycle Week
Get clued up this Recycle Week – find out what you can recycle and where by going to www.recyclenow.com
When you’re doing your weekly shop, why not look out for the new, on-pack recycling labels– they’ll help you find out what can and cannot be recycled in your area
Most areas have carton recycling facilities. You can find out where your nearest one is by using www.recycleformerseysideandhalton.com
Most councils now collect all types of plastic bottles; so you can recycle bottles from all over your home including your bathroom products
You don’t need to bin your unwanted electrical and electronic items. Anything with batteries or a plug can be recycled at a local recycling centre, just search for your nearest one
Love Food Hate Waste has great hints and tips on how to save money and make the most of your food with a Perfect Portions planner and tasty leftovers recipes. Go to www.recycleformerseysideandhalton.com to find out more
Why not collect up all your fruit and vegetable peelings, garden trimmings and grass clippings, place in a compost bin and in a few months you’ll have compost. It’s completely free, you’ll be reducing waste going to landfill and you’ll make your own garden grow better!
To make a pledge and find out about events taking place in your area this Recycle Week, visit www.recyclenow.com
