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RECYCLE FACT # 1
Always carry your own reusable shopping bag-cotton,canvas,calico,jute and hemp are strong and hardwearing..
If you do get plastic shopping bags take them back to supermarkets that have recycling bins installed,Coles Supermarkets in Tasmania have these bright red wheely bins near their checkouts, these bags will at least be reprocessed into other plastic products such stormwater or sewage pipes.
RECYCLE FACT # 2
Did you know Westpac feeds paper hand towels from their restrooms to their Westpac Worker Worms?
1 worm farm can reduce 50kg of kitchen waste to a usable compost which is then applied to the Westpac Gardens at West
Concord - N.S.W. source: Officecare News May 1999
Hats off to the Sydney Water Authority - for launching a 5 year trial into using 40,000 worms to convert 10,000 tonnes of treated sewage waste into high grade fertilizer and soil conditioner
Did you know about two thirds of household waste is organic matter, & that a company situated near Millicent In South Australia called SUNBURST is tackling this waste disposal issue by using worms.
David & Chris Ellery owners of the company are able to convert 30 tonnes of organic waste into castings from the actions of nearly 6000 kilograms of worms.
Sunburst hope to expand this to 120 tonnes per day.
RECYCLE FACT # 3
Shop at wholefood stores,buy bulk or just enough for the recipe,some stores will let you bring your own jars for honey,peanut butter,liquids and even spices.The experience is also more satisfying than queueing up at a checkout and being told " to have a nice day" by a stranger.
RECYCLE FACT # 4
Did you know that plastic milk bottles have been recycled into 300 sandbags (each the size of a bus), to create an artificial reef to protect the Surfers Paradise coastlines.
Source: Totally Wild - 1999, Network 10
RECYCLE FACT # 5
Every year in the USA alone,about 106 billion throwaway pens have to be disposed of in landfill sites - USE REUSABLE FOUNTAIN or CARTRIDGE PENS.
RECYCLE FACT # 6
Nappies & Razors present a disposal problem.Every year in the USA,16 billion nappies and 2 billion razors and blades aredisposed of.
USE REUSABLE CLOTH NAPPIES and PERMANENT RAZORS to conserve our resources.
RECYCLE FACT # 7
Every year millions of common household batteries are thrown away, most end up at landfill as general garbage posing potential and real threats to people and the environment because of the possibility of their heavy metals leaching out into the soil and the water supply.
Facilities for recycling are minimal due to the various different types of batteries currently on the market.
In some countries such as Japan,Germany,Switzerland & the Netherlands they are collected separately and disposed of as
hazardous waste.Similarly local authorities in the UK,such as Sutton,Sheffield & Wolverhampton are piloting their schemes.
There are some initiatives to encourage consumers to return their batteries that have been put in place by individual manufacturers such as DRAPER TOOLS & BOSCH which involve rebates on new batteries for old.PAG run a collection of batteries supplied to the broadcast media which are then shipped out to Taiwan for reprocessing.
VARTA provide prepaid envelopes for the return of their rechargeable batteries.
Clean Up Launceston is not aware of any similar schemes in Australia.
RECYCLE FACT # 8
Anything organic can be composted.
Composting can be done largescale or within a small home unit. If doing it on a small scale you will be rewarded in a short time with a valuable soil conditioner which can be applied to your house plants.
Watch the carbon:nitrogen ratio the ideal ratio is 20 to 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen.
Too much carbon and material will break down very slowly,Too much nitrogen and you will be able to smell it.The smell will be of ammonia and may turn slimy
Good to put in your compost: APPLES,BANANA SKINS,CITRUS WASTE,COFFEE GRINDS,CORN COBS,ANY OTHER VEGETABLE
& FRUIT MATERIAL,GRASS CLIPPINGS,HAY & STRAW,LEAVES,ANIMAL MANURES,
The above method of composting is probably best for outdoors or backyard composting,if your space is limited
or indoors try worm composting.
The worms are contained in a container which usually can be obtained from garden nurseries,environmental centres,hardware stores etc as a kit.
Worm compost is made in a container filled with moistened bedding and "redworms".
If not using a container from the kit an old dresser drawer,trunk or barrel can be recycled for the purpose.Wood is best as they are absorbent and good insulators for the worms.The compost tends too get a bit wet if plastic is used. Worms like a moist,dark environment.basements,balconies,sheds,garages or kitchen counters are ideal.They do need to be kept out of the hot sun,heavy rain or cold.
You can get the worms from an existing compost bin,buy them,or find a horse stable or farmer with an aged manure pile.
Worms will eat fruit and vegetable peels,pulverized egg shells,teabags,coffee grounds.
To avoid potential rodent problems DO NOT COMPOST MEATS,DAIRY PRODUCTS,OILY FOODS or GRAINS.
Naturally no glass,plastic or tin foil these normally can be recycled by other means.
Should there be any unpleasant odours due to being overloaded, gently stir to allow more air in.Stop adding food waste until the worms have broken down what is already there.
Discourage fruit flies by always burying the food wastes and not overloading the bin.
Adding a spider or 2 has been found a good way to reduce fruitflies.
If all else fails move the bin to another location where the flies will not bother you.
RECYCLE FACT # 9
USE HANDKERCHIEFS,NOT DISPOSABLE TISSUES to SAVE OUR FORESTS!
RECYCLE FACT # 10
When South Australia introduced compulsory deposits on glass and aluminium drink containers the recovery rate jumped to 90% ,twice the national average.
RECYCLE FACT # 11
On Staten Island (USA) garbage from NEW YORK was piling up so high that the flightpath for Newark International Airport was threatened.
RECYCLE FACT # 12
Disposable nappies present a disposal problem.
Every year in the USA 16 billion nappies are disposed of.
In the UK 8 million are disposed of every day.
In Australia nappies account for 1% of all landfill volume,and rising - an individual nappy takes
approximately 500 years to fully decompose.
Use alternatives such as reusable cloth nappies,or biodegradable and compostable corn starch nappies,more information on this topic can also be found at the website
organicsdirect.com
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