| If like me you've noticed the staggering amount | | | | wider recycling facilities than others, but should be |
| of packaging every single item from the | | | | able to offer you guidelines as to the types of |
| supermarket comes in these days, you may have | | | | rubbish they accept. Some councils for example |
| become interested in recycling. As the plastic | | | | don't accept glass at the kerbside so you'd have |
| packaging piles up it seems a terrible shame to | | | | to take those along to your local bottle bank. |
| throw it all out in the bin - with everything we | | | | Apart from recycling your rubbish there are lots |
| hear about helping the environment there's a | | | | of things you can do to cut down on the amount |
| certain new form of guilt surrounding our | | | | of packaging you use. These small changes tend |
| household rubbish. | | | | to have the effect of saving you money too so |
| The fact is that plastic waste is practically | | | | there's extra incentive to do it. Start off with |
| unavoidable - each foodstuff comes individually | | | | small changes like taking cotton shopping bags to |
| wrapped in plastic, from milk and bread to fruit | | | | the supermarket - this cuts out plastic bags which |
| and vegetables. Even the sealed cardboard box | | | | as we all know were invented by the devil |
| that tea bags come in is wrapped in plastic, as if it | | | | himself. |
| needs the extra level of protection from the | | | | Instead of buying bottled drinks all the time for |
| atmosphere. Perhaps it does, but humankind | | | | the gym/work/hiking etc, buy one sturdy metal |
| managed to survive quite a while without | | | | drinking bottle and refill it from the tap - water's |
| shrink-wrapping everything. | | | | good for you and you can survive without |
| Luckily for us, nine out of ten households in the | | | | flavoured drinks. Plan your meals each day so that |
| UK have access to kerbside collection schemes. | | | | you know how much food to buy and minimise |
| These are much like our ordinary rubbish | | | | waste - use leftovers where possible. Water your |
| collections, but if you've moved house recently it's | | | | garden with washing-up water and turn off lights |
| easy to get left out - I know I'm meant to have | | | | when you're not using them. This last isn't exactly |
| a recycling box but I've never seen one. To find | | | | recycling but every little helps! |
| out if there's a scheme in your area visit your | | | | Once you've started to think about the resources |
| local council website - you can request a recycling | | | | you use, how much they cost and how much you |
| box from them. | | | | could save, you'll find yourself thinking twice |
| Once you've got your special box it becomes | | | | before getting in the car or turning on the heating. |
| very easy to recycle. Simply look on the | | | | You might even walk or put on a jumper instead, |
| packaging itself for the recycling symbols to see if | | | | or recycle your old jumpers into a new woolly |
| it can go into the box. If you're buying supplies like | | | | blanket! Maybe not...but there's so much each and |
| party products, e.g. paper plates and plastic | | | | every one of us could do to recycle in all areas of |
| glasses, check from the manufacturer that they | | | | our lives, and for the culture-conscious among us |
| can be recycled (surprisingly, some paper | | | | it's very much in vogue. |
| products can't be!). Some councils have access to | | | | |