The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is holding a consultation on a proposal to extend the single-use-plastic-bag charge to all retailers and to increase the minimum charge to 10 pence.
For more information, and to have your say, see https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environmental-quality/extending-the-single-use-bags-charge/
Recycle for London (RfL), as part of its London Recycles campaign, has launched Know Your Plastic, an initiative to help people understand which plastic items can be recycled at home. It features short, quirky videos on social media supported by detailed information on a dedicated web page.
The campaign is being shared by Hounslow Council, which wants to help residents understand what can and cannot be accepted for recycling. Continue reading
Walkers Crisps has pledged to make all its packaging 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025. In the meantime, the company has partnered with recyclers TerraCycle to make it easier to recycle its crisp packets and thereby reduce its impact on the environment.
There are a number of collection points throughout the UK for the packs, which must be clean and empty. If there isn’t a collection point near you, Walkers can arrange for a courier to collect your packets free of charge, or you can take them to your nearest courier drop-off point. You’ll need at least 400 packets, so it’s best to club together with family, friends and colleagues.
For more information, click here.
TerraCycle partners with manufacturers to recycle the “non-recyclable” – items that are usually consigned to landfill or incineration. In some cases product packaging can be returned to shops, but it’s also possible for volunteers to set up a drop-off point and earn money for charity. Continue reading
The Frontline Club will host an event on Tuesday, 20 November, at 7pm, to release the results of an Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace UK survey of major UK grocery retailers, their use of single-use plastic packaging and their targets to reduce it. Continue reading
Ealing Friends of the Earth and Southall Transition present the film ‘A Plastic Ocean’, on Thursday, 6 December, in Southall (details below), which documents the devastating impact plastic is having on our oceans and the marine animals that live there. Continue reading
Sustainable Threads’ Festival of Sustainable Fashion will be held on Saturday, 24 November, from 11am to 4pm at Hackney House in east London.
The event, funded by the North London Waste Authority, is a celebration of fashion, creativity and recyclability. On offer will be a repair cafe and The Big Swish Clothes Swap hosted by Betsy’s Closet Swap Shop. There will also be a Sustainable Threads panel discussion on the ground floor, plus entertainment, refreshments and eco stalls promoting how we can make a difference to our environment. Continue reading
A petition has been launched calling on the UK government to create a UK-wide waste and recycling system.
BRAG recently asked Brentford councillor Guy Lambert about plastics recycling and what happens to the waste collected in Hounslow. We told him that we had heard that items not suitable for recycling go to landfill, incineration or overseas. BRAG members who recently visited the Southall Lane Recycling Plant had been assured that all non-recyclables were sent to incineration. Continue reading
NOTE: We have been informed that the evenings are fully booked, but you might still be interested in reading about the events.
The Southall Lane recycling centre is holding two open evenings in October – Thursday the 4th and Monday the 8th — that offer residents of Hounslow an opportunity to visit the new facility, which is not normally open to the public.
There will be two sessions each evening at either 5.30pm or 6.30pm, and each session will last approximately 45 minutes. Parking is available on site. Booking is essential – see links at end of article. Continue reading
