ZERO TO WASTE LANDFILL

No Comments Written by Sam on August 13, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized

Annoyed with paper straws? Could pasta straws be the solution?

Roughly 8.5 billion plastic straws are used in the U.K. each year, but as a new ban takes effect next April, that number will shrink to zero. One startup is hoping to corner the market for alternative straws using an unlikely material: pasta.

Stroodles straws are said to provide greater durability, are flavourless, vegan, 100% biodegradable and are edible raw or cooked after use.

A core principle for Stroodles is their ‘drink-easy’ ethos, meaning drinkers shouldn’t have to change behaviour or compromise on drinking experience to do good for the environment.

Company founder, Maxim Gelmann, said: “While we’re a very logical and effortless solution to the plastic problem, Stroodles is not just a straw company.

“Our driving goal is to become a vehicle for change and we hope that Stroodles can act as an enabler, subtly inspiring people to question how they consume everyday items. We hope these incremental changes will lead to a ripple effect and create a greater shift in behaviour, one Stroodle at a time.”

The concept of conscious consumerism also extends to Stroodles’ business model and operation. Pasta straws that don’t meet the standard get donated to food banks and a share of Stroodles’ sales are donated to charities who help fight plastic waste.

No Comments Written by Sam on August 16, 2018. Posted in Uncategorized

One-third of UK supermarket plastic is not easily recyclable

Almost a third of plastic packaging used by UK supermarkets is either non-recyclable through kerbside or retailer collection schemes or difficult to recycle, a consumer group has found. Which? is urging the government to introduce compulsory “clear and simple” recycling labelling on all plastic packaging as its new research reveals “huge inconsistencies” involving myriad different schemes and with some items not labelled at all. Its analysis of the packaging used for 27 everyday own-brand items at 10 major chains found that Lidl had the lowest proportion of widely recyclable packaging – at 71%. Iceland (73%), Ocado (74%) and Sainsbury’s (75%) were also close to the bottom of the pile. Overall, the analysis found that up to 29% of plastic packaging was not widely recyclable. The best performer was Morrisons with easily recyclable packaging for 81% of its tested products. For example, Morrisons’ chocolate cake was in a widely recyclable plastic box, while Lidl’s cake came in mixed packaging comprising a non-recyclable film within a widely recyclable box with a non-recyclable window. “Which? believes a lot more can be done to increase the amount of recyclable packaging and the way it is labelled so that consumers know what can be recycled and how to recycle it” said Nikki Stopford, director of research and publishing at Which? “The plastic pollution crisis makes it more crucial than ever that the government, manufacturers and supermarkets do the best they can to banish plastic that cannot be recycled and promote the use of less damaging packaging.” The analysis highlighted black plastic trays and “orange nets” as items that remain a huge challenge. The latter are not only non-recyclable, but they can also cause huge problems if they wrongly end up in a recycling sorting plant and risk getting caught in the machinery. It also found that a significant proportion of packaging – as much as 10% of Waitrose’s goods – could only be recycled at supermarket collection points rather than at the kerbside. Plastic waste has recently become an emotive issue in the UK, with programmes such as Blue Planet exposing its impact on the oceans, and regular media coverage exposing the dangers of a global plastic binge. In April, in response to a growing public backlash against the huge volumes of plastic rubbish, Aldi, Asda, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose all signed up to support the UK Plastics Pact – an industry wide initiative which says it aims to transform packaging and reduce avoidable plastic waste. That includes an aspiration that by 2025 all plastic packaging can be reused, recycled or composted. A Lidl spokesperson said the company had recently launched ambitious plastic reduction targets. “We are in the process of conducting a comprehensive review of our entire packaging footprint, and estimate that the vast majority of our packaging is widely recyclable under the industry standard scheme.”

No Comments Written by Sam on August 7, 2019. Posted in environmental, Uncategorized

Don’t Let Go – Balloon Releases On The Environment

Sourced from: https://www.facebook.com/MOEH242/photos/

If you haven’t seen this image on your social media timeline it is only a matter of time before you do. The Ministry of Environment and Housing have posted this image highlighting the impact of plastic and balloons being released into the environment.

A local traditions at memorials, schools, weddings, and other events balloon releases are something we have all done but have you ever considered the impact this can cause?

The Impact On Our Environment

Balloons that are released outside have end up somewhere, usually this is caught up in tree branches or electrical wiring.

Balloons that are not properly disposed of end up in the ocean and along coastal areas, becoming marine debris. This debris can be mistaken for food and eaten causing interal injury and potential death. The string attached to the balloons can also cause potential death as it wraps around marine wildlife and become entangled.

The Solution?

Instead of balloon releases you can instead have fun, celebrate, and remember with environmentally-friendly alternatives that The Ministry of Environment and Housing recommended.

If however balloon releases is not avoidable then the MCSUK have guidelines for wildlife friendly balloon use including the following:

Let go of balloons indoors only
Fill the balloons with air not helium.
Use balloons made of natural rubber latex rather than foil balloons.
When tying balloons use natural cotton string rather than plastic ribbon.
Hand tie balloons rather than using plastic valves.

Be a party pooper We all know reducing plastic in everyday life is easier said than done but something so simple as balloon releases can be an easy way to do your part. It may be just one balloon but to a critically endangered species of marine wildlife it could be their last meal.

Written by Sam on October 28, 2016. Posted in Uncategorized

What happens to plastics that are not recyclable?

Plastics are something we can recycle, but often struggle with. 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK and most families throw away about 40kg’s of that without putting it in the recycling bin. With plastic taking 500 years to decompose, that’s a lot of plastic just lying about in landfills. As far as waste goes, as humans we aren’t great at controlling or decreasing it. Because of this, we are hurting our own planet. Recycling is one positive way to combat this. Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from the rubbish we pour and fill into landfill sites. By recycling we are putting less into those sites, reducing the amount of pollution that is damaging our natural environment. Some plastic can’t be recycled, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t do something about it. But for those plastics that can’t be recycled, what happens to them? Most of the time they’re just allowed to rot in landfills. With plastic taking 500 years to decompose, that’s a lot of plastic just lying about in landfills. Meaning we have thousands of years’ worth of pollution seeping into our water and soil. Other unrecyclable plastics are carrier bags. We use them nearly every day on our way back from the supermarket and most of the time they collectively end up in an even bigger plastic bag under the sink. It’s estimated that over 100 million carrier bags are floating about in the ocean. Slowly polluting our sea and endangering marine life. Plastic is difficult to recycle as it is easily contaminated, making it unrecyclable. Different plastics have different chemical compositions and mixing the types leads to contamination. Even things like paper and ink can cause damage to the plastic that would otherwise be re used. The process of separating the different plastics as well as the separation of plastics to non-plastics is right now to labour intensive to put into action. All is not lost however, because when we do recycle plastic, we are helping. Slowly recycling is on the up, with a lot of EU nations recycling up to 50% of waste, a lot of that including plastic. Some parts of the plastic we can put in our recycling bins can’t be included and some things we think can be recycled can’t be. This is important to know as we want to increase the amount of plastic being recycled. The labels may have the recycling symbol on them but not every part of a plastic bottle can be recycled. Bottle caps that are a hard plastic or twist off cap can’t be recycled. They are made from polypropylene or plastic and should be taken off before tossed away. The labels that go around the bottles should also be placed in general waste as well as the caps. These can’t be recycled and could contaminate the plastics that can. Take away containers cant be recycled. The food has already contaminated the plastic and should be put with general waste. As stated before, carrier bags do not recycle but should be used less. Plastics are a difficult waste or us to combat. But by recycling what we know we can, we are helping just that little bit more.

No Comments Written by Sam on July 11, 2019. Posted in Uncategorized

Summer Recycling Tips

As the weather heats up with the World cup and Wimbledon in full swing you may be in holiday mode, but that doesn’t mean we should take a break from sustainability. Every year in Britain, we chuck away almost 450 million tonnes of household waste, most of which ends up in landfill. Rubbish like plastic bags can take hundreds of years to break down, so it’s best to find ways to both minimise and reuse our household waste. With many areas of the country only 10 years away from completely filling their local landfill sites, it’s crucial we all do our bit – starting now!

North West Waste would like to offer the following top tips to help make sure that looking after the environment remains high on your priority list over the summer: Get some wear out of your old clothes Why not have a sort out and bag up any old clothes you don’t wear anymore? if you are clearing out your wardrobe to make room for summer clothes, or getting rid of everything you didn’t wear this summer come the autumn, Anything good enough to be worn again can be donated to a charity shop, anything else can be chopped up and used for stuffing, rags or patchwork blankets!

Greener barbecues

If you are having a barbecue this summer remember that much of the waste produced can be recycled. You can recycle all your paper, card and cardboard; glass bottles and jars; cans, tins and empty aerosols; plastic bottles, pots tubs, and trays as well as cartons.

If your barbecue preparation includes getting rid of an old grill, recycle it instead of throwing it away. Once you have finished recycling your old grill, replace it with a more eco-friendly version.

On road trips

Pack food and snacks in reusable containers and bring a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Don’t forget to bring along bags to collect recyclables in the car and look for recycling bins at rest stops, use reusable crockery rather than disposable knives and forks and paper plates. Buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than food in disposable packaging.

Don’t litter

This is an all-round good rule for any time of the year, but it may be more likely that you’re going out for a picnic somewhere in the nice weather! If you are, make sure to try and pack as much of your food in reusable containers to reduce waste (and save you money!). You should also take bags with you to make sure that you take any rubbish from your picnic with you.

If you’re a business looking for some solutions to your recycling or food waste problems this summer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with North West Waste to learn more about what we do.

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North West Waste Consultants based in St Helens was set up in 2009 by Warren Aspinall, with the view to help local and national companies reduce their landfill and general waste costs.

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North West Waste, 4 Old Smithy
Church Road, Rainford,
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01744 758 349
warren@northwestwaste.co.uk