Recycle

Did you know this is Big Plastic Count Week, 11-17th March?

The recycling centre on the South Lowestoft Industrial Estate has re-opened, with new rules. It's working well. No queues. You book a slot, go along at the appointed time, and deliver your stuff. BOOK A SLOT  

At Budget 2018, government announced that from April 2022 it wouldintroduce a world-leading new tax on the production and import of plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content, subject to consultation. Plastic packaging accounts for 44% of plastic used in the UK , but 67% of plastic waste, and over 2 million tonnes of plastic packaging is used each year.     https://www.gov.uk. 

Proposals to reform the packaging producer responsibility system. These regulations set waste recycling targets for businesses responsible for producing packaging (like food containers). In particular, we’re seeking views on: changing how costs are managed to be consistent with “polluter pays” principles how we can use incentives to encourage the use of recyclable packaging making recycling labels mandatory on packaging setting new packaging waste recycling targets for 2025 and 2030 improving monitoring and enforcement of the regulations

It may sound obvious but recycling is something that we can and should all do. Here's a list of what can be put in your BLUE BIN. Do this and everyone benefits. But also think what could be re-used, re-paired, and re-purposed  Recycling in Suffolk » East Suffolk Council

Use It All is all about trying to reduce our individual carbon footprint. Terracycling is one of the things we can do. Terracyling is actually the name of a US company who specialise in recycling stuff that other systems find hard to process or turn into something else.

https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB  "Zero Waste Boxes" https://zerowasteboxes.terracycle.co.uk/pages/how-it-works   

Teracycling UK and Philips have got together in another waste saving idea, and you can get a discount too. How does it work?

1) Collect any brand of used dental care products at home  

2) Request a free shipping label from the Philips website

3) Send your dental care products, in a box or envelope, for recycling

4) Enjoy 10% off toothbrush heads on the Philips website using your discount code!   For more info click here

There's a lot of symbols! The labels are useful, but it's a bit of a minefield. Local Government - in our case Suffolk County Council - do most of our recycling. They do it by 'kerbside collection' (bins),and through recycling centres. Many other things can be recycled (that's the labels) but to collect the greatest amount in the most efficient way - ONLY PUT IN THE BLUE BIN WHAT YOU KNOW CAN BE RECYCLED!

As a rule of thumbs..  

East Suffolk Council are asking us to be more careful with the way we use our recycle and waste bins.  

"Residents in east Suffolk have been urged to improve their "bin etiquette" after a rise in household waste during the coronavirus pandemic.  

East Suffolk Council have encouraged residents to follow bin guidelines to help refuse teams provide an efficient, essential service." 

Click to see the story and guidelines.  

 – Tesco makes a start

A lot of plastic packaging is rigid. A high percentage of rigid plastic can be put in your blue bin.

But a lot of it is film of one sort or another. This is NOT for the blue bin. 

Things are changing.

Tesco gathers up used film carrier bags at its store collection points. I have discovered you can add quite a lot different packets and packaging to the same collection point.