Asparagus tips madam? We do composting tips too...

 

Market trader Julie Lightly at Queens Market in Newham, east London

Photo credit: Geoff Caddick/PA

Interesting research from WRAP reveals that over forty percent of us believe that because food is biodegradable, it is harmless when it gets thrown out and sent to landfill and are not aware that it can produce methane, a powerful global warming gas which damages the environment.  Of course the same waste composted at home produces no methane and provides free fertiliser and soil improver for our gardens.

In a drive to raise awareness, market traders across the country are to back a campaign to get Britain composting, thanks to a partnership between Recycle Now and the National Market Traders’ Federation that launched this week at Queen’s Market in Newham.  From today, traders will be offering green tips to their customers along with their purchases, to encourage them to compost household waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings, instead of throwing it away.  The  "Ask me about composting" programme will then roll out across the UK over the next few months.

Julie Lightly, a fruit and vegetable market trader at Queen’s Market said:

“It’s great that we are now talking to our customers about composting. At Queen’s Market we already talk to customers about other green issues such as recycling, so this is a natural progression. I am sure customers will really warm to the advice we will be giving as many are already very interested in helping to do their bit for the environment. We hope to turn our market into the greenest in the country and show other markets and their traders how simple it is to offer our customers a little bit extra.”

Well I for one will be keeping a close eye on when the initiative reaches Bury St Edmunds and will catch up with my favourite fruit and veg stall - pictured below - nearer the time,  

If you haven't been to our local market,  I'd recommend it, especially as it was listed in The Guardian's 10 of the best markets in England.  It really does come highly recommended.

 

In the meantime anyone wishing to find out more about composting and how to get started should visit www.recyclenow.com/compost or call their infoline on 0845 600 0323.

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Why I'm glad to be just a consumer.

Blow me down with a feather if sorting out our waste isn't complicated.

Not only have you got to figure out what rubbish goes where and what you can recycle in which bin, you've also got to remember to put it out on the right day.

Yep...forget it one week and you're stuffed.

And should you decide to actively REDUCE your waste, you're then faced with juggling new habits like remembering your bags, using up leftovers and ditching the disposables in favour of reusable and refillable alternatives. What an effort eh! Introducing change into your lifestyle is pretty hard work at first, but it really does get much easier along the way.

Then getting the rest of your family to play ball complicates things even more, especially if some aren't so keen to follow your vision, for fear of it making life tougher for no obvious personal benefit or immediate gain.

All I can say is, thank goodness I'm just an ordinary consumer and not someone who has to do this for our country. One set of bins to manage is more than enough thank you.

Can you actually imagine what it would be like if you were tasked with tackling everyone else's rubbish?

Having to make decisions about what can be collected, how it is sorted and getting the best price for your materials is more than enough to make my brain ache, not to mention the issues of providing good value for taxpayers and meeting environmental targets! And then there's the task of getting the public on board too.

Yes, it's a tricky job but someone has to do it. And having attended a WRAP conference, yesterday, I'm just glad it's not me!



The photo you see here is the panel of speakers at yesterday's dissemination event called "Shaping the Future of Mixed Plastics".

As definitions go, the focus of the event was on mixed plastic packaging, which in turn can be defined as two types: rigid plastic, e.g. punnets, yoghurt pots and food trays as well as films such as plastic bags and packets. Plastic bottles are not included in the definition, as these are already managed effectively.

And the purpose of the event? To demonstrate to the industry the results of a UK-based mixed plastics recycling trial and the opportunities for all those involved in the recycling chain, including the manufacturers, retailers, local authorities, waste management companies, reprocessors AND - last but definitely not least - the consumer.

If you're wondering what the fuss is about, here's the background from WRAP.

"Mixed plastics is an area of growing importance. This is due to increasing pressure from consumers, environmental issues rising up the public policy agenda and packaging being increasingly seen as a central concern in the waste and resource efficiency debate. The pressure on local authorities to improve recycling performance has also added to the mixed plastics debate.

With approximately one million tonnes of domestic mixed plastics packaging waste arising in the UK each year and this tonnage growing, more needs to be done to understand how best to collect mixed plastics, to sort and reprocess them and to how they can be remade. Going forward, it is imperative that businesses design and manufacture plastics packaging which is ultimately more recyclable." www.wrap.org.uk

So in terms of outcome, the results of WRAP's investigations are indeed positive. Dr Liz Goodwin, the organisation's director, opened the conference with the good news that following a very detailed research programme, WRAP has now proved that even against the economic downturn, it is commercially viable to recycle mixed plastics in the UK and is committed to driving this forward over the next decade.

But consumers who have been pushing for better recycling opportunities, daren't start getting cock-a-hoop with excitement yet because despite the positive feedback about WRAP's trials and its vision for recycling in this country, judging by yesterday's fairly heated debate, we're merely at the start of a long and winding road.

Firstly, there are the MRFs (Materials Reclamation Facilities) that need to be adapted to enable the sorting of new types of materials. Existing facilities would need to undergo a review to improve processes and perhaps technologies. And financial issues would need to be addressed, not least securing new markets for materials recovered.

In certain cases PRFs would need to be built - a MRF type of facility, specifically design to deal with the complexities of plastic materials - which would require capital investment, even if they are attached to existing premises.

Reprocessors would also need to adapt to the opportunity and some are already demonstrating scepticism over the quality of materials that would be supplied by MRFs\PRFs. They will need strong assurances that they will be able to buy sufficient amounts of uncontaminated product to enable them to create good quality pellets and flakes.

Councils would also need to consider logistics to integrate the collection of materials into existing services - and having overheard many a conversation amongst local authority representatives that's not such an easy task either.

But where problems exist, also lie new opportunities, such as "front of store" take-back collections as trialled by Sainsbury's, the retailer that was involved in the test case-study. Consumers have been demanding such facilities for decades. At last it could be a reality and if the trial is anything to go by it would provide a good quality of material too.

Throughout the conference programme came positive findings that as a country it is technically and financially feasible for us to recycle mixed plastics and that domestic and overseas markets are viable. It was also encouraging to hear developments that even film processing is commercially viable using new technology that can create 99.1% purity in a material that would otherwise be buried or burned.

Despite a number of uncertainties as demonstrated by some of the delegates, WRAP's vision is a confident one, which by 2020 will see the reprocessing of approximately 500,000 tonnes of mixed plastic per year. It is also aiming for the creation of food grade PP from the mixed plastics stream, which as far as plastic recycling is concerned, seems to be the "holy grail". And in doing so, it expects the manufacturing industry to save 1/2 tonne of carbon dioxide for every tonne of recycled product that replaces virgin material.

Of course, now the initial trials are over, it's on with the show. To kick it all off WRAP is launching a £2 million investment capital competition to encourage a new facility to be installed and operating by 31st March 2011, with a commitment to at least 70% of recycled outputs used as a substitute for virgin plastic.

Phew. It really is a complicated business, isn't it, pulling everyone together to help reduce our country's waste. I just wish everyone the best of luck on every front as we're most definitely experiencing a changing landscape in the world of recycling.

And despite feeling like a bit of a cuckoo in the nest yesterday, it was good to get an insight into an industry that affects us all.

But as I said, I'm glad I'm just an ordinary consumer, who left to my own devices chooses to reduce my household waste, with no major issue of personal logistics and causing no trouble to local authorities (well I try not to)!

And if I'm a good girl and don't contaminate my load, I can even give the MRFs and the reprocessors what they want, good clean recyclate, all without hardly lifting a finger......Anything to make it easier for those who take the trouble to make it easier for us!

It just goes to show that taking the trouble to reduce waste at home, is far less complicated than trying to reduce it further down the chain.

I now can't believe I was worried about my Recycle Week pledge, for next week.

Compared to what the recycling industry has got ahead of itself, my own challenge seems one hell of a breeze.

So when I put it into context, it hardly seems any effort at all.

Oh bother...who am I trying to kid?

With only the weekend to go, it's getting more and more scary each day!

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The trial was conducted through a consortium of companies. Led by Nextek, it included Valpak, Bowman Process Technology, Linpac, Closed Loop Recycling and CeDo, as well as Sainsbury's.

For those who are interested and have a head for great heights and figures, the detailed results of the trial will be available on the WRAP website from Friday 19th June. www.wrap.org.uk.

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Time for another sneaky peek at mixed plastics

Today I'm heading to London to get another sneaky peek at what's happening in the world of mixed plastics recycling.

The conference, Shaping the Future of Mixed Plastics, looks at both the economic and technological practicalities of recycling plastic materials in the UK.

It is organised by WRAP - the Waste and Resources Action Programme and if the name sounds familiar, you'll understand why. As well as influencing industry strategy, it is also the agency responsible for consumer communications including Recycle Now, the Recycle Week campaign and the Love Food Hate Waste website. So if you're interested in what's happening behind the scenes in the world of waste, it's worth following their updates, all of which can be found over at their website www.wrap.org.uk.

Now I know some people may wonder why a blogger from Suffolk is trekking off to a huge industry event.

Well...you know... as Mr A often says, everyone needs a hobby AND there's always the tempting offer of a free lunch.

But of course, I jest.

The truth is, if it's anything like last year's conference it's going to be damn interesting. Regular readers may remember the details of my visit, an account of which can be read here.

So from a rubbish blogger's perspective it is the perfect opportunity to find out the latest developments in what could be considered one of the more controversial waste streams in the UK.

After all, we hear many stories about public frustration and media criticism over excess packaging, the lack of recycling facilities in our country and the quality of plastic recyclates, as well as issues over exporting materials abroad.

Well the good news is that last year's conference reported on major progress in many of these areas and it will be great to hear if there is even more positive news 12 months on, especially against the background of the recession.

Even so, if experience is anything to go by, the conference will also be an opportunity for delegates throughout the industry to ask hard questions of each other and challenge the decisions taken, no matter where participants sit in the waste stream.

So while I may not be in a position to progress my Recycle Week pledge today, I will at least be gathering interesting intelligence that will hold relevance to next week and beyond...

....or indeed "infinity and beyond" as Buzz Lightyear would say.

Now talking of which, I'm sure I read something recently about developments in recycling old plastic toys. Hmmm, perhaps my memory cells need a reboot, because that really does sound too good to be true.

But who knows, maybe some light will be thrown on that later. And if it is true, it will certainly have me buzzing with excitement, along with parents everywhere and hopefully everyone involved in the waste stream.

Right, I'm off to get the train! Will be back later, when I can hopefully catch up with all your lovely comments that came in yesterday.
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By the way don't forget, there are some amazing bloggers who are also writing about their experiences for Recycle Week. So while I am busy eavesdropping down in London, why not check them out and see what they've also pledged to do. They include A Modern Mother, Green Familia, MyZeroWaste and BeMoreEco and have all got some fantastic tales to tell.


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WRAP CEO thanks consumer campaigners whilst making a big announcement

Today was good news day as the Waste & Resources Action Programme WRAP, the agency which helps industry and consumers reduce waste and recycle more, announced that the amount of waste packaging in the UK grocery sector has halted despite increased sales in 2007.

Hooray!

New figures reported by The Telegraph show that there had been no increase in packaging used by supermarkets and high street stores since 2006 when results weighed in at 2.843 tonnes. This means that the industry has met the first target of the Courtauld Agreement which was set to design out packaging waste growth and can now focus on reducing the amount further, to meet packaging waste targets for 2010.

In its press release announcing the news, WRAP CEO Liz Goodwin thanked consumer campaigners for "helping to push the issue of packaging further up the agenda.”

So I guess we should keep up the good work, keep writing those letters and making those phone calls, because to quote a famous marketing catchphrase,

"Every Little Helps"

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The reaction on the street...

Last week ended with a real positive outlook for the future of mixed plastics recycling. After profiling WRAP's dissemination event and not wanting to lose momentum, I spent the weekend researching the reaction on the street...

...and as you'll see from the video, I think it would be an understatement to say that those interviewed are unanimously cock-a-hoop.






(Video: Copyright Steve Agland)

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Mixed Plastics Recycling Unwrapped!

Are you good at keeping secrets?

You are?

Fantastic!

Well gather around as I’ve got a good ‘un.

Come closer. Come on, don’t be shy.

Don’t tell anyone will you?

Because
....yesterday,
.......I went
..............on
..................a mission.

It meant getting up at the crack of dawn, getting myself all dolled up and heading down to London for the second time in as many weeks.

My mission, ladies and gentlemen, was to infiltrate!

And the target was the WRAP conference, or rather its dissemination event, where experts would divulge important research and findings into the future of mixed plastics recycling.

The delegate list comprised decision-makers and stakeholders from sectors right across the waste stream, including packaging companies, consumer product manufacturers, retailers, local authorities, waste management companies, central government, industry researchers, consultancies, journalists and academics. There were some big guns and then there was……uh ummm… me!

Yep...Almost Mrs Average...a little consumer amongst the mass of production, retail and waste professionals. OK...I'm not that little...I am in fact 5'4", pretty average really!

How the heck did I go from being an innocent resident, signing up to St Edmundsbury's Zero Waste Week to attending a significant information dissemination event organised by the UK's NGO that is tasked with getting society to reduce waste and recycle more?

I’d love to tell the tale of how I sneaked in through the back window of the Bloomsbury-based hotel, darting carefully past the kitchen staff before ducking through the side of the conference room, where I lurked behind the floor-to-ceiling curtains…feeling nervous at being found out…like the little boy in Roald Dahl’s Witches, who was discovered and turned into a mouse.

But instead, I just sauntered through the main entrance and picked up my delegate's badge that said "The Rubbish Diet".

I wonder how many of the delegates looked at the list and thought "What on earth is The Rubbish Diet?"

I also wonder how many of those have now come over to have a peek...They've probably all got better things to do but for those who have made an effort, I'd just like to say a quick "hello", especially because I would love to know delegate's thoughts on yesterday's event (email address can be found in the side-bar).

You see, this post isn't really about me or my exaggerated account of playing with the big boys and girls, it's more about the future of mixed plastics, which as we've already seen, is something that concerns many consumers across the country, whether it's due to over-packaging, combination packaging, lack of collection or recyclables being processed in China.

It's about eliminating restrictions like this (and I don't mean the bit about consideration to neighbours)...


According to WRAP's research, the UK produces about 1.4 million tonnes of mixed plastic packaging waste per year. That's yogurt pots and margarine tubs to you and me, plus other things like food trays and salad bags. This amount is growing by 2-5% per year, which unless tackled soon will become a worsening problem.

Of course, there is the option of reducing packaging, but certain levels of packaging will always be needed and it is this that needs to be managed effectively and appropriately.

WRAP's team of experts unveiled in some detail the methodology and processes they used to test the financial and environmental feasibility of recycling mixed plastics. As a non-scientist, you can only begin to appreciate the complexities just from the different plastics that are banded about, such as PP, PE, PET, PS, PVS and PLA.

The recycling processes were also compared with the effects of more "traditional" methods of dealing with mixed plastics, such as landfill and burning. Consideration was given to concerns about whether the recycled products could be created without detriment to the environment, ensuring that quality was good enough to replace virgin resources and would provide sufficient added value.

Anyway, the good news for all those concerned with the amount of mixed plastic going to landfill, is that recycling has proven to be the best option.

Liz Goodwin, Wrap's CEO, sums up the positive results for recycling mixed plastics in the UK:

“This is the first time that we have been able to prove that recycling mixed plastics is not only possible, but cost-effective and makes good environmental sense. The amount of plastic packaging we see in our bins is frustrating, as there is currently nothing most of us can do about it. However, this new research is a first step towards getting that plastic out of the household bin and back in use. This will reduce the need for us to use large amounts of energy producing new plastics and the oil required in their content.”

Frustrated by the lack of local mixed plastic recycling facilities, I know someone who will be particularly pleased with the news. Yes fellow waste blogger Mrs Green. I bet she's doing a handsome dance in her kitchen right now.

However, what does all this really mean for consumers, who are the recyclers at the coal-face of waste?

One thing's for sure, it doesn't mean that Mrs Green and the rest of the UK residents will be able to recycle their food trays and yoghurt pots overnight.

There's the small issue of supply and demand and this is where I regret ditching my Economics A' level in favour of taking German.

Basically it all comes down to collection authorities creating the supply as well as industry generating the demand. Of course the "middle-men", MRF (Materials Recycling Facility) operators such as Veolia and Viridor must also play their own part in extending their sorting processes in such a way that provides economies of scale that are financially beneficial to themselves and the taxpayer.

At face value, it might seem a simple task of just sorting all the new plastics in the same way as dealing with the variants in plastic bottles.

But dig deeper and it becomes evident that unleashing mixed plastic recycling opportunities on society at large will likely lead to a whole new range of contaminates being bunged in the recycling bin. If MRFs can play their part effectively, householders far and wide will need to understand their plastics. So it's a good job that the research has taken into account potential contamination risks.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council has collected mixed plastics for recycling since around 2004 and Daniel Sage, St Edmundsbury's Strategy & Policy Manager for waste and recycling, demonstrated how effective the programme has been in householder take-up and at minimising contamination. At risk of looking like a groupie, here's a photo of Dan, on stage, sharing details of our local scheme.



Amongst other things, success has been down to effective communications to householders, with instructions placed on wheelie bins as well as a "yellow card" type warning system if incorrect materials have been placed in the recycling bins. I've certainly been on the receiving end of one of these, when I mistakenly put a carrier bag in the bin a few years ago!

I never did it again, especially as persistent offenders in our area receive a "red card" which means their bin isn't emptied.

Another highlight from yesterday's event was seeing Tesco's Head of Waste and Recycling in action, in the form of Sion Stansfield who stated that customers want Tesco to stop over-packaging, stop using mixed materials in packaging and to introduce consistent labelling.

Consquently Tesco's buyers are evaluating their product lines with packaging in mind, following five key principles:

• Fit for purpose
• Lightweight
• Sustainable Materials
• Recyclable & Renewal
• Low Carbon Impact
  

Phew! It looks like we are getting somewhere, but perhaps not as fast as we'd like, especially when supermarkets are deemed to be falling behind local retailers and markets when it comes to reducing packaging.

However, what we may need now is some patience, while we wait for what happens next!

So what is going to happen next?

The good news is that WRAP is planning to carry out a large scale demonstration, supporting the creation of a UK mixed plastic recycling plant, capable of processing 40,000 tonnes per year.

Its business plan aims to have this available by 2011 and by 2018 it will increase facilities to manage 500,000 tonnes of mixed plastic recycling per year. Yes, I know that will meet about a third of the current usage figures, but I suppose this is what progress is about and at least it gives councils and manufacturers the opportunity to come online at a pace that can be managed.

Well, I think I managed to get away with being the cuckoo in the nest.

The information dissemination event was fascinating and I've come away with a whole new range of vocabulary, from balers to SRF, ballistic separators to flaking and the best one of all...co-mingling.

Yes co-mingling...and that's got nothing to do with rubbing shoulders with waste management aficionados. It's more to do with the wide range of materials that I bung in my recycling bin.

It was most definitely worth the trip and in my case I came away a more confident consumer than before I walked in.

I just wish I'd asked about toothbrushes!

Anyway, if you're after more details than just my waffle, information about WRAP's research can be found in their press release, issued yesterday. If you're interested in the background science, you can also download your copy of the research report Life Cycle Analysis of Management Options for Mixed Waste Plastics. Copies of the presentations from the event, together with the list of delegates, are now available at the WRAP website .


Oh, I nearly forgot. On my latest trip to London, I eventually managed to spot some recycling bins...indeed a scruffy array of big bins in the busy borough of Camden...


...but if you happen to be passing in the early hours of the morning or late at night, I'm afraid that you'll have to take your recycling back home with you, out of consideration for the neighbours!

I suppose that's the only time I'd advocate being quiet about recycling.
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