RecyclingRECYCLING SOME UNEXPECTED ITEMS from "House and Garden"
How to recycle Keys...Bra's...sheets...WEEE and more ???
"Its true"...there are some recycling items that literally fall outside the usual box, but that should not put us off trying them when we have the opportunity.
One such item is obsolescent VHS tape and of course there is a snag, as while the plastic casing can be recycled, the tape itself cannot. (however local garden allotment holders tell me that it does make good bird scaring material when draped around vulnerable vegetables and flowers). KEYMOOD www.keymood.co.uk will recycle the tape body but there is a small charge to cover the landfill cost : £15 for up to 50 pieces and £20 for between 50-140 pieces. DVD and CD recycling is free.
Old textiles particularly towels and sheets can be another bin botherer. My stance on any type of textile is that it should be reused as often as possible until it falls apart. We tend to treat cotton as a cheap commodity, but given its environmental and social impact, this doesnt add up. RSPCA and PDSA vetinary surgeries welcome donations of old towels for use in caring for sick animals and for dog beds.
Both Wastesaver (Oxfams sorting house) and LMB ... www.lmb.co.uk take household textiles as well as clothes. Most sheets and towels will end up being "Ragged" i.e. torn up as strips for reuse in industrial wiping rags, not a glamourous end, but better than being dumped in landfill.
In Oxfam's case, one womans trash is anothers treasure. British Bra's for example are now highly sought after in developing countries. Apparently even broken ones can be repaired and given a new lease of life..better than trashing or even burning !
With the exception of maybe hairstyles in old wedding photographs, nothing dates faster than small electrical applicances like old fax machines, alarm clocks, blenders, fondue sets and certain toasting machines of dubious origin given for your last birthday. because they contain potnetially toxic elements they are classified as WEEE or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, and need to be taked to the local civic amenity point for disassembly. East Anglia based www.wombling.org.uk accepts small electricals to be refurbished and sold on, or disassembled for recycling.
Recently I was asked what you could do with an old bunch of keys, well, if you have this problem then find a mixed-metals recycling bin (put your postcode into www.recyclenow.com ) or send them to Keys for Kindness on www.keysforkindness.com which recycles kesy and gives the money to charity.
There is a perception nowadays that even recycling isnt all that virtuous given how we just pileup ships with loads of abandoned plastic and send it to China or India. But even this is changing, and now polystyrene can be successfully recycled in the UK. Robust www.robustuk.com recycles it at a facility in Ebbw Vale, and turns it into a credible alternative to wood for decking and other household applications. So not only can you contribute to the process, but you can then buy back the new material at the end as well...sort of going full circle recycling.
Thats our sort of recycling !!
