 New statistics on recycling plastics in the Uk from The National Plastics Recycling Initiative, revealed that 1 in 10 people aged 18-24 (11%) admitted to not caring at all about recycling while 60% are uninterested , leaving only 29% who want to or try to help with recycling. In Uk , The average household uses over 440 plastic bottles per year yet only a little over half of them (58%) are recycled , so where does the other 42% go to? Did you know that the new statistics also revealed that Woman are more concious of the environment meaning men are less likely to recycle and only 34% of people think they only recycle as much as they can in respect of not knowing exactly how or what to recycle. Statics reveal that people are placing their recyclable bottles in the wrong bins so it is not that people are unable to recycle, it is basically them just being lazy or ignorant and they are not recycling them properly.  About the National Plastics Recycling Initiative- In September of this year (2014), The National Plastics Recycling Initiative was founded and it is being led by Recoup and supported by partners including -
This huge initiative has been enforced to tackle the huge problem the UK is currently having with recycling plastics but not only recycling, also the use of recyclable packaging to help meet the challenging targets which have been set by the UK government for 2013-17. There are three key aims of the initiative;
 About Pledge4Plastics- Pledge 4 Plastics is a government backed national initiative which aims to boost recycling of plastic packaging in the UK. Led by Recoup, a plastics recycling charity, Pledge4Plastics have been developed with the partners above. Each local authority has their own targets to, to recycle more packaging and reduce the amount of material which is sent to landfill. Landfill costs have rapidly increased, and by recycling plastics more money can be spent by local authorities on other essential services. Recently Barry Turner, head of the Packaging and Films Association named and shamed the best and worst five Councils for recycling Plastics.  Abigail Ahern - To highlight the many ways plastic can be given a new life if recycled correctly, The gorgeous interior designer and stylist, Abigail Ahern, has channelled her distinct quirky style to design her first ever bespoke phone cover, which is made from 80% recycled plastic bottles. One thousand limited edition phone covers have been designed exclusively for #Pledge4Plastics, to reward those who register their support online. Show your support and pledge now! Knowing that 5 billion plastic bottles were sent to the UK landfill sites last year, the initiative has joined forces with Abigail Ahern to launch the #Pledge4plastics 
The importance of the #Pledge4Plastics is not just about recycling water bottles but also to encourage recycling other types of plastics such as hair care , domestic cleaning ,cooking oils and sauce bottles,tubs cartons and trays. If you have a school or playgroup near by , why not pop in with your cleaned yoghurt , butter and egg trays and give them some free arts and crafts supplies, I usually get those watsit shaped foams or bubble wrap in my parcels , the kids love to take those in . We try to do our bit for recycling - I have to be honest in the fact that a couple of years a go , our family had no interest in recycling, but our local council did attempt to help us out by sending us and other households in the council extra bins, boxes and bags which made us learn to recycle more efficiently. At first the thought of going through each item we used such as bottles of pops or sauces , washing them then placing them all in the recycle bin , felt a little daunting and time consuming but over the years our family have learnt to adapt to a routine where we feel it is no longer a chore . Each evening our bins are emptied into the outside bins which are collected weekly alternating between the recycle and waste. I keep all the recyclable rubbish to one side and the other waste goes into a separate bin . We are lucky enough to have children in a primary school and we do try to bag as much of it as we can to send in for them to use in arts and crafts. My son loves to take cereal boxes, egg boxes and sometimes plastic milk bottles into his class to create something artistic so it does reduce our bin load dramatically. We do separate our household waste. We had to order new bins due to our extended family , having 9 of us in the home entitled us to being able to have an extra two bins, 1 extra recycle bin and 1 more waste bin. I have to be honest in admitting that the waste bin stays empty pretty much, but our recycle bins are both always very much full . Our thoughts and habits on recycling have changed and I am sure if you took 15 minutes out of your day, yours would to. My daughters friend brought me this over the summer, she told me her mum makes them along with other items from plastic bottles, It hangs in my garden and makes a lovely wind chime , most of all when the sun shines on it , it looks so pretty. I have also seen so many other things that can be made from recyclable plastics , its amazing what can be made with them.  Competition- If you would like to own one of the stunning IPhone cases designed by Abigail Ahern for the #Pledge4Plastics then please enter by following the quick and easy instructions below.  I have made my pledge, have you ?
Click the #Pledge4Plastics pledge now picture above to be involved .
2 Comments
katie mackenzie
16/10/2014 12:11:54 pm
my niece uses the plastic bottles for her pencils and makes things for her dolls house, its all fun :)
Maria O'Sullivan
16/10/2014 01:17:16 pm
I recycle all I can and encourage neighbours to do the same! Leave a Reply. |
