Better Waste Management
Recycling Facts:
- Household recycling rates have risen to almost 40%
- 80% of our waste could still be recycled
- Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of C02 a year – the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.
- There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the UK, and in 2001, these sites produced a quarter of the UK’s emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. More »
Eco Trend – Simple Ways To Save Water Consumption
Most people take water for granted. Rarely do they think that there are persons out there that would cherish even the tiniest drop of liquid.
During the Second World War, families were instructed to save up water; it was everybody’s duty towards their country to do so. Water conservation posters taught people how to use less water in the kitchen, while washing their cars or even themselves. To our disgust, this sometimes lead to several people using the same bath water.
This article does not encourage you to suffer of thirst or skip your daily shower. It tries to prove that you can use less water for the benefit of the entire planet with such little effort. Sure, you may think that your actions will have no echo in the near future, but just take into consideration the fact that you are definitely not the only one that cares. If you are doing it, there is probably somebody else out there that cares too and tries to make a change. More »
6 Ways To Recycle Leftover Food
Image via Wikipedia
Food gets left over mostly due to inadequate planning at home. If you cook only as much as your family eats, you won’t have leftover maintenance issues, unless you’re cooking extra for later consumption. The same planning comes in when you’re travelling and ordering food at restaurants and eateries on the go. People order way too much and cause food to be wasted, which then becomes the problem of the restaurateurs. Restaurants deal with leftover food wastage on a daily basis. Here are ways regular people and restaurants can recycle their leftover food.
Recycling Charter Will Help Small Businesses Recycle
A new Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitment which is part of the governments recycling charter will help small businesses to recycle more of their waste.
The commitment was announced at this year’s Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) conference, held last week.
Minister for Recycling Lord Taylor explained that the new initiative is intended to increase recycling rates amongst small businesses and inform business owners about how to recycle more effectively.
12 principles of best practice were outlined at the conference that can be used by local councils to help make their recycling services more accessible to small business owners.
The principles outlined included making recycling services more accessible, improving services through assessment and consultation and ensuring that services offered value for money. At the conference local authorities pledged to provide collection services for small businesses that request them.
Research carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses found that 30 million tonnes of waste are being recycled by small and medium sized companies each year, which amounts to more than 50% of all waste produced.
Oil spills and industrial cleaning on a large scale
It’s hard to believe that it has been well over a year since the BP oil disaster took place in the Gulf of Mexico as it was, and still is, one of the largest accidental oil spills of all time. The disaster happened on April 2010 and not only resulted in nearly 5 million barrels of oil seeping into the sea, but it caused innocent lives and had an impact that threatened marine life along hundreds of miles of coastline.
A year has passed and has given us a chance to look at exactly what kind of environmental impact the spillage had, on the environment, the wildlife and human kind. Was the disaster as bad as it was feared at the time?
Many experts who have spent countless hours researching the event have concluded that the full extent of the disaster is impossible to measure in the space of just one year. Nature will not work in the way that will make such an assessment possible. It could take countless months and many more years before enough data is collected to give the full picture and idea of the damage done.
Early indications and expert reports have revealed that the Gulf itself is in a higher state of health than first pictured when the disaster happened. By no means is the Gulf in a perfect position, but the current state is promising.
Damage assessment studies could take several years or even longer to be completed, meaning that we as a people can only best guess to the damaging effects.
BP, volunteers and other general good-doers made sure that help was delivered in the early stages of the disaster. Clean up crews on an industrial cleaning scale were brought in to help reduce the immediate damage just hours after the spill hit the shorelines. Wildlife including, sea, land and air creatures were all effected in a negative way. Fish and sea birds were worst affected as can be imagined, while creatures like turtles and dolphins also paid the price.
Communities around the spill have also suffered a knock on effect from the spill. Families that survived on fishing in order to put food on the table have now had to look towards other options to make ends meet.
BP who are responsible for the disaster are set to be fined by the US government for an appropriate amount in relationship with the disaster. The amount has not been disclosed but it could be as high as 19 billion US dollars if the company is found of gross negligence, with early indications showing that this fee may be reduced to around 4.5 billion if gross negligence cannot be ascertained.