PerspectivesOnPlastic

This helps a bit with definitions.... Compostable In the UK, there are several different certifications, all of which all claim to set the best standard for 'compostable'. The most widely recognised is BS EN 13432's criteria, which among other elements sets times for how quickly packaging breaks down, and sets criteria for safe levels of chemicals in the end compost. In addition, there is a home compostable standard, OK Compost, which sets safe levels for composting in your garden. Essentially, being 'compostable' simply means packaging should break down safely into compost, in either the council's or your home composting facilities. Recyclable Recycling simply means using things that have already been used, to make new things. So, it follows that being 'recyclable' makes it possible to turn old packaging into something new. For glass or cans, this is quite simple. The tricky thing is that a lot of packaging is plastic. While it is techn

Today I go shopping to buy meat and fish in Hertford/locally. Clayton's fish stall helpfully wrap my fish purchases in paper, and Foxholes allow me to use my re-usable tupperware to pack fresh meat from their counter.   They don't have paper bags for their fruit and veg but I buy it loose. So.... NO PLASTIC brought home.  Result!

All good advice http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/news/how-to-cut-down-plastic-usage?utm_content=buffer2c4d8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffe r

Three empty large plastic manure bags are sitting in the garden. At the bottom left you will see the sign that these are recyclable.  That's the theory.  It's always worth checking however.  Jessie Harrison-Ford from Herts County Council Waste Management emails me in reply to an enquiry about these bags to say: ' Plastic bags cannot be recycled on our sites as the plastic is of such low quality there is no market for it and these currently go into the residual waste which goes to landfill.' So... just because it says it IS recyclable, doesn't mean it can be.  At least not where I live.  These are large bags and that's a lot of landfill space I don't want to be filling.  The same applies to the magazine wrappers in a previous post. What would it take to be able to recycle these recyclable plastics? Does anyone recycle them?  The questions accumulate.  

I vastly prefer soya milk, but only wholebean organic since the taste of other soya milks doesn't suit.   And it comes in cartons which I have been putting in my recycling box... but reading about cardboard cups with plastic linings, I wonder if I am doing the right thing.  On the side of my Alpro Soya carton it says 'buying this Tetra Pak (R) carton helps you care for the world's forests'. That's good... but what about the oceans and the planet generally. I have a look at the Alpo website (see  https://www.alpro.com/uk/faq/detail/can-alpro-packs-be-recycled )  and it says... Yes. Tetra Pak® cartons are a lightweight, low resource, energy-saving form of packaging, designed to have minimum impact on the environment throughout their life. It is the only liquid food packaging made principally from a renewable resource – wood. The Tetra Pak® carton used for our products is designed to provide an energy efficient, airtight and safe means of packaging. The carton is a

So I buy newspapers on Saturdays and Sundays and the magazines come wrapped in a thin plastic transparent wrapper.   I assume that this is single-use, non-recyclable plastic... but is it?  There is nothing on it anywhere to say it is recyclable.  So I email the Sunday Times to find out.   I receive a prompt answer, as follows: Dear Frances Green, Thank you for contacting us regarding the polybag. Thank you for your inquiry. I can confirm the outer packaging is recyclable. Thank you for contacting The Times and The Sunday Times. I hope you have a fantastic day. If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us. Kind regards, Robert Smith Online Customer Services So, it turns out that the plastics wrappers ARE recyclable... in theory. But what about in practice, in Hertfordshire?