Recycle Week Monday 22 to Sunday 28 June 2009
Publish Date: Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Make a difference by pledging to waste less this
Recycle Week: 22 - 28 June 2009
A campaign where less means more!
Recycle Week runs from Monday 22 - Sunday 28 June 2009: this year the Recycle Now campaign is encouraging us all to think about the many, easy ways we can waste less and make more of the resources we have.
Two-thirds of us now consider ourselves committed recyclers, and we are currently recycling 34 per cent of our total household waste across the UK. From recycling more of our everyday items like glass and plastic bottles to reducing our food waste, re-using carrier bags or trying out new things like home composting, there's lots of things we can do to help cut back on the amount of waste we send to landfill.
In the past five years alone we've saved 30 million tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to taking a third of our cars off UK roads for a year - so recycling really is making a difference.
From today you can also register a personal pledge to waste less at www.recyclenow.com. On signing up to one of a selection of pledges - everything from recycling old electricals and unwanted clothes to going completely waste free for a day - pledgers will receive details about the positive effect your pledge will have on the environment. On the website, you can also check-out eco-celebrity pledges and read reports from eco-bloggers who are tackling their own waste-free challenges.
A tip a day for waste-free living this Recycle Week
Bank it! - Take unwanted clothes to your local charity shop or Clothing Bank. In the UK we buy 1,865,000 tonnes of new clothes each year; but only 324,000 is recycled - that's just 16% - what a waste!
2. Shop Smart - When you're doing your weekly shop, why not look out for the new, on-pack recycling labels- they'll help you find out what can and cannot be recycled in your area
3. Recycle more! - Remember to recycle plastic bottles from all over your home, including your bathroom and beauty products
4. Recycle even more! - You don't need to bin your unwanted electrical and electronic items. Anything with batteries or a plug can be recycled at your local recycling centre
5. Love Food Hate Waste - for great hints and tips on how to save money and make the most of your food with a Perfect Portions planner and tasty leftovers recipes, go to www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
6. Try a Waste Free Lunch - pack loose fruit and sandwiches rather than individually wrapped items. Get your fruit "Five-a Day" and compost the leftovers!
7. Compost it! - Why not collect up all your fruit and vegetable peelings, garden trimmings and grass clippings, place in a compost bin and in a few months you'll have compost. It's completely free, you'll be reducing waste going to landfill and you'll make your own garden grow better!
To make a pledge this Recycle Week, visit www.recyclenow.com
