Where to recycle what?

It’s amazing what you find out once you get going…..

This week on the rubbish diet we are looking at all the stuff we can recycle in Shropshire so your local Bin Doctor has been out and about:

All your plastic pots:

As you know Shropshire Council are now collecting all your plastic pots such as margarine tubs, yoghurt pots from kerbside which is fab as this plastic makes up so much of our rubbish. Self Help Africa, above Paulo’s Osteria in Shrewsbury are collecting Plastic milk bottle tops - so if you are passing drop them off.

Stretchy plastic wrap:

But what about all that plastic wrap? What can we do with it? You may have noticed bins outside the Coop, Tescos and Sainsburys which say “Recycle your plastic bags here”  – well the good news is that it isn’t just carrier bags – you can put in wrap from toilet rolls, fruit bags, bread bags in there as well – in fact any plastic that feels a bit stretchy.

Biscuit wrappers:

As for biscuit wrappers – from your custard creams, digestives or any other biscuit can be recycled at the Shrewsbury United Reform Church – just pop them in a bag and drop them off at the church office or at 30 Ashley Street. They will be sent back to Terracycle where they will be made into new products.

Pen recycling:

Meole Brace School are collecting all your old pens, markers and highlighters – if you are anything like me you may well have a drawer full of old pens – have a sort out and drop them off in reception at Meole Brace school – they will be sent off to Terracycle to make  watering cans.

Electrical goods:

There are banks for small electrical items all over Shropshire – check out the Shropshire Waste website  www.shropshire.gov.uk/waste.nsf

For details of where you can recycle what.

If you know of a local group collecting particular materials – please let me know so that we can get the word out.

Woodfield Road, the latest street to take up the Rubbish Diet Challenge!!

Never ceases to amaze me!!

Over the Easter break I got my kids to post a little leaflet about the Rubbish diet challenge through my neighbours doors. I offered cake and a chat about rubbish! Low and behold 5 people turned up last night - all live on my street, but do you know what  - I hadn't even seen them never mind talked to them. So even before we get into the benefits of taking the rubbish diet together - I already know 5 more of my neighbours!

I decided to ask people on my street to do the Rubbish diet with me having seen the great things that have happened in Ashley St - where 22 households are slimming their bins together and sharing journeys to the Household Recycling centre for cardboard, tetrapak and electrical items.

It's bin day today so the bin slimmers of Woodfield Road have thrown themselves straight into the challenge -aiming to reduce the amount of stuff that ends up in their blue bin by recycling more, composting for England, trying to avoid non-recyclable packaging etc.

We have decided to share cardboard recycling as well - so I will put out a sack for cardboard on Sunday and people can wander down the road with their cardboard instead of  driving it to a bring bank.

I love getting to know my neighbours so I am really looking forward to slimming bins with the folk of Woodfield road over the next 8 weeks.

If you think your street would like to meet up and eat cake and talk rubbish - let me know and I will happily come and have a chat and help you set it up. It really works and it's good fun.

Have a look at our lovely new website and sign up for the Rubbish Diet: www.therubbishdiet.org.uk

Alison@therubbishdiet.org.uk or give me a ring on 07972 858313

The Rubbish Diet Website goes live!!!

Hello

Well after a lot of writing, rewriting, testing and talking - we are proud to announce that the Rubbish diet website is up and running ready for our launch of the Rubbish Diet challenge in Suffolk, Shropshire and Powys next week.

Which county will lose the most? - which county has the most to lose? We will find out over the next 3 months as we attempt to persuade over 200 households to take the rubbish diet challenge.

Whether it's a space thing and you can't get everything in your bin, your bin smells because of rotting food or you just can't stand our throw away lifestyle  - the rubbish diet will help to solve your waste problems.

It is a really straight forward process - all you need to do is sign up on the website www.therubbishdiet.org.uk and you will receive an introduction to the rubbish diet with step by step instructions of how to slim your bin.

Ali Thomas is your local Bin Doctor - and is really happy to come and have a rubbish chat - drop her a line on Alison@therubbishdiet.org.uk or ring 07972 858313 if you and your neighbours want to take the Rubbish Diet together or if you think your school, guide group, church or toddler group might be interested in slimming their bins and saving money at the same time.

Here's to slim bins in Shropshire this Spring!

What to do with all those padded envelopes

The other day I met some ladies who are interested in joining the Rubbish Diet Challenge - and as usual it wasn't long before conversation turns to "What can you do about.....? type questions.



padded envelopes

As people do more and more shopping on line so they begin to accumulate more and more padded envelopes. James Thompson, pointed me to this great Friends of the Earth guidance by Melanie Kramers: Melanie's guide to recycling padded envelopes:

1. Reuse It's obvious, but saving envelopes and reusing them when you have to send a package can save a packet. You may never need to buy them again. Friends of the Earth envelope reuse labels are a great way to clearly write the new address.
2. Sell or give away Bundled together by the dozen, used padded envelopes are a popular bulk buy on Ebay. Offer them on your local Freecycle site, where they'll be snapped up fast, or give to family and friends who do lots of eBay selling.
3. Storage Make the most of that protective bubble wrap and use them to store fragile items such as Christmas tree decorations.
4. Insulation My colleague Rachel recommends cutting open envelopes and taping them round outdoor water pipes as cosy insulation to stop them freezing in winter. You can stick a whole one over the outdoor tap.
5. Knee pads Try wrapping a few envelopes in fabric or cardboard to make a comfortable cushion for your knees when gardening.
6. Homemade pots Cut down to size and filled with compost, Jiffy bags make a handy pot for growing seedlings before transplanting.
7. Kids' crafts Save them for any kids you know to use as an unusual spongy art canvas.
8. Drawer dividers Old envelopes make useful pockets for keeping things tidy within a drawer, from loose screws to buttons and elastic bands.
9. Cat cushions Apparently, some cats love snoozing on soft padded envelopes that don't tear when kneaded with sharp claws. My cat seems to prefer the ironing pile for naps, but see what your pet makes of it.
10. Packaging Even when really used and battered, there's still life in your old padded envelopes. Use them as protection for whatever you want to send, then pop the whole thing inside a normal envelope.

Melanie Kramers, Communications & Media team If anyone has any other uses for them or indeed has any questions about different materials - give us a shout thanks Ali ________________________________________

Terracycle tackling hard to recycle materials

This week I have come across Terracycle.com - they run recycling Brigades for hard to recycle materials. For example, biscuit wrappers, pens, coffee packaging and Johnson's baby wipe packaging. A school, an organisation or an individual signs up to become a recycling location for a particular material and starts collecting.

Terracycle then sends out a Freepost label for the collector to send the materials to them. The materials are then upcycled or recycled into new and useful things!

AND Terracycle send the collector redeemable points. Brilliant isn't it?

I have come across 3 schemes this week: the United Reform Church in Abbey foregate are collecting biscuit wrappers - any non savoury biscuit wrapper - for example, digestive packet, penguins, gold bars, rocky bars etc - all this packaging can go to the URC and will be sent off for recycling.

The other schemes I have heard about collect pens that have run out. If you know of any other Brigades in Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin - please let me know. Thanks.

I have just heard that my application to set up a collection point in Meole Brace school has been confirmed so we will start after Easter - 1200 students and staff are bound to throw away a few pens I guess. So This Easter - how about going through those drawers and collecting all those broken pens, dried up felt pens, highlighters and markers - and bring them down to Meole Brace.


I would love to know about any other collection schemes going on in your area so that I can tell all the rubbish dieters - we are always looking for solutions to problem wastes. Bye for now ali 07972 858313