Recycling plastic

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Recycling plastic

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moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 4:43 pm Post subject: Recycling plastic

My mum lives in Bristol, and for those of you who don't live there, there is a bit of a refuse kerfuffle going on, whereby the amount of waste you are allowed to put out has been reduced, thus encouraging people to recycle. great!!! Hurrah!!!

However, the council won't take cardboard and plastics as part of the recycling collection. These seem to make up a large proportion of my mum's rubbish, largely due to the packaging of specialised stuff used in caring for my dad, so there is no hope of reducing them coming into the house.

The council has said that they will recycle recyclable plastics and cardboard if she takes them to a special recycling place, which she is quite prepared to do. However, she is much confused about which plastics she can take to recycle. Lots of the plastics have got funny signs on the side, and on looking these up on the internet it appears that these signs refer to the 7 different types of plastic. what mummy moogie wants to know is, which of the 7 can you recycle? The council doesn't know

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 5:12 pm Post subject:

Poor Mummy Moogie

- as if life wsan't difficult enough ...

The council will have to issue SOME sort of guideline as to what they will and will not accept. Where I live, Bournemouth Borough Council do this by specifying what types of products the plastic bottles contained originally (squash, bleach, fizzy pop, washing up liquid etc) - these it will accept; it also lists what it will NOT accept (margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, icecream containers).

In Poole, you can recycle plastic numbers 1, 2 and 3. The problem here is that not all packaging manufacturers are particularly careful about labelling their packaging (UI really do feel there should be some kind of national standard for plastic packaging labelling!!).

Cardboard of course can be composted, if you are into that kind of thing.

The Bristoil City Council website just says "Plastic Bottles". I guess in that case you can just recycle ALL your plastic bottles with impunity, as that is what they instruct?? Some medicinal bottles and waste can also be recycled by chemists or pharmacists, I think. Worth asking.

L xx

moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 5:21 pm Post subject:

Thanks Lozzie. good thinking about the cardboard. Mummy Moogie has got the largest compost heap you've ever seen so that'll make a good addition.

Also Mummy Moogie wants to know if she has to take the labels off milk cartons first? (this is her other main source of plastic waste besides daddy moogie's stuff) And remove the tops? She finds it really hard to get the labels off the plastic milk cartons. Does anyone have any ideas how she could do this easily?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 5:26 pm Post subject:
The tops are a different plastic. Our lot take the cartons but the tops go to landfill.

moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 5:32 pm Post subject:
Hmmm, just looked at a milk carton now, and the tops are a different sort of plastic to the carton, according to the packaging information. Guess it depends on which types of plastic they are willing to take here. Mummy Moogie heard on the radio that they won't take squash bottles.

moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 5:39 pm Post subject:
Oooh, just found the answer!!! It was on the recycling consortium website. they will take types 1, 2 and 3, and tops off. Brilliant! Any ideas of how to remove those milk labels?

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 05 4:30 pm Post subject:
I don't think you need to remove the labels. Plastic milk-bottle tops: I collect them for a children's hospice charity in Winchester if you want to get rid of them that way. See picture of the type of milk-bottle I mean. I will pay postage for them! L xxx

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 05 7:08 pm Post subject:

Lozzie wrote:

Plastic milk-bottle tops: I collect them for a children's hospice charity in Winchester if you want to get rid of them that way.

What do they do with them Lozzie?

mrsnesbitt

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1576

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 05 6:40 am Post subject:
I can use any coloured bottle tops if that's any use, also corks and coloured plastic bottles and carriers too....full colour ones not supermarket logo type...currently looking for greeny blue ones. m&s in particular.

moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 05 12:36 pm Post subject:
Ok, mummy moogie is now saving milk bottle tops for you (and I will too). Can you PM me your address and then I'll forward them on when there is a nice collection.

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Mon Jul 04, 05 11:56 am Post subject:
Bugs - they take them and sell them as far as I know. They also collect the usual sorts of things like stamps and printer cartridges.

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 05 1:53 pm Post subject:
I am still collecting milk bottle tops! If anyone is still saving them for me please do PM me so I can give you my addy - alternatively, you could always send yours directly to the charity itself which I suppose makes sense as it avoids pocting them twice: Address: Naomi House Stockbridge Road Sutton Scotney, Winchester SO23 0LB Website if you are interetsed:https://www.naomihouse.org.uk/ L x

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