h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have never been an environmental nut as such, but recently we have started to support the campaign by ASDAs to cut out plastic carrier bags. Well in fact we started doing when we went to AlDI and LIDL as they charge you for plastic carrier bags, (which is good thing really)
Anyway, we bought one of them "Bags for life" one day when we were in M&S and started keeping it on the passenger seat of the car, this was because we used to forget to bring it in with with us to the shops we were visiting.

So now, we do it as a routine, and you would be amazed as to how many plastic bags we had lying around the house! We used to use them as bin liners, until we found out that they would not rot when buried in a land fill site. So we tried to find a place where we could but those BioDegradable ones, but so far no luck

I have also found a site called Freecycle hope that is OK to mention that on here?)Anyway, its a site where you can post items that are still serviceable, so that folk can come and picked them up. The whole idea is to stop the infill sites being filled with stuff that can be of use to others, also to stop non biodegradable stuff being buried

I even keep a carried bag in my jacket pocket, so that when I got to the corner shop, I dont have to use another new one I know its not much, but it makes us feel that we are doing our bit to save the planet, only wish I could find a place that sells those biodegradable bin liners.

Hi! Smudger,

Good to hear from you. I have been a 'recycling nut', as you put it, for years. I too am trying to cut down my use of plastic carriers. I use them till they are falling apart, or buy 10p ones from Iceland as they will replace them free of charge once they are worn out, and they recycle them.

I also use Freecycle and have found it very useful. I am a hoarder, I just can't throw anything away, if it might be of the slightest use, and people even take broken stuff on Freecycle, as some people like mending things, or using bits for spares. It is very good indeed and I have found homes for lots of things, as well as gaining some good stuff.

I recycle postage stamps, elastic bands, magazine film (the kind of polythene magazines are wrapped in), aluminium cans, water filter cartridges, paper, tins, glass bottles and plastic bottles. PHM goes a bit mad at me with all this stuff cluttering up the place, but we are going to HAVE to do it in the future so we may as well get used to it now.

I have written articles on those subjects, not just about landfill but the effects waste plastic has on wildlife. It is very worrying. I wll see if I can find out where biodegradeable bags can be found.

Smudger, before I forget I haven't seen any Smudger Snippets lately. Have you stopped doing them, or are you just having a rest? I miss them.



Websailor

Me again Smudger,

If you Google for 'Biodegradable bin liners' you will find lots of sites and information. Might do something about it myself.



Websailor

Hi WS, many thanks for that, I will go and have a look at them sites

I have not stopped writing the Snippets its just that no one took one from my page last month? There are few there now ready for collection

I remember when I used to go clay pigeon shooting, we used to have to go round and collect all the spent cartridges, even the cardboard ones, so that no animal would be hurt eating them

We also cleared the whole place up before leaving the field, it was just second nature to us at the time

Yet if you stop at the roadside on any main road here in Scotland, you will find stacks of rubbish that is not biodegradable and will remain there for years to come It really makes me as we have such a beautiful country here, and folk come from all over the world to see it

Smudger.

Same down here Smudger, and it gets my goat too!

Can't afford to get too about it though or the old blood pressure goes up.

Perhaps you should remind that there are articles waiting to be collected. I am afraid mine are done each fortnight. I keep promising to get myself two or three 'in the can' but never seem to get the time these days.

Oh, by the way I have a brilliant book on the Grand Canyon. If you would be interested in it I would be happy to post it to you, no charge Email me your address if you are interested.

Take care,

Websailor

Ah! cheers for that WS
I have got a lot of info on the grand canyon from the web sites that cover it. I never showed it all to Mk2 as its not fair really knowing that we will never get there to see it

(we cant get travel insurance for her, and she cant fly anyway, due to her DVTs (blood clots)The doctor told us not even to bother renewing her pass port)

Mind you was planning a trip to a working muesium down south later this year, we can get there by car, and stay in a B&B for a few days

(Shazz used to pick up my Snippets for )

Smudger.

Oh, that is a shame Smudger,

Oh, well, I shall have to find someone else who might like it then but I thought of you straight away.

It seems we both can only dream and travel via the Internet. Still we can sleep in our own beds at night which is probably a bonus!!

Take care, regards to Mark ll,

Websailor

Thanks for that WS, I have ordered a box of them bin liners from the web, so they should arrive soon

I know its not much, but it makes me feel like I am doing my bit

A mate of mine used to go out digging for old glass bottles, imagine what folk will find in the years to come.....disposable lighters and shaving heads, and all the other plastic stuff that will never rot, not much excitement for them, is it
Smudger.

Smudger, I have said this so many times especially after litter picking! I wonder what the archaelogists of the future will make of our landfill sites.

I often wonder how accurate they are when digging sites now, and whether our ancesters are looking down and laughing at us for how wrong we have got it.

Imagine what the 'experts' will make of our century's rubbish!!

Websailor

I'm not sure I'd consider myself a recycling nut but we do recycle when we take out our normal rubbish for pickup. There is a separate container for recyclables.

The stores here don't charge for bags but they do recycle them. There is a bin at the front to put used bags in. When I was in NYC and I shopped every day I brought my own bag with me. Now I only shop weekly and need to use bags, but I always take them back to be recycled.

If it helps though, I drive a Prius.

Hi Batty, long time no see Its good to hear from you again
When I was working out in Russia, Egypt and Turkey, I saw the amount of pollution and waste was a lot worse than ours back home, but then again they had more important issues at hand (there was unrest at the time I was there?)

In Russia though, you never get anything wrapped at all, (when I was there back in 1990) you carried it just as you bought it? I had to carry my own shoulder bag with me at all times, especially for the stuff I was buying, (beer & cigarettes, coffee, salt etc))
Smudger.

Hi Smudger!

I always carried a bag in NYC, but here it's not the same. Nothing is really in walking distance, sadly. I satisfy myself with the fact that my car isn't as bad as most.

I just read an article in to days paper saying that the councils are going to start checking if folk are using "shopping bags" as bin liners, and fine the householder if they are? As they will not rot on landfill sites

Mind you I just cant imagine the men inspecting every bin before they hook it up to the back to be lifted
It takes our blokes just to leave our bin in the same street, as they wheel so far away up to the lorry to be emptied
Smudger.

The 'rules aNd regulations' down here are going mad. They will be setting neighbour against neighbour the way things are going. Haven't heard that about using shopping bags as bin bags. Here we are encouraged to to that!!

I am totally in favour of recycling but it has to be thought through properly and I don't think it is at present.

Websailor

I remember being in Holland way back in the 70s visiting my sister, and they had a really good domestic system even then With community based ones in every area for just about everything

There were separate bins for different items issued to every house holder, even food waste was recycled!
Smudger.

Hi there,i work for the Salvation Army and we are grateful for any carrier bags,minus the contents you recycle

Hi smudger!
I have missed talking to you. My plan is to be back for a while now.

We finaly have a better recycle program= people do it because it is easier now and you do not have to have multiple bins for glass,cardboard,cans,clean recycled items.

I hate how the bottled water industry has created another new mess!
Our city water is excellant , better than many bottled waters when tested. Whatever happened to having your own water bottle to refill?

I like the freecycle idea too. I have been telling everyone who will listen. I heard it first here on h2 and then found we have it in our area.

I havn't really had much recycling experience recently but when I lived in Coronado(a Island in the San Diego bay) in California we actualy had a big tub full of red worms that ate all our leftover food wastes oh and the nieghborhood payed for each house to have a recycling bin

Hi Abbi, Its great to see you back in here again Its been a long time since hearing from you. We have a recycle point near us where you can put anything! Even those large plastic milk bottles, they have signs all over the place, even one warning about being abusive to the staff who work there
Yea! that's what I thought as well
Smudger.