Plastic packaging

[Moonmoth]

Someone has probably had a moan over this before ,but why on earth dont the government force through legislation that would make UnRecyclable Plastics illegal .Its so hard to tell what you can Recyle and cant, sometimes its the bottom of the packet and not the top etc its a nightmare ! What happened to cardboard packaging and Brown paper bags ? it seems to have disappeared in favour of plastic eg . I used to buy my son coloured waxed paper sandwich bags for his break until they introduced New Improved Plastic ones ! Why is it taking so long for the msg to get through

[earthdragon64]

I do agree with you, but what I find most irritating is that there are still some places in the country where there is little or no provision to recycle even those plastics that can be recycled.

Locally we can only recycle those plastic bottles marked as "1" and "2", everything else plastic still goes to landfill.

[artdemole]

Here in Bath and n.e.somerset,only black plastic and plastic film, i.e plastic trays covering is not recycled.All other pots tubs go in reycle bin.Cardboard goes in seperate issued bag.All collected weekly.Food waste starts this year...psj n.e.somerset

[Moonmoth]

Hi, A tip about food waste ,in summer make sure you either have airtight box or wrap it up well in paper as a pot full of maggots is NO fun !

[loripo]

This is a very useful list (I saved a copy for reference) and it might help...
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...tml#post504916

[davecatt]

Originally Posted by loripo

This is a very useful list (I saved a copy for reference) and it might help...
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...tml#post504916

According to this list only Polyethylene products (#1 and #2) are recyclable. All others dont have a recycle use listed (including #4 low density Polyethylene)

I buy fresh meat fish and veg all the time from the local shops rather than super markets. The butcher and fish monger wrap in paper,the veg shop weigh my purchases and then tip it straight into my Hessian carrier bag (bought specifically for that purpose),I only buy eggs in the paper based containers,I use soap powder that comes in cardboard boxes. It aint rocket science,use the small local retailer where possible,every time I buy half a dozen eggs from the local shop I take back the container the last lot came in.

It is'nt the manufacturer or retailer thats to blame for irresponsible use of recyclable materials, its the consumer who goes for the "quick convenient" option.

lilei:
Environment friendly plastic manufacture is a new one on me. Just because its recyclable dose not make the manufacture of the product safe.
Dave

[bigdave60dog]

My informed sources tell me that the problem is not getting them to break down but the chemicals that they break down into. I may be wrong but I seem to remember something about PVC releasing dioxins when it breaks down.
That sort of thing.
It is not as simple as it seems. They all must break down eventually so I don`t know why they don`t just make fast degradable plastic anyway and eliminate one problem straight-away.
Dave

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Moonmoth

Hi, A tip about food waste ,in summer make sure you either have airtight box or wrap it up well in paper as a pot full of maggots is NO fun !

A further tip - try not to throw away anything that would attract maggots! I have seen two surveys that suggest we in Britain throw away about a third of the food we purchase. If true this is dreadful.

henrya

[Amarillo]

Originally Posted by davecatt

It is'nt the manufacturer or retailer thats to blame for irresponsible use of recyclable materials, its the consumer who goes for the "quick convenient" option.

I disagree with that. Relying on consumers to only buy ethical stuff is not going to work. The government should force the retailers and manufacturers to meet certain standards and make sure that the "quick, convenient option" is also the environmentally friendly option.

[Bellfamily]

Yes, quick and convenient is helpful, especially for those who lead busy lives. However, I would much rather have the option to buy things with less packaging. Where I live I don't have the luxury of many smaller shops, so end up doing most of my shopping in one place. I therefore agree that packaging should be reduced at source.