Jesus our fabulous one thing we cherish and they still see it as a ‘ somebody else concern ‘ . It’s heartbreakingIt's just laziness and a disgusting disregard for their surroundings.
I was out on the moors the other day and it was depressing how many empty bottles there were strewn along the side of the road.
The recycling bags/boxes are an absolute joke, like you say, I'd be surprised if on a windy day more than 50% of the recycling makes into the bin wagon.I also hate the Stockon-on-Tees recycling set-up. In Lincolnshire I had three wheelie bins, all re-cycling in one, waste another and garden/veg peelings etc. in the final one. Where I live on recycling Friday if there is the slightest gust of wind my street is inundated with empty 4-pint milk containers, polystyrene, old newspapers and plastic wrappers galore. It's infuriating.
All have some merit Roofie, but changing consumer behaviours, expectations and demands is very much key.There are a number of ways of tackling the issue(s):
i. Producer pays - the massive dependency on non-renewable resource, like plastic bottles and containers, needs to be overcome by taxing the companies AT SOURCE - plastics are not only polluting our land, but are already in the food chain.
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ii. Alternative bio-degradable renewable materials such as wood [for paper / pulp / cardboard], sugar cane [used to manufacture drinking bottles] and bamboo [used to manufacture socks and cups]. Carrier bags, shrink wrap and cups do not need to be made of oil-based products. There are proven viable, sustainable alternative materials.
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iii. Encourage recycling - pay 1p for every used aluminium and steel drinks can at dedicated recycling centres. There would suddenly be a huge voluntary clean - up of railway rally banks, bins and communal areas! Its a project carried out in Germany. Small financial reward for long term gain and sustainability.
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iv. To discourage plastics in the food industry - tax the companies by weight and volume. Apples in supermarkets dont need to be covered in plastic [for instance]. Bread remains fresh in grease-proof paper bags, as does fish and meat. We dont need to pack sausages, samosas or our crusty loaf in plastic.
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v. Fast food outlets need to pay a much higher tax on the volume of plastic and packaging to reduce its use - highlighted by the poster earlier.
agreed - image below is not my own, but I have had a micro SD card delivered in a similar fashion, along with all the void filler that goes inside the box. totally stupid, a single C6/C5 jiffy bag would have been perfectly adequateBut so does our ludicrous insistence on packaging everything in inappropriate material to within an inch of its life.