Everyones responsibility, even you! (Waste disposal)

Member Name: nikki.jr

Product:	Waste disposal
Date:	23/09/05 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: saves the planet and promotes good social attutudes

Disadvantages: might take some time but so what

Can any sensible person say that we shouldn't be recycling? i hope not.
It is something that i have always felt very strongly about and rather naively i thought that everyone would want to do it. i mean; who really wants to see their planet disappear under a cloud of smog, dust and dirt?

So why do few people do it? and why aren't people seriously worried about it?

I don't know all the answers but i do see an attitude of "It's not my problem" coming through wherever i look.

So i am going to say a few things here that i think will make a difference. please read them and if you take the time to act on only one of them then you will be helping to make the world a better place.

* Get the recycling boxes or bags from your council.
This is by far the easiest way to recycle, especially if you don’t have a car. Just give them a call and ask for them. Some councils even offer a reduced rate of council tax for using them. In them you can recycle packaging, plastic bottles, cans, paper and junk mail.

*Get the kids involved.
Part of the responsibility that we have for taking care of our planet is to educate others on how to.
any developmental psychologist would tell you that a child’s self esteem soars when they feel competent and independent. So give them a job to do and why not make it the responsibility of the recycling?
I know a mother of 3 who has the recycle boxes but doesn't use them because it means that she has to walk all the way downstairs to use them! the children could be doing this but instead they are learning the message that they don't actually need to bother.
Make children more aware of recycling, point out recycle centres when you go past them. Ask them in the supermarket if they think that packaging can be recycled and then whether or not you should buy it. And most importantly, praise them for doing it.

*Say "No Thank you to junk mail"
When you get junk mail through the post, ring or email the company and ask them politely not to bother you again. explain that you are concerned what the production of this useless material is doing to the environment. If you can't do this then get the recycle boxes and recycle it instead.

*Get pushy
If you feel as strongly as i do about this then you will see waste everywhere. restaurants, colleges, town centres.
email large restaurant chains and ask them why they do not have recycle facilities in their outlets. I took my daughter to Mac Donnalds the other day and i could see bins brimming over with cardboard happy meal boxes (which are useless). I took ours home with the card cup to recycle but i could have cried when i saw how much senseless waste was being generated.
lobby these places. Look at the changes that have been made to the menu due to the "supersize me" episode; there are still more changes that could be made. If you eat in then ask not to have the boxes as they are an unnecessary waste of resources.
Ask your children's school to set up a recycle centre within its grounds; then the recycling can become part of the daily school run. Ask if there are paper recycling bins in each classroom.
Pester your local council to provide different bins for different types of waste in the street. I recently came back from Japan where there is no such thing as a "bin"; there are many different types and the culture is such that you hang on to your waste until you find the bin that is designated for it. If they can do this there, then why not here? Such schemes would raise public awareness and create jobs.

*Car share your waste that is not collected.
Most councils will not collect glass bottles, jars or large cardboard boxes. Get together with neighbours and arrange that someone each week takes this waste to the recycle point. If you don’t want to spend time on the neighbours door step then pop a note through a few doors telling them that you are going to the bottle bank on Saturdays at 10 and for them to leave clean bagged/ boxed bottles in a certain place before you go. many elderly people are very keen to help in this area and you are going some way to creating a community spirit.

* use water wisely
We do live by the "If it's yellow let it mellow" principle in our house and it greatly upsets me that our drinking water is used for bathing and just flushing down the toilet.
If you can afford it then look into getting a system installed that uses rain water and your bath water to flush the toilet, you can always ask the council for a grant to be able to do this.
Petition your local council to start a scheme where households can install this at a discount.
Otherwise just be mindful of what you are using. wash up instead of using the dishwasher. and if you have to use it then make sure it is full.

*Say No to fruit and veg bags
Just pop your fruit and veg loose in the end part of the trolley, the plastic bags are wasteful and cannot be recycled. you are going to wash the produce anyway aren't you?
If the supermarket gets funny with you then tell them you will use the bags when they provide recyclable paper ones.
Also pick your own items out rather than go for the pre-packaged ones, this will save on packaging and money and can also be another job for the children that incorporates lots of learning opportunities.

There are other things that can be done and the Friends of the Earth website can help you with more ideas.
i strongly feel that we should all be doing a lot more and that for the future to look brighter then a change in social attitudes to recycling is what is needed.

Please pass this on to anyone that you think will benefit and please remember that this is all of our responsibility for ourselves, our children and our planet

Thank you

Summary: Do something and do it today. Our planet and our children need us to act