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Shop NowRecycling Roundup 1st April
Recycling Roundup 1st April
A purple wheelie bin mascot called Poppy is teaching people across North Ayrshire about the new purple wheelie bin that’s being rolled out. Poppy is currently on a tour of schools, libraries, and supermarkets to spread the word.
The mascot’s design is the brainchild of a primary school pupil who won a competition to create a character for the new purple bin. It’s being used as a fun and interactive way to spread the word about recycling, particularly to children.
The purple bin will be used for glass, cans, plastics, and carton, and it will be collected as part of a three-weekly cycle.
The introduction of the bin is part of the council’s plans to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. In North Ayrshire, 55.8% waste is recycled, but studies have found that the area could do better still, given that about 71% of waste in the average general waste bin is recyclable.
The council is aiming to meet the government’s target of 60% recycling by 2020, and also has its sights on increasing the recycling rate to over 70% by 2025.
A local councillor said that the council recognises that for changes to be implemented successfully, it has to engage as many people as possible with its message. Using the purple bin mascot is a part of this, as it’s helping deliver the recycling message to a younger audience.
A free recycling point has been installed at East Cambridgeshire District Council’s offices to encourage more people to recycle crisp packets and sweet wrappers.
The council is working with the waste management firm Terracycle on a new scheme which aims to encourage more people to recycle items that are currently not accepted in kerbside recycling collections.
The council got a free recycling collection bin as part of the scheme, where members of the public can recycle crisp packets, sweet wrappers, chocolate bar wrappers, and snack bags.
The wrappers are then sent off to TerraCycle, where they are separated by material type, cleaned, and turned into plastic pellets which will be used to make new products.
The council said it considers recycling to be very important and that it’s excited to be working with TerraCycle. It has a recycling target of 60% which it hopes to achieve with the help of this scheme, plus the other schemes it’s involved in, including the Metal Matters scheme, and the Bin It Your Way chewing gum initiative.
A design engineer is using discarded glass and gin bottles to make personalised gifts. Jim Box, the managing director of Peterlee-based firm Be Smart Solutions, has launched an online store called Be-Recycled.com which sells personalised bottles for birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions. Messages or designs are etched onto the glass, which would have ended up at recycling centres or as waste. The bottles can them be used as decorative gifts or lighting.
Customers can opt to have battery, solar or USB-rechargeable LED lighting put inside of the bottle which is packaged in recyclable materials.
