Recycling rates are continuing to be on the rise in Scotland, prompting the government to once again increase recycling target rates. Currently, the country is comfortably meeting their target recycling rate of 30%. A recent report released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency indicates that currently recycling and composting rates are now at 35.9%. The government had set this target between October 2008 and September 2009, and reached their goal, even surpassing it by a little more than five percent. However, in order to keep improving upon recycling habits within Scotland, the country will now aim to have a 40% recycling ... Full Story

As technology now advances at such a fast rate there are suddenly hundreds of millions of electronic devices that have been cast aside for the newer model. One of the increasing problems of waste management is how to deal and dispose of e-waste.  E-waste, which includes items like computers, mobile phones, printers, and televisions, is rapidly becoming one of the biggest problems for communities aiming to reduce the size of their landfills.  The United Kingdom has been particularly ineffective at dealing with e-waste, which has given birth to a score of new businesses, some of which are unethical.  According to ... Full Story

Mobile phone recycling has become one of the fastest growing segments of the recycling industry, as companies are popping up all over the world to handle the massive amount of unused mobile phones that are sitting around drawers.  The UK alone is estimated to have at least ninety million unused phones and in America there are almost twice as many phones as humans. Although phone manufacturers agree that this is a major problem, they differ on the ways to solve it. Sony Ericsson has been at the forefront of reusing mobile phone components in medical equipment, cameras, and other electronic ... Full Story

Recently there was a report about a family in the United Kingdom who managed to go an entire year, filling only one rubbish bin.  One of the ways in which this super eco-family was able to reduce their waste to nearly zero was to reduce the amount of textiles that they brought into their home and were later thrown away.  This can be done in a variety of ways, largely by buying only second hand clothes or by repairing used clothes instead of throwing them away.  One of the things holding back the growth of textile recycling in the United ... Full Story

Everyone has felt the pressure of opening a gift on Christmas that they knew they were not going to like.  They've felt the eyes of their loved ones upon them as they open the hideous sweater or tie given to them by their Aunt, or had to watch with worry as their child turned their nose up at a new pair of socks.  Even though most people have learned to mask their disappointment when they receive a gif that they don’t' want or like it still leaves the question of what to do with a gift that will likely end ... Full Story

Nearly every industry in the world is looking for unique and innovative ways to become greener.  This includes the fashion industry, where stores and website promoting clothing recycling and reuse are popping up all over the world.  There have been projects using recycled clothing, such as a recent scheme in which schoolchildren used recycled clothing to make a quilt as a way of increasing awareness.  Other schemes encourage people to donate clothing that will then be resold, either for profit, or in some cases to donate to charitable causes like Children in Need or various cancer funds.  Bigwardrobe.com, which is ... Full Story

Environmental concerns have increasingly become more important to people around the United Kingdom.  With recent studies showing that the United Kingdom is well behind most of Europe when it comes to recycling and waste management, new pressure has been put on government and local councils to get something done. E-waste, or waste created by throwing away things like mobile phones and televisions, has become a major concern in the United Kingdom after it was revealed that many companies were dumping the waste on developing nations in Africa.  Since these reports have surfaced, the topic of e-waste has become a popular ... Full Story

When people think of recycling they usually picture the traditional things like paper, plastic, and aluminum.  However, two of the biggest contributors to landfills around the United Kingdom are food waste as well as waste created by clothing.  People don't realize that food breaks down in landfills and creates harmful methane gas that is far worse for the environment than carbon.  In addition, clothing that is not reused or recycled takes up valuable space in landfills when it could be used in the creation of many new products.  Clothing company Timberland is trying to do just that with a new ... Full Story

The United Kingdom has come under fire over recent weeks for its failure to be on pace for many of the recycling and waste management goals outlined by the European Union.  The EU laid out specific guidelines for each of its member nations to reduce the size of its landfills over five, ten, and twenty year increments.  Industry insiders say that without some serious changes the United Kingdom will fail to reach man of these goals.  Currently more than half of all rubbish created in the United Kingdom ends up finding its way into landfills, including over five million used ... Full Story

A website that was launched to help people recycle their unwanted items as opposed to throwing them away has marked three years of success in Redditch. Redditchfreecycle.org.uk is one of the most active online sites providing a means for residents of the West Midlands to keep thousands of items out of landfill each week. The site set up is straightforward in that it matches those with unwanted items with those who have a use for them. Co-founder of the Redditch group, Andy Griffin, noted: “Three years ago, we never dreamed that Redditch Freecycle could ever be as successful as it is today. We ... Full Story

Everyone is saying that "green is the new black". What they mean is that it pays to purchase gently worn or recycled items from charity shops. In fact, it's the latest trend among many people, old and young, throughout the UK. On top of being trendy, consumers can also beat the credit crunch that may prevent them from buying new. A recent study has shown that charity shop profits hit a very high mark last year as consumers hunted through second hand shops for bargains. Shops benefiting charities seem to be collecting the most, with more than £500 million. The Salvation ... Full Story

While much focus has been put on household recycling in the UK, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has stated that the government should spend more time encouraging businesses to recycle and reduce waste. Recently, an attempt has been made to reduce household waste by banning black bags and weighing dustbins. The Lords say that the scheme should be discontinued and in its place should be a VAT scheme designed to encourage businesses to reduce and recycle waste. The Lords have also said that the UK's "throwaway society" should also be addressed. While much of the recent legislation has focussed ... Full Story