When we think of recycling we tend to focus on actually putting items in a collection container. This is a great way to move your waste paper and aluminum onto a government run recycling plant, and actually it is one of the most successful shifts in culture to have been introduced in years.
It is not uncommon to see people shopping for recycling bins, such as the one’s featured on this site. But are there other ways, besides bins, that we could be recycling, which may not be quite so obvious? Let’s think outside the recycling box and see what else you could be doing to help save the earth’s resources and recycle your unwanted materials.
Recycle Stationery
While you are doing the right thing and using your recycling bins, do you ever think outside the box to where that recycled paper ends up? If you’re not paying attention to the products you buy once you have recycled, then you’re only going part of the journey.
There are a wealth of independent and big chain stores which sell recycled paper goods, packaging boxes, eco-friendly package protection and biodegradable materials which won’t harm the environment. If you intend to send parcels to USA companies, or abroad, think carefully about the packaging materials you use.
Just think, if everyone recycled and everyone bought recycled goods, we could really reduce the impact on the environment for years ahead. Recycled materials could be repeatedly recycled, leaving the forests to recover. In order to square this particular circle, you have to think beyond your recycling bins as a company or as an individual, and push the envelope a little further.
Make sure every envelope you use is recycled, and make noise about your green credentials on your website or company profile. The more people get the recycling message, the more we can influence change. Individuals can buy recycled address labels to put on reused envelopes, to make resources go even further.
Food Waste
This is one area that recycling has yet to tackle in a wholly consumer-friendly way. It’s an area ripe for development, since not everyone – particularly city dwellers – have access to outdoor spaces in which to set up compost bins. If you are lucky enough to have space for one, then do please give it a try.
It’s fun to see your waste turn into something beautifully sweet and soft – prime compost, which you would pay a fortune for at a gardening store. You don’t need a huge amount of space to try it out, and it simply involves putting organic waste (leaves, teabags, eggshells, vegetable peelings etc) into a container and letting nature take its course.
Some companies do produce compost ‘caddies’ for you to store your compost in during the day or two before you put it out. These have charcoal filters to keep on top of any odours, and a handle for easy transport into the garden. A bin, which allowed odourless composting in cities, would be a welcome addition to the current range of available ‘recycling bins’, but practically it presents many problems, which is presumably why it hasn’t been developed. Yet.
Water
When thinking outside the recycling box, one place to consider is your bath, and the gutters that surround your house. With global warming becoming a real threat to the climate as we have come to know it, droughts and flooding are becoming a reality for many people.
Recycling your water is one way to help keep your garden green, whilst not putting extra strain on water purification plants. There has been some wonderful innovation in this area of recycling, and it is now possible to buy products to fit to you bath waste pipe which will divert bath water into your water butt in the garden. One pull on the cord and your water slooshes down to fill the butt.
Plants don’t mind the bubble bath and soap in the waste water, so there is no need to worry about harming your plants. Alternatively you can fit rain water diverters onto your guttering and let the rainclouds do the work for you throughout the year. Think outside the normal box with water butts too! They don’t have to be garish green eyesores on the side of your house.
Some companies are now disguising them as ornamental pot designs, and producing ‘slim line’ versions to take up less space. Make sure your water butt is high enough up off the ground to be able to fit a watering can underneath it.
Start thinking outside the recycling box today, and see how many changes you can make.
Slim Jim Recycling Containers can be used both indoors and outdoors and are highly preferred for areas with large crowds, such as shopping malls, cinema halls, schools, offices, hospitals, restaurants, and warehouses.
