Am I wasting my time.....????

[Daisychain]

I run each morning and on my travels I see lots of plastic ring things, they're used to hold 4 pack of cans together, well someone told me that birds get caught in them and can die, so Ive started picking them up and when I get home I cut them into pieces. Is the bird story true or am I wasting my time. It bugs me that people cant be bothered to just use a bin, its not rocket science......

[The Woodman]

It's true unfortunately. I've seen two ducks caught up the things and I would say keep on cutting them up. I do.

[Daisychain]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

It's true unfortunately. I've seen two ducks caught up the things and I would say keep on cutting them up. I do.

Will do, thanks. Last week I collected 6 & picked up another 3 today, think I may get a reputation as being the mad rubbish collecting lady.....!!

[Bumblebeebob]

It's just good old human laziness & lack of respect or thought for anything or anyone else. I applaud your efforts & every little helps as they say!

[ron1863]

It's not just those plastic things that hold cans together. Hedgehogs can get their heads stuck in discarded paper cups

[Hedge Witch]

Well done Daisychain I think you should be proud of what you are doing

[stigofthedump]

Well done you!
I once saw a swan with one wrapped around its neck.
I’ve been cutting them up for years now. After a little nagging so does my mother, my brothers, my children and as many friends as I can reach.


Vince

[Jim Ford]

I've seen a wild mallard with one stuck round its neck.

Jim

[Biomotors]

Maybe if you sent a photo of this to the brewery, your local off-license, your local paper, etc. you might convince them to stop producing / selling them??? Headline "Crazy rubbish collecting lady wants your six-pack" etc.

[Daisychain]

Imagine If I start collecting cups as well, will have to give up the running & just take a big black sack for a walk.....

[galanthophile]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only person who picks these up to take home to destroy... Good for us.

[Paul mabbott]

No, you're doing the right thing. Just because some people are thoughtless pigs (sorry, pigs ...) doesn't mean that the rest of us need to be! I think in many cases it is sheer thoughtlessness - last week I was putting some glass into a recycling bin, one of a set that has been installed in our 'village' centre, when a young lad finished his drink and dropped the can on to the floor - inches from the can recycling bin ....

Originally Posted by Daisychain

I run each morning and on my travels I see lots of plastic ring things, they're used to hold 4 pack of cans together, well someone told me that birds get caught in them and can die, so Ive started picking them up and when I get home I cut them into pieces. Is the bird story true or am I wasting my time. It bugs me that people cant be bothered to just use a bin, its not rocket science......

[Meta menardi]

I find that you can make a 2 cut on these, and get all the holes opened and yet still have one piece of plastic. My life has not been wasted! I do cut them all up, there are such a range of hole sizes it is not just birds that are at risk. Just 'cause you are a rat at a tip, you shouldn't have to put up with this kind of thing.

[stigofthedump]

'I find that you can make a 2 cut on these, and get all the holes opened and yet still have one piece of plastic.'

Meta menardi, oh I'm so glad that I'm not alone! someone else does it!!!


Vince.

[loripo]

People seem to be getting worse about littering etc. Ive read some of th posts about dog fouling and what dog owners do with the poo bags. I took this photo a few months ago near where I live in London - this stuff washed up and down the Thames and the smell is gross sometimes. The swna were trying to find something edible. There is about ten to fifteen feet of water under what looks like a solid surface.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I find that you can make a 2 cut on these, and get all the holes opened and yet still have one piece of plastic. My life has not been wasted! I do cut them all up, there are such a range of hole sizes it is not just birds that are at risk. Just 'cause you are a rat at a tip, you shouldn't have to put up with this kind of thing.

Don't you have a plastics disposal/recycling bin? If so then you wouldn't need to chop them at all?

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Don't you have a plastics disposal/recycling bin? If so then you wouldn't need to chop them at all?

Well, in fact, no we don't. We do have a recycling bin but, here, they only take garden waste in a big brown bin, glass cans and paper in a box, but if we lived a few miles away, our brown bin would be blue, but that is only for paper, whilst if we lived a few miles the other way, they take plastic...

Joined up government?

Oh, and I forgot to mention that next door burn everything on a very slow bonfire (small one can burn for 4 days).

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

Well, in fact, no we don't. We do have a recycling bin but, here, they only take garden waste in a big brown bin, glass cans and paper in a box, but if we lived a few miles away, our brown bin would be blue, but that is only for paper, whilst if we lived a few miles the other way, they take plastic...

Joined up government?

Oh, and I forgot to mention that next door burn everything on a very slow bonfire (small one can burn for 4 days).

I know one authority which collects plastic bottles but not their lids - where's the logic in that?

It's amazing how attitudes vary around the country. When I was a lad there was a strict code: never on sunny days when people were out in the garden, hanging out washing or had windows open. On the other hand, in London you just didn't do it unless you wanted the fire brigade, police and man from the Council knocking on your door. But up here people light a fire whenever they have a bit of waste - commonly they throw on all their plastics creating huge toxic clouds .....

... and don't start me off about barbecues!

[The Woodman]

I've never understood why plastic bottle caps are not to be included with the bottles - presumably a different type of plastic. A bit of the bottle top remains on the neck of the bottle however - the security seal. I guess that bit gets recycled with the bottle.

On the label of the mineral water before me it says, "Bottle Plastic widely recycled, Cap Plastic check local recycling, Label Paper not currently recycled"

[Jez]

Bottles, bags what have you I have noticed have different numbers in the middle of the recycle symbol. Can anyone tell me what the different numbers mean

[Hedge Witch]

Originally Posted by Jez

Bottles, bags what have you I have noticed have different numbers in the middle of the recycle symbol. Can anyone tell me what the different numbers mean

If you are talking about the plastics, Jez, this is a list:

#1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) or (PET). Polyester is its nickname.
Used for: soft drink and water bottles, beer bottles, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter and salad dressing containers, ovenable film, ovenable pre-prepared food trays.
Recycled into: Polar fleece clothing, fiber, tote bags, bottles, clothing, furniture, carpet.
#2 - High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
Used for: milk, water and juice containers, trash and retail bags, liquid detergent bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners.
Recycled into: liquid laundry detergent containers, drainage pipe, oil bottles, recycling bins, benches, pens, doghouses, vitamin bottles, floor tile, picnic tables, lumber, mailbox posts, fencing.

#3 - Vinyl (Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC)
Used for: Clear food packaging, shampoo bottles, medical tubing, wire and cable insulation. There has been increasing concern over the potential toxicity of PVC, watch the media for developments.

#4 - Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Used for: Bread bags, frozen food bags, squeezable bottles (e.g. honey, mustard).

#5 - Polypropylene (PP)
Used for: Ketchup bottles, yogurt containers and margarine tubs, medicine bottles

#6 - Polystyrene (PS)
Used for: Compact disc jackets, food service applications, grocery store meat trays, egg cartons, aspirin bottles, cups, plates.

#7 - Other: Use of this code indicates that the package in question is made with a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin used in combination.
Used for: Three and five gallon reusable water bottles, some citrus juice and ketchup bottles

HTH

[FungiJus]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

I've never understood why plastic bottle caps are not to be included with the bottles - presumably a different type of plastic. A bit of the bottle top remains on the neck of the bottle however - the security seal. I guess that bit gets recycled with the bottle.

On the label of the mineral water before me it says, "Bottle Plastic widely recycled, Cap Plastic check local recycling, Label Paper not currently recycled"

I have a theory that this is simply to encourage people to leave the tops off empty bottles, rather than sealing them back up again before collection. Plastic bottles don't weigh much anyway per unit volume (compared to glass, steel etc) - even less so when they can't easily be crushed because the lid is on.

J.

[The Woodman]

You're right about the volume and the cap theory would stand in my opinion.

I've developed the "roll up" technique, i.e. with a slack top, roll the bottle up from the rigid base as tightly as possible and then screw the top on hard. The bottle will flex open a little but it saves a shed load of space.

The local field studies centre were making a green house out of 1.5 and 2 ltr bottles. I don't know if it ever got finished, I'll have a look in the next coouple of days..

At the Environment Agency office in Penrith, there's a mesh sided skip for plastic bottles and it's gone through my mind that a great deal of fresh air is transported to the recycling centre at the expense of a small amount of plastic.

[Paul mabbott]

Great. Now, if everyone were issued with this list we could separate our waste into even more boxes!

Originally Posted by Hedge Witch

If you are talking about the plastics, Jez, this is a list:

#1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) or (PET). Polyester is its nickname.
Used for: soft drink and water bottles, beer bottles, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter and salad dressing containers, ovenable film, ovenable pre-prepared food trays.
Recycled into: Polar fleece clothing, fiber, tote bags, bottles, clothing, furniture, carpet.
#2 - High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
Used for: milk, water and juice containers, trash and retail bags, liquid detergent bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners.
Recycled into: liquid laundry detergent containers, drainage pipe, oil bottles, recycling bins, benches, pens, doghouses, vitamin bottles, floor tile, picnic tables, lumber, mailbox posts, fencing.

#3 - Vinyl (Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC)
Used for: Clear food packaging, shampoo bottles, medical tubing, wire and cable insulation. There has been increasing concern over the potential toxicity of PVC, watch the media for developments.

#4 - Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Used for: Bread bags, frozen food bags, squeezable bottles (e.g. honey, mustard).

#5 - Polypropylene (PP)
Used for: Ketchup bottles, yogurt containers and margarine tubs, medicine bottles

#6 - Polystyrene (PS)
Used for: Compact disc jackets, food service applications, grocery store meat trays, egg cartons, aspirin bottles, cups, plates.

#7 - Other: Use of this code indicates that the package in question is made with a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin used in combination.
Used for: Three and five gallon reusable water bottles, some citrus juice and ketchup bottles

HTH

[Paul mabbott]

Even more perplexing is why you can't recycle bottle tops (separated from glass bottles) which are mainly aluminium.

Originally Posted by The Woodman

I've never understood why plastic bottle caps are not to be included with the bottles - presumably a different type of plastic. A bit of the bottle top remains on the neck of the bottle however - the security seal. I guess that bit gets recycled with the bottle.

On the label of the mineral water before me it says, "Bottle Plastic widely recycled, Cap Plastic check local recycling, Label Paper not currently recycled"