Be Eco Friendly

As local authorities across the country step up their recycling efforts, new figures revealed that waste battery recycling rates have risen more than five per cent in a three month period.

Scientists at the Environment Agency learned that 16.15 per cent of all waste batteries had been sent to recycling during 2010’s second quarter. This is in comparison to the 9.15 per cent that was recycled during the first three months of this year.

The increase in battery recycling is partially being attributed to a new scheme that requires retail outlets that sell large quantities of batteries to provide in-store recycling bins for their customers. The scheme was introduced back in February and has since boosted battery recycling in the second quarter by nearly 6 per cent.

At present, the UK is on course to reach its Batteries Regulations targets, which call for at least 10 per cent of all batteries to be recycled by the end of the year. This year so far, 2,320.265 tonnes of batteries have been recycled putting the UK at a recycling rate for the past six months of 12.58 per cent. Should this rate continue, the UK will surpass the goals outlined in the Batteries Regulations literature.

Battery recycling has been highlighted as one of the major overhauls that needs to take place in the recycling industry. With the rise in electronic equipment use and the growing e-waste issue, batteries have become a growing rubbish problem as often people just chuck them out with the rest of the garbage. In an effort to curb this practice, local authorities, organisations and electronic suppliers have begun to encourage battery recycling across the country.

Source: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2594000.html

Did you know that an Ann Arbor couple ‘greened’ up their wedding ceremony and you could do it too?

It was in August 2010, the Ann Arbor couple (Engel and Dyer) were married in a “green” outdoor ceremony and reception near the Huron River fit to pay homage to their shared passion of the planet and the outdoors.

The trend toward green weddings certainly isn’t new, but researchers say it has evolved to allow couples to incorporate their own personal preferences and still afford their marriage.

Most people are interested in a green wedding and when they hear about what it really entails, they turn out going a different route. Our heroes Engel and Dyer decided they wouldn’t be able to keep everything completely green, but were going to try their hardest. And the most essential element was to make the day educational as well as fun for guests.

They planned the ceremony at a science and nature center where tours were offered to guests in the hour before they walked down the aisle. The tour featured different water and energy conservation solutions used at the center like the solar-panel arrays for electricity, solar-powered heating and water heater systems and no-flush compost toilets.

Read full article here: http://www.eventplanningcareers.net/7_Easy_Ideas_to_Green_Up_Your_Wedding_110.doc

The Southampton Airport runway is the newest recipient of its own solar-powered lighting system.

Dubbed the ‘Wig Wags’, the flashing light stream was just £25,000 in total and has been set up at junctions between the taxiways and the runway. The move makes Southampton the first UK airport to install the lights, which have also previously been used by the US Air Force stationed in Afghanistan.

According to an airport spokesperson, the airport has been able to use the new system to minimise its environmental impact as well as maintenance costs. The five units that were installed were designed and supplied by Systems Interface Ltd, which operates in Surrey. Each unit uses solar panels to generate electricity from sunlight allowing them to operate 24 hours a day.

Each unit’s battery can store enough energy so that it can operate for nearly 120 days with no solar charge. Lights have also been placed in airport areas where there is no access to electricity which is saving the airport operators up to  £170,000 in cable costs.

Last winter the system was trialled and has now been placed throughout the airport as a permanent solution to curbing the airport’s carbon footprint. According to Mark Gibb, director for the airside operations, its not a major overall to save energy but it was a start and showed the airport’s overall commitment to improving.

Source: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2593000.html

Wine, beer or spirits: which has the biggest environmental impact? And would you pass on your favourite tipple if it was shown to damage the environment?

It seems that cider has the least environmental impact of all the alcoholic drinks, and spirits the worst. This stance is largely based on the proposition that the most significant impact – in terms of energy use, at least – is caused by the manufacturing stage, as opposed to the packaging or transportation phase of a drink’s lifecycle. I would agree with this argument in most cases, but it does seem there are some massive variables between the various types of alcoholic drinks.

For example, beer seems to get a fairly bad rap from readers because its production requires plenty of heating, cooling and water, not to forget the often agriculturally intensive ingredients.

Read full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/aug/31/alcoholic-drink-environmental-impact-worst

Major UK mobile service provider, O2, has launched the first ever sustainable rating system for mobile handsets.

In the wake of survey results indicating that 44 per cent of the mobile giant’s customers would be influenced by environmental factors when deciding on a mobile phone, O2 has designed a new scheme that will allow it to rate mobile handsets produced by various firms. The newly founded Eco Rating will score phones out of 5, and currently the Sony Ericsson Elm has received top marks with 4.3.

The scores will be published both online and in the service provider’s retail outlets. Eco Rating was designed as part of a partnership between the mobile firm and a collaboration of sustainability experts and handset manufacturers.

Read full article: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2578000.html

UK Corporations are starting to realise the environmental and monetary benefits of recycling old company mobile phones.

It has been estimated that over 3 million firms in the UK will give out company or company-paid mobiles as part of upgrades or new handouts this year. With the large excess of redundant phones in the corporate sector, businesses are beginning to appreciate the value of recycling phones that employees exchange for new ones. Actions being taken by these firms include setting up recycling drives in building lobbies or forming partnerships with online recyclers.

Not only do corporations receive environmental accolades for responsibly recycling, but they are also saving money by redeeming rewards or cash-based incentives from the recycling schemes. Many partners, sponsors and customers are keen to work with companies touting green credentials, which can also be a perk for firms that are avidly and openly promoting recycling.

Read full article: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2575000.html

In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, thousands of tonnes of oil-soaked waste is being diverted to US landfills.

Nearly 50,000 tonnes of the absorbent boom being used to clean-up the spill as well as loose oily debris has been sent straight to incinerators or landfills across the country raising environmental concerns over the sustainability of the clean-up efforts. Federal officials and environment groups are growing wary that this could lead to long-term consequences such as groundwater contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a report stating that the sites all met with federal regulations and were capable of handling the influx of the rubbish that is being received. Furthermore, they indicated that the waste being sent out to landfill was being monitored closely.

Read full article: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2556000.html

According to a new study, shoppers have decreased the use of plastic bags being doled out at supermarkets by over four billion from 2006 to present.

The study monitored the use of single-use bags showing that it dropped by over 40 per cent over four years to 6.1 billion this year as of May. The figure suggests that the use of recycled bags is on the rise I comparison to 2006 when UK shoppers were going through a record 10.6 billion plastic bags.

According to the British Retail Consortium, which published the report in conjunction with WRAP, the results indicate that there is no need to ban plastic bags or implement a fee for their use.  The BRC said that this was the fourth consecutive year that plastic bag use had decreased after supermarkets had begun a pledge to reduce the number of plastic bags handed out by 2009.

Read full article: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2557000.html

The reality show, ‘Great British Waste Menu’, scored top marks in the ratings with more than 5 million viewers tuning in according to the recent audience figures.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tkr88/Great_British_Waste_Menu/)

The programme features four top ranking chefs who attempt to utilise waste food to make standard restaurant dishes. Drawing in a whopping 5.09 million average for the BBC One. The show was able to outrank ITV’s live segment on the Tottenham Hotspur’s Champion’s League victory where they beat out Young Boys, which drew in 4.11 million airing at 7.30.

Read full article: http://www.recycle.co.uk/news/2559000.html

Freegive is made up of groups with members across the world. Freegive connects people who are giving and getting stuff for free in their own towns. Freegive goal is to keep usable items out of the landfills and, at the same time, helping someone in your community by gifting them the item you no longer need. Working or easily repairable goods, such as furniture, recycle toys, recycle car parts, televisions, clothes, books, recycle beds, recycle sofas anything that is taking up space can be passed on to someone else if you are upgrading your own.

Find out more: http://www.freegive.co.uk/