Issue 4

Devon Community & Community Composting Network News

This issue: Gone to The UK £650 million worth of recyclable material each year. How High Can we Go Flanders leads the way with maximum recycling.

Making Computer Use Greener: Did you know - A Google search uses as much energy as boiling a kettle Features: Gone to Waste Gone to 1 The UK wastes £650 millionworth of recyclable material each year. How High Can We Go 4 Flanders can teach us about Waste maximising waste. The UK wastes £650 San Francisco - dig it

tents 8 San Francisco starts million worth of mandatory composting after 72% recycling success. recyclable material ‘BOGOF’ Later each year 10 supermarket issues Transition Town Totnes 12 low carbon community 13 Home Grown Community This Junk Mail was written by Nicky Scott Owned (HogCO) and Richard Gomme. A CCD project funded by the Big Designed by Isolde Brampton-Greene with Lottery Fund’s Local Food Scheme illustrations by Bob Gale (Proper Job) Making Computer Use Printing by MoorPrint. 14 Contact Details Greener Please send copy/pictures/drawings for Get off the screen and into Bob to develop to: the garden Richard Gomme Symbols for Packaging Devon Community Recycling Network 16 Chapel Cottage, Thorn, Chagford, Devon, and Plastics Recycling TQ13 8DX. The UK wastes £650 million worth turn them into new cans and Tel: 01647 433872 of recyclable material each year. renewable energy? Why use email: [email protected] 18 Recycling News “We need to rethink how we more resources than we need www.dcrn.org.uk view and treat waste in the to in ? We must Nicky Scott Devon Community Composting Network 20 Book Review: UK. Why do we send valuable now work together to build a 8 Meldon Road, Chagford, Devon, TQ13 8BG Bio Char items like aluminium and food nation - where we Tel: 01647 432923 the biochar debate waste to landfill when we can reduce the resources we use, email: [email protected] www.dccn.org.uk by James Bruges

Gone to Waste 1 reuse and recycle all that we an estimated 19m tonnes of C02 products for our economies. annum throughput at Lee Mill can and only landfill things that equivalent, roughly equivalent Green campaigners point to the in South Hams, which would have absolutely no other use”. to taking 6m cars off the road. real costs of waste – firstly in the deal with waste from Plymouth, “To do this all of us - government, On an EU scale the figures are product manufacture and purchase Torbay, and south and west local authorities, businesses and massive – potential estimated cost, then in the Devon. There is some opposition. and waste disposal costs, and lastly Green campaigners point to in other environmental terms such the need to reduce & prevent as co2 emissions, loss of embodied waste and recycle more with a energy, pollution, and remediation. background of resource depletion, Logic points towards waste peak oil and climate change. prevention and maximum recycling/ For more details of Devon plans composting as top priorities. see http://www.plymouth. Bans gov.uk/swdwp.html In assessing ways of improving the For details of FoE’s report ‘Gone situation, FoE said it considered to Waste’ and other papers on landfill and incineration bans waste, resources and climate on recyclable materials as “a change visit http://www.foe. valuable policy tool in driving co.uk/resource/index.shtml recycling performance upward”. Alongside current efforts to recycle more, UK authorities are consumers - must do our bit. savings of 148m tonnes of C02 considering either incineration/ And we must make this moment equivalent, roughly equivalent to Energy from Waste (EfW) or the turning point on our journey taking 47m cars off the road. Mechanical Biological Treatment to eliminate wasteful waste.” Dr Michael Warhurst, senior (MBT) as a way to reduce landfill Secretary of State Hilary Benn resource use campaigner at and avoid penalties which will A recent report by Friends of the Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s be incurred if they fail to meet Earth, ‘Gone to Waste’, claims that time we recognised the real landfill waste diversion targets. the UK and incinerates 24 value of the materials we throw MBT extracts recyclables from million tonnes of easily recyclable away every day. We only have residual waste by sorting processes material every year, worth over one Earth and its resources are before stabilisation through £650m. These resources could finite - making better use of composting. In Devon, the South be recycled - saving energy, CO2 them would save money and West Devon Waste Partnership emissions, create thousands of new help tackle climate change.” is in the procurement process green jobs, be a key driver for a low Much of the consumption for a 25 year approx. £1bn carbon economy, and help mitigate of resources and associated waste disposal contract. Viridor climate change. If recycled this environmental impacts goes are proposing to build an EfW would have represented a saving of on overseas to make consumer plant with 275,000 tonnes per The Weee Man at the Eden Project

2 Gone to Waste Gone to Waste 3 Maximising Waste Devon recycling centres the rate is waste, reuse and recycle. about 80% recycling/composting. Flanders has about 6m people, For kerbside recycling two Devon including Antwerp with 470,000 Districts are in the national top 6– inhabitants, which has poverty, How high Teignbridge and South Hams both high migrations, lots of tourism around 57%, with the Cotswolds and students, but still manages (60%) and Staffordshire Moorlands 61.5% recycling. By 2010, first on 61.5%. That’s a great Flanders is aiming for 75% can we achievement, but waste remains a recycling, with targets for 2% big problem. Local Authorities are waste prevention per year (eg at a cross roads where more bio- packaging, nappies, paper), to degradable waste must be diverted collect 10kg per inhabitant for go! from landfill to meet targets, huge reuse shops, and for a far reaching amounts of valuable resources still de-coupling between economic go to waste, disposal is getting growth and waste generation. In this issue we report on two ever more expensive, and waste prevention and reduction remain Pre-paid collection fees (in the cost places breaking the 70% recycling of bin liners), taxes and charges are ‘glass ceiling’ and look at the primary challenges. Tough decisions are being taken concerning waste used. For example, a 60 litre bag potential to raise recycling & of mixed waste collection costs composting in Devon higher. disposal technologies such as Energy from Waste incineration. between 0.75 and 2.5 euros, and Flanders in Belgium and San How high can recycling go in urban areas, between 2.5 and Francisco both recycle and compost in Devon? 3.75 euro per 120litre wheeled bin 72% of their waste. They are collection. Dumping is not now aiming even higher, with San Flanders – a problem. Francisco introducing mandatory high recycling case study Home composting is big - 25% composting for bio-waste from all There are key factors underlying of households do it. Free chickens households and businesses which Flanders success. They are waste are available for residents to could take the rate above 80%. prevention and reuse, home encourage the use of kitchen Flanders admits it is only capturing composting, variable charging scraps as feed. There are 5 trained 40% of food waste, but still tariffs for different wastes, volunteer master-composters per getting 72% recycling/composting recycling yards/centres, source 10,000 inhabitants who explain rate, and it is aiming even higher! segregated kerbside collections, how to compost at home, backed In this issue we report on two places Devon is now recycling and producer responsibility and retailer by communication and education breaking the 70% recycling ‘glass composting over 53%, as are many collections, and limiting residual campaigns. Neighbourhood ceiling’ and look at the potential others, with Plymouth and Torbay waste treatment capacity to composting is promoted in urban to raise recycling & composting in about 32% (this is without food the minimum (incineration) to areas, so people in flats can take Devon higher. waste collection in many areas). At maintain an incentive to prevent materials to communal compost

4 How high can we go! How high can we go! 5 areas. The capture rate for food Retailer take-backs include waste is food). Application of of resource conservation. Local waste collections could be higher, pharmaceuticals, ink cartridges residual waste sorting processes, Authorities require more resources. with 40% of residual waste & batteries (one box per 500 such as those used in MBT At Recycling Centres rates can go being food. inhabitants). Waste electrical (Mechanical Biological Treatment above 80% if source segregation items and used car tyres are where waste is mechanically sorted Waste prevention and eco-design can be better enforced. This accepted by retailers even if a prior to composting to extract initiatives target households, includes more vigilance at the new product is not purchased. maximum amount of recyclables) schools, events, shops, and tipping point and better storage coupled with targeted enforcement businesses, and green procurement Flanders cites key lessons. Source and selling facilities so more items on participation could smash the is encouraged to support separation via separate collection and materials are reused. On my 80% level. Eco-design could also more sustainable production is crucially important in obtaining last visit to Exeter Recycling Centre be advanced where non-recyclable and consumption. The target higher recycling rates and high lots of easily recyclable material and materials are designed out of for residual waste is 150kg quality materials. Work on all reusable items lay in the residual products. So where is the real per household p/a. In Devon, levels of the waste pile, and good furniture was ceiling for maximising recycling, Teignbridge and Sth Hams have & take specific measures to amongst the waste wood. A culture and how far away is zero waste? 162kg & 167kg per person p/a, so prevent waste and increase change needs more promotion, clearly much work remains to be reuse, recycling and composting. Increasing recycling and with infrastructure to enable it done in reducing residual waste. Introduce the polluter pays composting in Devon to happen. principle via different tariffs. Limit There are 100 reuse shops, selling All Authorities in the top 20 have Nationally, it would also appear that residual waste treatment capacity around 7.2kg/inhabitant per alternate weekly residual waste the amount of household waste to the minimum to maintain year, some have developed into collections with weekly recycling arising has fallen by 4% over the incentives to maximise waste department stores with sections for and best results are in areas with year reflecting the recession and prevention and recycling. And furniture, clothes, toys, electricals weekly food waste collections. a longer term downward trend, ensure good communication etc. Goods are donated, sorted, Rates will increase as districts bring with a 5 year average decline of and effective enforcement. inspected, cleaned and repaired if in new kerbside collections for 1% p/a. Defra figures for England necessary. The target is now 10kg/ Flanders does not have data on food waste, cardboard, plastics reveal overall household recycling inhabitant, a 25% improvement. participation rates. Lore Marien and other materials. Proper use and composting rate in 2008/09 of the Flemish Waste Agency of available facilities now make it was 37.6%, up 3%, with a national There are 337 recycling says it may be “difficult and possible to have just a tiny amount target for 2020 of 50% recycling container parks which collect expensive” to go over 80% of residual waste. It would seem and composting. The urgency 50% of household waste. A recycling. Flanders spends 184 key issues remain participation, to reduce carbon emissions, use wide range of waste streams euro per household p/a on enforcement, reducing residual resources more efficiently, and peak are separated for recycling: waste. However, figures show waste & its collection. Focus must oil, are powerful drivers pushing construction & demolition, oils, that if diversion of food and turn to waste prevention. Home for much more rapid change batteries, polystyrene, WEEE, paper from residual waste could and in-situ composting has much than contained in current waste paper & card, plastics and film be improved there would be less more potential, as does reuse. policy, practice, and targets. packaging, metals, textiles, than 60kg residual waste per Producer responsibility must lightbulbs & fluorescents, person p/a!! (40% of residual grow alongside an awareness wood, car and bike tyres,

6 How high can we go! How high can we go! 7 San Francisco -Dig it! which is then sold to Bay Area farms and vineyards. San Francisco starts Everyone in San Francisco is now mandatory composting required to separate their refuse into recyclables, compostables and after achieving 72% trash in three separate color-coded recycling rate bins. No one may mix recyclables, compostables or trash, or deposit Tossing food scraps into the refuse of one type in a collection garbage can is a crime - at least container designated for another in San Francisco. type. All properties are required to maintain and pay for adequate San Francisco has become the first refuse services. American city to require all people and businesses to segregate their It's all part of an ambitious goal food waste for composting. This to reach zero waste by 2020 – to Organic Annex is already processing simpler than it may seem. "This is follows a similar move by Seattle, reduce waste and have the city about half of the city's food waste, not rocket science. This is putting but that excluded businesses. sending nothing to landfills or which is more than 500 tons per some food scraps into a different San Francisco currently keeps 72 incinerators by 2020. day. "We hear a lot about climate pile and then turning it into compost. percent of its garbage stream out of Garbage officials in the city have change, and what we can do and If we can't do that, then I really worry landfill by recycling, which includes been stunned and heartened should do, and what's happening about our ability to do some of those construction material and cooking by the tons of food waste that is in Congress," Blumenfeld says. "But more complex things." oil. already streaming in. After picking people want to know what they Fines won't be levied until early can, practically, do every single day, While mandatory recycling laws start up kerbside food scraps, garbage next year to allow homeowners to and composting your food scraps to take shape in several cities across trucks head to the south of the city to get used to the new sorting; but is probably the single most effective America, San Francisco is moving the Organics Annex, the heart of the once they do take effect, people not thing you can do as a citizen in the things a step further by requiring all citywide food waste operation. participating can expect penalties United States today." residents to compost. All food refuse Jared Blumenfeld, the city's of anywhere from US$100 - 1,000 is turned into compost, environmental officer, says the Blumenfeld says composting is depending on warnings. 8 San Francisco Composting San Francisco Composting 9 Supermarket Tesco has launched its ‘BOGOF- quantity of meat could have fed ‘BOGOF later’ trial – no, not a response to about 5 million families 1kg of meat Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s free each or provided the equivalent of later’ range chicken campaign, but a ‘Buy 30 million meal portions – so why to food waste One Get One Free Later’ scheme in was that meat allowed to go to which customers get a voucher to waste in the first place? claim the free item at a later date. In a recent interview, Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco says this will help cut down Tesco Chief Executive, when asked food waste. Tesco has reached “what is your greatest hope for the its target to achieve 100 per cent next 10 years?” replied: “we have diversion of waste from landfill, to move much further forward Sainsburys and Asda have similar on climate change and allow the targets. Tesco gets over 20 million consumer to lead us to a low carbon shoppers a week throughout the future”. (The Guardian). UK. From over 500,000 tonnes of As so many people use waste per year, 385,000 tonnes Supermarkets, they have a vital was recycled, and 146,000 tonnes role to play in reducing waste and was diverted from landfill via a encouraging more sustainable mix of : in vessel composting consumer habits. What many (IVC) ; anaerobic digestion (AD) ; would like to see supermarkets mechanical biological treatment doing is: taking greater producer (MBT) ; mechanical heat treatment responsibility, for example (MHT) and energy from waste (EfW). preventing waste and thinking So how far does Tesco have to truck beyond recycling with reuse, refill its residual waste to avoid disposal and deposit schemes, packaging via landfill? Quite a long way from take-back schemes like Germany, Devon and Cornwall! reducing packaging, resource Up to 35% of supermarkets One supermarket chain alone & energy efficiency measures, Love Food, Hate Waste……. waste stream is wasted food, wasted the equivalent of 30 stopping wasteful practices (2 for million portions of meat. Then More than 5,000 tonnes of 1, portion sizes, open freezers etc), much of which was thrown add the estimated one third of wasted Tesco meat products are minimising food waste, promoting away because it went out food that householders buy and generating 2,500 Mega Watt Hours more local and seasonal food, of its sell by date. then throw away due to over- of renewable energy each year - selling real nappies, improving fair purchasing, and it reveals a enough to power more than 600 trade and ethical business practices staggeringly wasteful picture. homes for a year. However, that among other things.

10 Supermarket waste Supermarket waste 11 through the established programme of ‘Transition Together’ and achieve quantifiable ‘Home Grown reductions in energy consumption, food, transportation, water and waste. Step 2 Community Owned’ will provide energy efficiency measures, including home energy audits, loft and CCD Programme cavity wall insulation. Stage 3 is help fitting ‘Home Grown Community Owned’ (HogCO) is appropriate renewable energy to homes. a CCD project funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s One participant from each Transition Street Local Food Scheme. We are working across will complete training in assessing suitability rural Devon to help communities develop local food projects – prioritising groups that for household micro-generation. Grants involve people from all backgrounds and for fitting systems will be available. Stage 4 abilities, fostering innovative partnerships in focuses on community awareness - Totnes some way. Civic Hall will be made energy efficient and HogCO will work with 70 groups over the next fitted with solar PV. The savings generated 5 years to develop food growing projects will be used to support further projects, with – these can include community gardens, orchards, seed saving groups, composting, challenges of peak oil and climate change. a public digital display showing the energy Totnes ‘Low Carbon and much more. Our website and resources savings being made. In addition, ‘Open Community’ receives We have managed with very little money are available to all, and we will be developing and a great many volunteers. This grant will Streets’ evens will showcase some of the toolkits on legal tenure, planning and access Government boost enable us to make a real difference to a very upgraded houses so that the public can see issues (covering social inclusion and physical access) and we are delivering a wide range Transition Town Totnes has been selected by wide range of people. We will be recruiting 15 what the project has achieved. During the life Transition Streets where up to 10 households of the scheme TTT expect to work with about of training programmes free for community the Government as one of only 8 pioneering groups. So far none of our groups are doing 350 houses in Totnes. communities across the country to accelerate in each street are willing to work together community composting – so talk to us about their move towards becoming a low carbon to reduce their use of carbon and their This model of educating and empowering your ideas! community. They have been awarded fuel bills”. people to decide for themselves how best HogCO has been widely supported by the £625,000. This follows an earlier award from Minister Joan Ruddock said “we’ve had more to decarbonise their lives is one with huge community, and so far we have selected 20 the Esmee Fairburn Foundation of £39,000 than 300 communities register with the Low implications for how Government tackles projects to work with, including a community supported agriculture project, a Housing to support the work of the ‘Energy Descent Carbon Communities Challenge, so there’s a climate change in communities, offering Association project working with residents to Action Plan’ developed by TTT and outlined in real appetite out there to save energy to help genuinely bottom-up engagement coupled develop a community garden, and a market the last Junk Mail. tackle global warming and save money on with ongoing behaviour change. garden working with people with learning Rob Hopkins, the founder of the Transition fuel bills. Communities like Totnes will help Transition Town Totnes now has about difficulties. Town movement, which began in Totnes to develop the policies we need in the future 20 projects running, overseen by various HogCO is also working with a range of public and private landowners, hoping to and now involves thousands of communities to make the successful transition to a low working groups, paid and voluntary staff. carbon economy.” facilitate more land being made accessible across Britain and the world commented: “this for community growing, for example National is a really historic moment for both Transition The project, called “Transition Streets”, will Trust, National Park or PCT land. Town Totnes and for the town itself. We have bring together groups of neighbours in More details can be found on the website Our website is up and running been engaging people across the community streets across the town. It has 4 stages. and you can get a free e-newsletter see www.hogco-devonrcc.org.uk for the last 4 years in addressing the twin Stage 1 will support behaviour change http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/ or email us at [email protected]

12 Transition Together Transition Together 13 • Can you extend the life of your PC by Government computers by 12,000 tonnes – servicing & upgrading it instead of roughly the equivalent to taking 5,000 cars Making replacing it? off the road. The Carbon Trust estimates that 20% The Department for Work and Pensions of carbon emissions from Government (DWP) will save 200 million sheets of paper computer offices come from ICT. Each year the offices a year through cutting down the number of generate around 460,000 tonnes of co2, printers in the department and changing the roughly the equivalent amount created by default setting to double-sided printing. use greener a million households in a month. Now The “A year ago the British Government became Get off the screen Government has saved at least £7 million the first in the world to set tough targets to over the past year by making its IT systems tackle the huge environmental and financial and into the garden! greener. Changes included extending the costs of computer use,” said Cabinet life of PCs, making double-sided printing the Office Minister Angela Smith. “I hope that default option and making sure computers private companies and individuals will also are turned off at night. These have all recognise the savings that can be made and helped cut the carbon footprint of central get on board.”

How much energy does your computer rooms (unless you use low energy bulbs). Computer Reuse specifications use? Worldwide, ICT accounts for 4 per A business with 400 computers can use Guidelines: projects take computers with Pentium or Celerion 600 processors, which are on cent of carbon emissions - that’s the same 260,000 watts of power per hour. computers no older than 3 or 4 years. Older computers are too slow/obsolete. Printers are as the aviation industry. How to be greener: generally not accepted, and monitors should be 17” for reuse standards. And it has been estimated that each search See www.computersforcharity.org.uk for details - based in Bude. They will wipe computer • Allowing your computer to ‘sleep’ when data and export to africa - over 20,000 so far. They charge to collect but want Pentium on google leads to the equivalent energy idle is the most energy efficient method machines of 700 mhz. They cater for organisations with multiple units rather than individual use of boiling a kettle - search engines are (keyboards often have a ‘sleep’ mode householders. energy guzzlers. shortcut key) www.a1prp.co.uk operate a computer reuse, recycling and training project based in Exeter Fact: 89lbs of waste can be generated by • Use a ‘smartplug’ – when you switch 01392 202779. producing chips for just 1 computer! 40lbs off your PC it cuts the power to the www.paperchain.org.uk collect for recycling around Exeter. of hazardous waste can be produced from computer, printer, monitor and anything www.ics-computers.co.uk Independent Computer Solutions in Newton Abbott refurbish systems for reuse. the manufacture of a circuit board weighing else plugged into that socket. PC’s, just 4lbs ! screens and printers all suck power even If you are disposing of a computer, and may have sensitive information on it, you should ensure that the hard drive will be or has been ‘cleaned’ or destroyed otherwise information Average Power Consumption of a PC: whilst off unless unplugged or used may be recovered by someone else. Pc’s are still designed to be short life disposable items as • Desktop Computers 60 -500 watts with a smartplug. Smartplugs are being technology moves fast. distributed free by Eon and others, check o Sleep or standby 2-6 watts Printer cartridges the web. 1. Charity shop collection boxes eg Help the Aged & others • Laptops 15 -60 watts • In order to save electricity on your home 2. mail schemes with charities eg www.actionaid.org.uk. &/or freepost to • Monitors 100 – 150 watts computer, don’t use a screensaver! help the aged. • Monitor LCD 35-45 watts • Screensavers use the same electricity 3. some LA kerbside recycling eg Teignbridge, Mid Devon, o Sleeping Monitors and turned off as a computer being used, as the 4. some small computer shops have collection boxes, monitors can use 0-15 watts. screensaver uses both the GPU and CPU 5. Cartridge Line refill centres have collection boxes, Your computer can use up to 650w, that’s on your computer. 6. overview of options and links on www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk the equivalent of all the lights on in 3 or 4 • With the monitor on, there is no savings. 7. A1 Positive Recycling Project www.a1prp.co.uk [email protected] 14 Greener Computer Use Greener Computer Use 15 In the mean time more standardisation, simplification, and ease of disassembly would make recycling much easier for the consumer and the recycler alike. The Symbols for packaging article on the Pullapart packaging website www.pullapart.co.uk shows that the more complex the range of materials used in combination by producers, the more complicated any recycling system will be. What’s needed is simple eco- & plastics recycling design and more reuse. With a background of increasing demand for plastics recycling, JM explains Germany has packaging take back schemes in supermarkets, this makes it some of symbols used. What do they all mean and how can they help us to easier for the consumer to recycle and reduces costs to the taxpayer. recycle better? Generally plastics must be clean and uncontaminated ie: no Encouraging producer responsibility enhances eco-design and standardisation food residues. Plastics accepted at Devon Recycling centres will generally be for easier recyclability. numbers1,2,3,5,and 6. No.4, plastic bags can be recycled at supermarket collection points, as can some food bags, but check labelling first. The main The UK labelling example shown below does not really help people recycle more types of plastics and common uses are: easily as different services around the UK are varied. It seems to allow producers to pretend they are ‘doing something’ when they are in fact not tackling the Polyethylene terephthalate - Fizzy drink bottles, oven-ready meal trays issues of multi-material combinations of materials used, eco-design or a lack of recycling facilities for packaging. Compostable starch plastics often used with organic veg do not help recycling, in fact they lead to contamination in plastic High-density polyethylene - Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids, recycling. Degradable bags disintegrate when reused. Plastic coated tin foil or fruit netting & attached labels. Milk bottle lids. card and plastic layers in tetra-paks are impossible to recycle. Polyvinyl chloride - Food trays, cling film, bottles for squash, “Widely Recycled” means 65% of people have access mineral water and shampoo, plastic double glazing frames. to recycling facilities for these items. Low density polyethylene - Carrier bags, bin liners, plastic film wrap, “Check locally” means 15% - 65% of people have bubble wrap, plastic sheeting. access to recycling facilities for these items. “Not recycled” means less than 15% of people have Polypropylene - Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays, access to recycling facilities for these items. many lids and bottle tops, plastic containers. The Green Dot confuses many people. It does NOT necessarily Polystyrene - Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes mean that the packaging can be recycled. It is a symbol used on and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective rigid packaging packaging in many EU countries and signifies that the producer has for electronic goods and toys, cd cases. made a contribution towards the recycling of packaging. 7. Any other plastics that do not fall into any of the above categories. An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates and cups. Indicates that an object is capable of being recycled - not that the There are so many different types of plastic because it is a multi-purpose, versatile object has been recycled. and adaptable material. Plastic is used in almost everything and we waste it in a disposable single use way. Reusable plastic containers are in common use in the home, so how long before packaging design incorporates plastic reuse? Many Mobius Loop with % weekly shopping goods could be bought using refillable or reusable Shows the percentage of recycled material contained in the plastic containers. packaging.

16 Packaging & Recycling Symbols Packaging & Recycling Symbols 17 best practice. Pullapart says recycling is subsistence farming and market complex and its approach mirrors this – WRAP Report gardening. It would then be easier, it has developed a system of ‘traffic light’ British households dispose of £12 billion cleaner, and less hazardous to sort ratings so that consumers can more worth of food and drink waste each remaining recyclables from the residual easily identify which types of packaging year - two thirds of which is avoidable, waste. It begs the question, should the are best and worst – many combine a new WRAP report has claimed. developed world be cleanly segregating different materials, so for recycling they Just published the study indicated that all its unrecycled mixed plastic waste need to be designed to come apart 8.3 million tonnes of food and drink for sorting in the developing world easily for source separation, and not waste is disposed of annually, which where value can be reclaimed? With lead to a frustrated wrestling match equates to 330kg per householder per the advent of peak oil this may happen Household battery with obstinate packaging. Recycling is year, amounted to £480 wasted per sooner rather than later. about clean-streaming the particular household on unused food and drink The programme can be viewed on and vegetable oil material and minimising contamination each year. line at: http://www.channel4.com/ recycling so that the raw material quality is WRAP – Government funded Wasted programmes/kevin-mccloud-slumming- maintained, this relies largely on citizens Resources Action Programme Look out for battery recycling points it/4od goodwill and effective kerbside sorting. as most major retailers, many smaller PullApart’s founder Micheal Butler ‘Slumdog’ recycling outlets, and Recycling Centres will now Freegle has won a ‘GreenApple’ Enviromental Readers may have seen on Channel Keen reusers are fleeing ‘Freecycle’ collect used batteries for recycling. award. He says:” I have found it very 4 Kevin Mccloud’s ‘Slumming it’, a and setting up a rival ‘Freegle’ network Better still, use rechargeable batteries, frustrating that there isn’t a common programme which featured recycling in following a dispute between US-based but make sure you get the better quality kerbside recycling service between Mumbai’s largest slum Dharavi (India), online reuse network Freecycle and its higher Ah rated ones. In tests Uniross council areas We should all be able to home to over 1m people. Over 80% UK membership. Freegle will work in have performed best. With the advent easily recycle the same materials, in all of Mumbai’s plastic waste is recycled the same way and enable local groups of LED technology (light emitting diodes) the same way. in Dharavi’s recycling enterprises. So to set up online forums in which users rechargeable batteries will last a lot called ’rag pickers’ source plastic waste can trade, advertise or locate unwanted longer between charges. If packaging materials could be very specifically designed and strictly from mountains of stinking rubbish, household items rather than disposing Collection points for used household adhered to, taking into account the they are among the poorest who live of them. vegetable oil are also in place at DCC environmental and easy consumer beside the rubbish dumps and try The newly formed Freegle claims Recycling centres. needs, cost, hygiene, durability and and make a living from collecting and that 141 local groups - almost a third absolute need, then we would, I’m selling recylables. They are proud of former Freecycle groups and PullApart packaging certain, be recycling near 100%’. and resourceful people. The rubbish representing over 638,000 members seemed to consist of mainly organic - have moved to the new co-operative www.pullapart.co.uk is an innovative See www.pullapart.co.uk Teignbridge based free to use and plastic waste. High value materials umbrella organisation, and it said packaging survey website that rates Plasterboard recycling like plastic bottles have already been “around one million” are expected to different types of household product Look out for additional recycling facilities segregated upstream by people trying follow. packaging for their ease of recyclability, for different materials as new ones to make extra income. Visit: www.ilovefreegle.org/ so far only with the aim of helping people recycle are appearing regularly - separate What was striking was that food Teignbridge was registered on the more effectively and encouraging recycling skips for plasterboard are now waste is not collected separately for freegle network. producers to package their products in located at main Recycling Centres. Its composting, whereupon it would more eco-friendly ways and identifying uses include as a soil conditioner. become a valuable resource for

18 Recycling news Recycling news 19 Local News James Bruges tells of a recently £1m investment in plastic recycling. rediscovered agrarian civilisation in the Amazon which collapsed finally, TQ Recycling Ltd based in Kingsbridge not because the soil was worn out as have secured investor funding in nearly every other great civilisation, including £95k from the SW Regional but because of the diseases brought Development Agency to proceed with by the Conquistadors which killed 9 their planned state of the art 30,000 out of 10 people. In fact the soils that tonne p/a plastics sorting facility in they created, called ‘terra preta’ are still South Hams. This will boost the recovery Bio Char of plastics from the commercial and being used today as trucks regularly the biochar debate load up this ancient soil and sell it off at household waste stream, enable charcoal’s potential to reverse garden centres. many businesses to reduce their waste climate change and disposal and create 11 new green Book Review The only potential downside to Bio Char Plastic container sculpture by David Kemp build soil fertility jobs. TQ’s co-founder David Newman is that big businesses could take over Mixed plastics now accepted said “this paves the way for real James Bruges bio Char in a big way for carbon credits improvements in Devon’s trade recycling published by Green Books £8.00 for offsetting other polluting activities at Recycling Centres! capacity which will provide lasting and, worse still grow crops just to make It’s been a year since DCC Recycling Centres benefits to local businesses. Charcoal is a very stable form of carbon into char. Nevertheless I think there is a started accepting mixed plastic packaging that resists oxidisation and if incorporated great opportunity for small composting as well as plastic bottles for recycling, but groups to either get together with their into soils rather than burnt can not only word has been slow to spread. This generally local charcoal producer and get all the sequester carbon but hold onto water means rigid plastic packaging that has the small stuff and dust to blend with their plastic triangle symbol with a number 1-6 and nutrients creating and maintaining best sieved compost (bio-char needs to stamped inside it (see other pages for details) very fertile soils. be mixed with compost otherwise it will So get set for extra washing up because the James Bruges has written a valuable pull nutrients from the soil, which can plastic must be clean! Yes that means all book on this subject just at a time when detrimentally effect the crop rather than those pots, tubs, trays, containers & lids. interest in this ancient technique is being boosting it) and sell bags of bio-char Plastic bags are not accepted but these can be rediscovered for the incredible potential it compost, or to start making charcoal reused or recycled at supermarket collection has in reducing atmospheric carbon. As from some of the woody materials points. Supermarkets will also collect some James Lovelock says, “There is one way brought to their sites and pulverising this food bags eg bags from frozen peas, cereal we could save ourselves (from global to mix with compost, bearing in mind that plastic bags, fruit netting & attached labels, heating) and that is through the massive charcoal dust is a pretty toxic substance so check the packaging labelling carefully. burial of charcoal. It would mean farmers so suitable care will have to be taken. Plastics are collected from Recycling Centres turning all their agricultural waste – which According to further research undertaken by a compaction vehicle and taken to contains carbon that plants have spent courtesy of You Tube the production of Peninsula Waste Savers in North Tawton, from the summer sequestering – into non- Bio-Char involves a fast burn to create where they are bulked for export to China for recycling. biodegradable charcoal and burying it the char which is far preferable to the in the soil … This scheme would need no slow polluting slow burn that charcoal Please look on the back cover of Junk- Plastic bottle recycling subsidy; the farmer would make a profit.” makers employ. mail for the list of plastic recycling items:

20 Bio Char review Recycling plastic waste 21 MIXED PLASTICS - PLEASE MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CLEAN ➢ All plastic drink bottles (squash and put lid back on) ➢ Plastic milk bottles (squash and put lid back on) ➢ All plastic household cleaning bottles ➢ Pre formed biscuit or chocolate box trays ➢ Plastic sandwich containers ➢ Yogurt pots, margarine tubs, Ready meal containers etc ➢ Plastic fruit containers (unless made from expanded polystyrene) ➢ CD’s & cases ➢ Plastic flower pots (must be clean)

ITEMS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND NOT LISTED ABOVE – SUCH AS: ➢ Nothing contaminated with food, grease or oil (not clean) ➢ No ‘biodegradable’ plastic ➢ Nothing made from more than one type of plastic ➢ Plastic bags ➢ Bubble wrap, cling film ➢ Cereal packet inners, Cellophane wrapping ➢ Waxed juice type containers (Tetrapaks have separate recycling facilities) ➢ Paint containers, plastic toys, videos, ink cartridges etc ➢ Pet food pouches or soft drink pouches ➢ Expanded polystyrene packaging including EPS food trays ➢ wrappers from crisps and biscuits ➢ Anything lined with silver paper ➢ Toothpaste tubes or disposable razors Plastic Recycling Centre List Plastic Recycling Centre ➢ Containers for hand and other skin creams (unless very clean) ➢ Any large items made from plastic - No furniture, toys etc

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