RE-CYCLING TIPS
All it takes is a little effort and imagination to ensure most things can be re-used or recycled. Recycling is part of many people’s everyday routine and here are a few tips to make sure it becomes a bigger part of yours.
Paper and cardboard releases Methane CH4 when it decomposes – which is 20 times more potent than CO2! So make sure it ends up in the recycling bins, not landfill. And if there isn’t a recycling point near you, find out why and demand one be created.
When you buy a new TV, fridge, washing machine or any electrical item, the delivery company by law have to unpack it for you and take away the packaging material free of charge.
Re-use, re-use, re-use…make it your mantra! Small cardboard packaging such as fruit and veg trays can be used for seeds and planted straight into the ground when ready, from where it will naturally decompose. Tins can be painted and used for pen pots, flower pots, tomato pots or simply to collect odds and ends.
All glass is recyclable, so whatever you’re not recycling make sure you use it around the house, for storage, in the garden or for using in cooking (when you can simply buy new lids from places like Lakeland).
Don’t throw out old furniture – give it a new lease of life with a new cover or re-upholster, or simply give it to charity who will do the same. You can find a local charity near to you at the Furniture Reuse Network website.
Don’t always buy new – reclamation yards are springing up all over the country so there’s bound to be one near you for radiators, tiles, bricks, timber and a whole lot more.