Reduce and Reuse; the practical recycling

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Reduce and Reuse; the practical recycling
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Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 04 8:34 am Post subject:

culpepper wrote:

you open the pressies with scissors and iron the paper(not then and there obviously.

But if you did, what a unique family tradition you'd have

Seriously I like this idea...we do it too, among ourselves, with wrapping from anything large, and the rest is either recycled or used as firelighters. Also, I bought cloth ribbons several years ago and after Christmas we fold them up and they can be reused and look really nice.

Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 04 12:21 pm Post subject:

Ive seen the depressing sight of some halfwit chucking my painstakingly sorted recycling into the back of the none recycling truck..... he was none to pleased when I told him to go fetch ! He muttered someting about health and safety, maybe he thought I was standing too close to the button that operates the squishing machine!

We only have it collected every other week so that was two weeks wasted. The man at the waste management company was a picture of apathy when I called to tell him, its not hard, I said, Green- recycle, Black-not. How longs the training course for that job ????

Our local Council only lets us recycle a limited amount of items, even packaging that has the Recycle logo on it can't be unless its a bottle ! Cans, card, glass, paper and plastic bottles are all that we can recycle and yet there are lots of logo'd products we have to put in the black waste bag..... its disheartening to see them being wasted, so where we can we dont buy products that can't be recycled (like deodourant cans; buy roll-ons instead!)

People here have got all upset because the waste system has been changed to Wheelie-bins and coloured bags (Green Recycle Red Card Glass into a plastic box Wheelie bin Non Recyclable) Nobody seems to want to change !

It would be so much easier to stop waste at source, companies who over package products tell you great they are by using recycled material all 20 bits of it to wrap a box of jaffa cakes or what ever !

Gingermac

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 04 6:13 pm Post subject:

culpepper wrote:

We recycle the Xmas paper every year.

That would be the final straw for my family, they'd have me committed

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 04 6:36 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

culpepper wrote:

We recycle the Xmas paper every year.

That would be the final straw for my family, they'd have me committed

I think my lot would kill me with the scissors

jema

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 04 8:17 pm Post subject:
When people are recycling their cans do you squash them. In the summer we get a lot of bottles and cans here, and I was thinking of making a can squasher, but I felt sure somone here would already have simple instructions for one.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 04 11:52 pm Post subject:
A large foot does the job adequately, or even a medium sized one.

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 04 12:07 am Post subject:
Or a lump hammer

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 04 12:51 am Post subject:

Cab wrote:

jema wrote:

Cab wrote:

jema

I have lemon balm, mead and watermint to bottle. When I can be bothered. Some time before Christmas will do.

Do you have a recipe for mead? I love the stuff and have two empty brewing buckets in need of some something to ferment in them.

Also it seems that charity shops (apart from giving them bags) have been left off this thread. If I have junk to get rid of I give it away to a charity shop, in fact when I moved out of a shared house once there was so much stuff left in the cellar from previous tennants that we must have kept scope in stuff for the entire year

I have also heard that tetra pak stuff can be composted if you shread it first. Don't know if it does yet have to tell you in 6 months.

Oh and a I use wine bottles as candle holders.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 04 9:00 am Post subject:
There's a mead recipe here: https://www.learningindustries.com/nrk/recipes/index.asp?rid=15 there's also a methyglin recipe, and you can add your own recipes too.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 04 9:12 am Post subject:

selfsufficientish wrote:

Oh and a I use wine bottles as candle holders.

If we used all ours we'd end up with a candle shortage in this country.

Alison wrote:

I was thinking of making a can squasher, but I felt sure somone here would already have simple instructions for one.

I'm sure Blue Peter or something like that had plans for one. That would be ideal to have on this site. I'll have a look later.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 04 8:12 pm Post subject:

Sarah D wrote:

A large foot does the job adequately, or even a medium sized one.

I am talking of about 5 or 6 black sacks worth just for a summer weekend.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 04 8:13 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Alison wrote:

I was thinking of making a can squasher, but I felt sure somone here would already have simple instructions for one.

I'm sure Blue Peter or something like that had plans for one. That would be ideal to have on this site. I'll have a look later.

Thanks.

tinyclanger

Joined: 27 Dec 2004
Posts: 190
Location: in the kitchen, baking

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 04 2:00 pm Post subject:
Hi, try this link for instructions on how to make a can crusher... https://www.michaelholigan.com/departments/projects/CanCrusher.asp or if you want to buy a one try here https://www.cancrush.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page for the domestic model) Tiny

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jan 01, 05 5:22 pm Post subject:
Thenks for the link. We are looking for a strong version to crush food cans now, as we have done something for the drink ones. The food cans, or tins are a lot harder to crush.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Jan 02, 05 12:21 pm Post subject:
I like Christmas paper recylcing. I don't think anyone would notice, but if OH saw me ironing, I think he would ask who I was and what I'd done with his girlfriend!

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