Last weekend, a local campaign against the use of plastic bags got a boost. Over 1,000 reusable bags were handed out to shoppers at the town centre in Harborough district. The district is being assisted in their anti-plastic campaign by the Mail. Last Friday, Harborough Improvement Team’s Environment group gathered at The Square in order to hold a roadshow. The event organizers estimated that there were 1,200 reusable bags distributed during the course of the day where despite bag weather, 512 people pledged their support to the cause. Mary Danks, chairman of the environment group, said: “I feel it was a real success, ... Full Story

Recycling specialists at South Ribble Borough Council are sending out a plea to the locals to bear in mind the fact that good things come in small packages as they do their shopping for the Easter season. Close to eighty million chocolate eggs will be sold in the United Kingdom in the coming days and surveys show that most of these Easter treats will be highly over-wrapped. Consequently councils will have more than five thousand tonnes of extra plastic, tin foil and cardboard waste to grapple with. That’s why this time round South Ribble Borough Council is urging the locals not to ... Full Story

Business leaders in Cumbria have been empowered with information on ways of reducing the cost of packaging and the effects of packaging on the environment. This was done at a special one-day seminar where they were also educated on the present legislation besides exploring ways and means of reducing packaging as well as the use of recycled materials. The workshop was organised by two Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency programmes namely Cumbria Business Environment Network and Distinctly Cumbrian. Ian Winchester of Distinctly Cumbrian affirmed that packaging was a huge expense for business enterprises and that many Cumbrian firms wanted to cut these expenses besides ... Full Story

A north-east authority on sustainability issues says that recent legislative laws aimed at reducing the effects of packaging on the environment will persuade smaller firms in the supply chain to look for more efficient and environmentally friendly ways of packaging. For instance from April, sending waste to a landfill will cost companies eight pounds per thousand kilograms. It is the belief of the Envirowise regional manager for the North-east, Guy Bashford that smaller firms in the retailing and manufacturing sector will generate big savings if they recycle and adopt waste management methods that are in line with current trends and thinking. Already ... Full Story

Unite the Union has judged Cadbury's launch of 'eco eggs' as 'green-washing'. The confectionery giant has unveiled a range entitled ‘Treasure Eggs’ that will come foil wrapped as opposed to being sold in a box. Cadbury's has stated the change in manufacturing is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic by 75% compared to traditional eggs. However, Unite the Union said the company is proceeding with its plans to close its Somerdale Chocolate factory and export the work to Poland. Unite added that this plan will add seven million extra miles that products such as Fudge, Crunchie, Curly ... Full Story

Pak Mail Centers around the country have teamed up with The Peanut Hotline, a packing peanuts reuse program created in 1991 by the Plastic Loose Fill Council. Jeff Clobes, owner of the Pak Mail Center located at 3910 Vogel Road, explained, "Our customers can now drop off unwanted plastic peanuts at our store where we will recycle and reuse them and together we will be making a significant contribution to working to keep our planet green." Recycling is more than simply passing phase. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the popularity as well as the need ... Full Story

The Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Association in Mississauga is closing. Toronto had contracted with them to handle its plastics. Now, the city of Toronto is trying to find alternatives for its trash diversion plans. Toronto was in the process of launching its new recycling plan with mega blues bins to collect polystyrene and plastic bags. Every Toronto residence will have one by this spring. Foamed polystyrene has a very large volume. One kilogram of polystyrene packaging can fill more than two household garbage cans. It is used for packaging electronic equipment and food containers. The company stated that declining ... Full Story

The Christmas season is over in Edmonton, and residents are being asked to consider recycling more of their Christmas waste, especially plastic bags. These bags, particularly the flimsy, thin plastic bags used for Christmas gifts and groceries, can be used to create new products such as plastic composite lumber, park benches, and decking. Grant Cameron of the Alberta Plastics Recycling Association commented that this is an increasingly profitable business that has tripled in size across North America in recent years. A number of establishments are making an effort to recycle the plastic bags including retailers such as Safeway, Sobey’s, Save on ... Full Story

Whole Foods Market, a leading US grocery chain featuring organic foods, will be banning plastic bags in its store by early next year. The company is beginning the practice in Austin, TX, where it is headquartered, by no longer offering plastic bags to customers. 100 percent recycled content paper bags will be available for shoppers. Seth Stutzman, Whole Food Market’s regional vice president, stated:“Let’s face it, plastic bags fill landfills, harm our water systems and wildlife, and litter our roadsides and communities. We are discontinuing the use of these bags in support of our Core Value of caring for ... Full Story

The London Assembly's environment committee said that a UK-wide tax would be more effective than the London-only ban on disposable shopping bags currently being recommended by the London boroughs through umbrella organisation London Councils. London shops hand out 1.6 billion carrier bags every year, the committee said, stating that while while some shopping bags were saved and re-used by consumers, most of them end up in landfill sites. Darren Johnson AM, chair of the committee stated: "There is broad consensus amongst London supermarkets and consumers to reduce consumption of carrier bags but our investigation found that regional action is not necessarily the ... Full Story

Imagine diligently collecting garbage and trashed cans, working on cleaning them and crushing them to then send them across to the recycling centers. Upon getting there, you discover the weight you had calculated for your bag of crushed cans is different from what they calculate. A couple in their eighties have been collecting aluminum cans; crushing them before handing them over to the recycling centers as a way of raising money for their church. They walk around their neighborhood to pick up these cans and tins, apart from the ones they get from their friends and family members. These are ... Full Story

When we buy a dress or household item, it usually comes packed in a plastic bag or a cardboard box. And when we take them out of their packaging, we are left wondering what to do with the bag it came in. we don’t know if we should recycle it or throw it away. This problem arises because most of us find it difficult to find the label that is supposed to be placed on these products giving us an indication on how to deal with them. To solve this issue, the retailers have joined hands with the British Retail ... Full Story