Why recycle...

Recycling is a pretty controversial issue right now. I have found that is has become a somewhat confused topic with many (especially in the media) believing it is our key to saving the planet. While this is a nice idea I think its safe to say that recycling forms part of a much bigger picture and will not single handily save the planet. But this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t recycle. At the end of the day every little bit helps and if we all contribute then the effects are bound to be positive. In this article I will discuss my take on why we need to recycle. I’m sure I will leave stuff out but that’s for you guys to pick up on. Please feel free to comment on what I have to say.

One of the primary and most immediate effects of recycling is a reduction in the amount of refuse going into landfill sites. This fact is pretty major as we are fast running out of space with the vast amounts of rubbish being generated. According to WasteWatch.org “each UK household produces over 1 tonne of rubbish annually, amounting to about 31 million tonnes for the UK each year”. Now that’s a lot. Having grown up in the countryside it used to (and still does) bother me quite a bit to see large tracts of land being swallowed up by rubbish tips. By recycling more this means less tonnage that needs to be put into the ground. And this has knock on effects on the environment and a whole host of other items. I will go into these in a later posting.

The second most important reason to recycle is this… a lot of stuff we throw away can be used again! All those plastic bottles, newspapers, cans etc can be recycled. This is what I love most about it, stuff we use everyday can be turned back into well stuff that we use everyday. An interesting cycle really. But back to the point it is simply wasteful to throw something away that can be recycled or used again. One thing that really worries me is our rapidly rising global oil consumption. Linked into this is our demand for plastics. And where does the majority of it end up? In landfill sites, where it will take a very long time to break down and be of use to no one. So I think it’s pretty scary that we throw away that which comes from a source that will eventually run out. At the end of the day it simply doesn’t make sense does it?

Finally the third reason to recycle… yes I believe there is a third reason. Funny as it may sound but I believe this reason is self-gratification. I find recycling really enjoyable. Every time I take an armful of stuff to the recycle bin and drop it in I get a real feel good factor having done so. Ok some might say that this is a bit selfish but why should it be? I think its great that we can feel “good” when we do our bit. Its important to remember that recycling doesn’t need to be tedious or a chore. If it becomes that then no one will bother. And that is one of the main reasons why I wanted to setup this Blog. To inform others how fun recycling can be. In a way encouraging people to recycle requires winning the "hearts and minds war" (no not to be confused with the the other use for that statement). My next article will be on this very topic so check back for the next update.

Run out of post it notes?

We're all familiar with the good old post it note! A humble invention that has saved many a project, marriage and numerous telephone messages. So what is it that we should be doing with our beloved post it notes? Using them better! Having worked in an office environment for the past few years I noticed how many my colleagues burn through. Most of the time they just scribble something short on it and then throw it in the bin. Bit of a waste imo. What I tend to do is fit as much "reminders" on these post it notes to make them last longer. Once I've finished on one side I turn it round and use the other. Simple but effective really.

And here's another tip (your getting 2 tips in 1 here!!)... why not cut up unwanted A4 paper to replace your post it notes? I've started doing this at home and its pretty good. I cut up old paper from the office and even disused envelopes. Ok they might not be a perfect cut or have nice colours or have a sticky edge (to be honest I've never had a post it note stick for more than five minutes). But it is a great way of reusing paper and if you run a small business it can help cut costs. Not a massive amount I'm sure but it all helps at the end of the day.

So how do you post it? :)

First Recycling Tip! Reuse those Fish Bags :)

Reuse what you say? Ok let me explain :) Here in the UK when you buy a box of frozen fish, you'll usually find that the fish is kept inside a plastic bag inside the cardboard box. Now I was making my sarnies for work the other day and was about to roll out a big chunk of cling film when I saw the "fish bag" on the work top. It suddenly hit me that if I washed the bag out I could use it to hold my sarnies in the lunch box. Pretty nifty! That way I wouldn't need to use any cling film at all.

So why is this a good thing? Well it means using less cling film which means buying less of it which in turn means there's less of it going in the bin. And of course it will save you some money to in the long term. Plus it also means making use of something, i.e. the plastic bag which would otherwise have gone in the bin also.

Do you think this is a good recycling tip? Why not give it a try next time you make your sarnies :)

Welcome to MyRecycleTips!

A big hello and welcome to MyRecycleTips! So what is this Blog about you might ask? Well MyRecycleTips mission is to provide a fun place for people to submit their recycling tips. As we all know recycling is one of the big environmental issues facing us today. Some people have excellent recycling facilities, others don't. As a result recycling can be both easy and a chore for many.

But recycling does just involve putting paper/ cardboard in your blue bin or taking glass to the bottle bank. There are lots of little tips out there that can help us recycle more. And I want to turn this Blog into the best place on the web to find these tips.

So if you have any nifty tips you'd like to share with the world send them in. We will post them on here and people can comment on them. Together we can build the worlds best collection of recycling tips!

Thanks for stopping by and check back for lots of updates.