How to be green at home & on holiday
Recycling is
VITAL
The idea of recycling the waste we produce has been around for thousands of years but considerable change happened in the 1970s when it was realised that recycling products used less energy than producing new ones. Each year, British households produce 26 million tonnes of waste, equivalent to the weight of 260 large cruise ships. That’s an average of 400kg of waste from each household. Of that waste, about 12m tonnes is recycled and 14m tonnes is sent to landfill, giving the UK an average recycling rate of just 45%. Compare that to Germany, Austria and South Korea who have a recycling rate of 65% and over.
The basics of
RECYCLING Aluminium
Glass
Plastic
Paper & cardboard
Recycling
SYMBOLS Labels and symbols are everywhere, they’re part of our everyday lives but sometimes its not easy to know what they all mean. Rinse & recycle - often found on food trays, you should rinse food packaging before recycling. The Green Dot - signifies that the producer of the item has made financial contributions towards recycling schemes. Plastic resin codes - identifies the type of plastic used to make the item. Waste electricals - this warns against adding electrical items to your general waste. Instead you should recycle. Compostable - this signifies that the item is industrially compostable according to European standards.
What else can I
RECYCLE? Batteries
Light bulbs
Clothes/ textiles
Electrical items
Food waste
Vehicle oil
Plastic bags
Wood
Coffee capsules
Tyres
Empty gas bottles
Printer cartridges
Make do &
MEND
Remember to
REUSE
Broken or damaged items don’t always need to be recycled or thrown away. Sometimes they can be fixed or repurposed. Old clothes can be mended or used to make other textile items. Broken electrical items can be repaired by retailers or taken to a repair shop. Furniture can be upcycled and given a new lease of life. Every year in the UK, 10 million household items are sent to landfill, 3 million of these could be used by others in need. Most items are made to be used more than once. But sometimes we may want rid of something that is perfectly useable. That’s where charity shops, gifting sites, online selling platforms come in handy. Give your old furniture, clothes and electronics a new home.
Keep it
CLEAN
Beach cleans and other community-led schemes are really starting to take off. They are fun activities for kids and you’re helping the planet too! You can find out more about what you can do to help by visiting the Marine Conservation Society or by becoming a member of organisations like the National Trust.
Use with
CARE
Many of earth’s resources are finite, and with a growing population, we need to make sure we share what we have. Water is a precious natural resource that we all take for granted. Simple life hacks can help us save the amount that we use, like turning off the tap when we brush our teeth, taking shorter showers and investing in a water butt to capture rain water.
Green
CAMPING Look out for campsites that promote green camping and offer at least a few of the following green features:
Recycling facilities such as colourcoded bins or collection points
Composting toilets or other eco-friendly sanitary facilities
Solar power or alternative powered showers and facilities Recycled water
Promote and support local, independent shops and stores
Staying eco on
HOLIDAY Forget the tech Our gadgets use energy to power them so leave them at home and use your holiday to give yourself a digital detox Carbon offsetting Some companies allow you to pay towards offsetting your carbon emissions when travelling. Stay and shop local Support your area by staying local and shopping at indepenent shops and stores. Avoid extra travel Try not to travel too far once you’ve reached your campsite. Some European cities have implemented Low Emission Zones which require you to pay to enter if your vehicle does not meet certain requirements. Recycle or take it home When you’re away from the campsite remember to recycle your waste where possible. If you can’t, take it back to the site.
Get
INVOLVED
The steps we take may be small but the collective effort is big. Everyone can reduce, reuse and recycle. Perhaps you want to go further? Sign up to gifting sites like Freecycle or Freegle. These sites let you give old items a new home without exchanging money. Alternatively, use selling platforms like eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplaceto sell unwanted items. Visit a repair cafe to get broken or damaged items fixed. Take part in a beach clean or community clean event. Donate to charities that support and promote eco initiatives. Useful websites recyclenow.com mcsuk.org repaircafe.org energysavingtrust.org.uk edenproject.com nationaltrust.org.uk