Recycle more

The Independent revealed news a while back of an amazingly large floating ‘soup’ of rubbish swirling about around 500 miles off the coast of California. This certainly isn’t perhaps what you’d first associate with California; certainly I’d be thinking more of progressive smoking bans and joggers with glowing suntans! The ‘soup’ of plastic debris extends right across the northern Pacific Ocean, goes past Hawaii and almost stretches to Japan!

It’s been dubbed the “Great Pacific Garbage patch” and is apparently estimated to contain approximately 100 million tonnes of rubbish. Four fifths of it comes from the land. I keep thinking about it every time I place a plastic bottle into my recycling bin. The Independent also reported that scientists believe the plastic breaks down in the ocean, releasing harmful chemicals. The amazing thing for me is that it is so easy to recycle plastics now that none of it should ever end up in the sea.

I use a neat galvanised recycling bin because I love the way it looks. Most councils recycle plastic bottles, some recycle plastic items such as margarine tubs and so on. Many supermarkets will take old carrier bags for recycling and thankfully now, they seem to be finally using biodegradable plastics more for the odd times when I’ve not got my own bag with me. If you want to use a stackable bin, then a 40 litre Urba recycling bin should be ideal. If your household generates a larger amount of recycling, you really should think about a Trashbasher. This is a simply ingenious gadget that can compress your recycling down within a recycling wheelie bin. It squashes it down (without you having to huff and puff) so you can fit more in without having to resort to unsightly ‘overflow’ strategies! If you pick a recycling bin you like, it’s easier to get into the habit of using it regularly and there’s a wide choice these days for both aesthetics and functionality. If we all try to recycle more, we can hopefully do something towards stopping that dreadful ‘plastic soup’ from spreading even further over the oceans.