     By Recycling Ranger Katharine (katharinesmith) on Thursday, 24 April, 2008 - 11:11 am: |
| Dear Matt, If you have been composting for about a year, it's probably worth checking your compost bin, because it might be ready at the bottom. The composting process takes approximately 6 - 12 months, so you may have compost ready to use. It might also be worth trying to add accelerators to speed up the process, these can include grass clippings, nettle leaves and comfrey leaves. It might also be worth turning your compost, as this speeds up the process. With your excess compostable waste, there are a couple of options. You could purchase a new compost bin to start, while the other is composting down. Or, you could visit your local allotment sites in Kendal and speak to the tenants. They might accept your compostable waste for their compost bins. |
| By matt bloom (mattrvb) on Saturday, 05 April, 2008 - 01:43 pm: |
| I have been composting for about a year with mostly veg waste (and added paper/cardboard). My bin is full to bursting now but the compost is not ready. Although I would like to utilize my own compost, I need the room in the bin for fresh peelings. Is there somewhere I can take my compost and swap it for usable compost, or otherwise give it to someone. I live in Kendal and there doesn't appear to be anywhere here. I visit Barrow and Penrith quite often otherwise. |
| By Recycling Ranger Mark (markbuchanan) on Wednesday, 06 February, 2008 - 02:29 pm: |
| Hi David, All of the HWRCs in cumbria that collect plastics collect all rigid plastics. This includes bottles, yoghurt pots and margarine tubs. The recycling sites at places like supermarket car parks vary between districs. Here is a list to help: Allerdale: Plastic bottles only Barrow: All rigid plastics Carlisle: All rigid plastics Copeland: Plastic bottles only Eden: All rigid plastics South Lakeland: All rigid plastics Some sites may also have a separate bank for carrier bags. If not then many supermarkets have a collection point in store. Better yet is to use re-usable shopping bags. |
| By David Chapman (dave_c) on Sunday, 03 February, 2008 - 07:59 pm: |
| I live in Ulverston and am wanting to make sure that the plastics I take to the HWRC can actually be recycled. What types of plastics can the HWRC recycle accept and do you have details of the symbols so I can correctly identify a recyclable package? Thank you. |
| By Recycling Ranger Mark (markbuchanan) on Wednesday, 06 February, 2008 - 02:16 pm: |
| Hi Joe, Our policy is 'Wash and Squash'. This keeps the whole process clean as we are dealing with resources, not rubbish. By squashing the materials first it reduces the air inside and allows for more materials to fit into the banks. This means that wagons aren't carrying air and the banks don't need to be emptied quite as often. This will reduce the amount of CO2 produced as the wagons won't make as many journeys, which is great for the environment. Using a can crusher is a great idea. |
| By Joe Stafford (joefromdent) on Wednesday, 19 December, 2007 - 04:46 pm: |
| To save space taken up on recycling lorries would it be a good idea to encourage people to crush their cans befor throwing them away? I'd just like to get some feedback, so I can have a valid reason to create a can crushing machine in my A level project. |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Wednesday, 06 December, 2006 - 02:57 pm: |
| The good news is that Allerdale Borough Council recently experienced a breakthrough in the problems they were experiencing trying to locate a plastic recycling bank in Keswick. The proposal is for a recycling bank at Otley Road and as long as this is motioned at the next full council meeting, it should go ahead. Allerdale’s recycling team are reliant on the good will of the car parks team at many recycling sites, but have always had good relations, even when the heavy recycling wagons have damaged surfaces meant for light vehicles! Although the council has been keen to expand it’s recycling facilities for some time, it was necessary to be mindful of the effect that the loss of spaces would have had with the Keswick business sector who claim that parking is insufficient in the town. Allerdale Borough Council's capacity for kerbside (doorstep) collection was recently reduced with the closure of a local contractor's business, although the council has recently started a new scheme with 700+ properties in Keswick town centre, collecting plastic, card and glass at the kerbside. With time and more funding, the council hopes to be able to increase the level of kerbside recycling services. We are all being encouraged to recycle more and the Recycling Rewards for Schools pledge scheme is a way of communicating the importance of recycling at home via our primary school children, who are often very passionate about recycling! However, recycling is not the only answer to the challenges we all face regarding escalating amounts of waste. The Resource Cumbria waste prevention partnership hopes to encourage people to reduce waste as much as possible, ideally resulting in even less to recycle! Some ideas for reducing waste include avoiding packaged or over-packaged goods, refusing and reusing plastic carrier bags, choosing reusable and refillable items rather than disposable products and making compost at home from kitchen scraps and garden waste. Have a look around the Resource Cumbria website for even more waste prevention ideas. These small changes in behaviour towards a more resourceful way of living can produce big results for you and for the environment. |
| By Alan Keswick on Tuesday, 05 December, 2006 - 09:48 am: |
| The problem we are having with recycling at the moment is Allerdale council.They are refusing to place a plastic recycling skip in Keswick because they don't want to losse the revenue from 2 parking places.There are some streets in Keswick with no door step recycling bins, it is an absolute shambles. You have recently started a pledges for recycling scheme with our local school.The children cannot believe that there is no plastie recycling in Keswick. It is an absolute joke that you expect people to recycle when councils are more interested in the revenue from 2 parking places than saving the planet. Respond ASAP please with an answer for this stupidity. Alan |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Wednesday, 06 December, 2006 - 03:13 pm: |
| It is definitely more environmentally friendly to make compost in your garden at home rather than transporting it to a central depot to be composted (which is what happens with the garden waste collections in Cumbria). Councils in Cumbria are trying to encourage people to take up home composting by providing a subsidised compost bin scheme to residents in the county. Over 12,000 compost bins have been sold since the scheme started in January this year! The bins are available from as little as £4, including delivery. Details of the offer can be found on this website. Although councils are keen to get more people making compost at home, garden waste collections are still a great way to make sure that as much biodegradable waste as possible gets composted and is not sent to landfill (where it releases harmful greenhouse gases as it breaks down). People often have more garden waste than they can deal with in a home compost bin and some materials (such as very woody prunings and annual weeds) compost more effectively at a large scale composting facility. Compost bins and green waste collections work well together as some materials that are not accepted in green waste collections (e.g. fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, eggshells, cardboard and bedding from vegetarian pets such as hamsters and rabbits) can be composted at home. Councils do not make profits from recycling and garden waste collections and some councils have to pay a fee to have their garden waste composted at large composting depots. These collections are made in order to reduce the amount of waste (particularly biodegradable waste) going to landfill sites, which are rapidly filling up and have a negative impact on the environment. |
| By Alan Keswick on Thursday, 30 November, 2006 - 02:54 pm: |
| Wouldn't it be more environmentally friendly to leave garden waste in the garden to turn to compost.?? How much money does each borough council in cumbria make from garden waste recycling.?? Does the money made go back into recycling or does it go into the councils bank account?? Alan. |
| By Millom on Wednesday, 29 November, 2006 - 11:33 am: |
| I was wondering why if 60% of household waste can be recycled, why is our recycling container around three times smaller than that of our big black sulo bin? Why is it that during the winter, when hardly anyone has garden waste do we still have brown bin collections? Surely the time and money invested in collecting green waste over the winter months could be reduced/removed and be used to fund schemes and use the time to make more black bin collections. Ours is always overflowing, as is our recycling container |
| By M.Paish from Kirklinton on Wednesday, 29 November, 2006 - 10:59 am: |
| We are told on the one hand to switch off every light bulb, etc, when not needed to save our planet by cutting back on polution and benefiting our purses. Almost immediately I hear through our local radio stations about the millions of light bulbs which are being put on in the city centres to celebrate Christmas, and presumably these will burn 24/7 for the next 4 or 5 weeks? Does this really attract so much business to the shops and is it so necessary to waste all that money? Is it what the public really wants? |
| By M.Paish from Kirklinton on Wednesday, 29 November, 2006 - 10:51 am: |
| Recycling of aluminium cans by pubs : walking down the back streets of Botchergate in Carlisle is a real eye-opener. There are hundreds of aluminium cans thrown out for ordinary Council waste collection. If this happens every night, how many millions of cans are just dumped? What is the true story behind this apparent waste and shirking of responsibility and duty to the community? |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Thursday, 30 November, 2006 - 12:17 pm: |
| The arrangements in France that you mention are a good solution to collecting batteries for recycling and trials are taking place in a number of parts of the UK for a very similar scheme involving several high street retailers in the trial areas. If these trials are successful then we should hopefully see the scheme rolled out across the UK. There is another battery recycling trial taking place around the UK involving postal collections of worn out household batteries. This could be a particularly good solution for rural areas where access to large high street stores and other recycling facilities is limited. Again, if this trial proves successful then it will hopefully go UK-wide. The only place to recycle small household batteries in Cumbria at the moment is at the Flusco Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), near Newbiggin, Penrith. However, the County Council is planning to put household battery recycling banks in all 13 HWRCs in the near future. Using rechargeable batteries wherever you can is definitely preferable to using conventional batteries, even if there are facilities in place for recycling conventional batteries. Rechargeable batteries have a longer useful life and can also be recycled when they eventually wear out, so they are by far the least wasteful option. |
| By M.Paish from Kirklinton on Wednesday, 29 November, 2006 - 10:46 am: |
| I wrote to the Council a long time back with no answer. Re battery disposal, this should be the responsibility of the shops selling them, they are making the profit and do little about recycling first hand that I can see. In France every shop that sells batteries also has a huge bottle by the till where you can dump your old batteries. This is a marvellous idea and short of taking all of mine to France, which I am inspired to do, what alternative is there? I read that this problem is going to be dealt with soon but why not by the magastores that sell them? They should take more responsibility. It is high time this 'blind spot' was addressed by the commercial sector and the Council. |
| By dontdumpthat on Monday, 23 October, 2006 - 09:11 am: |
| Hi there everyone, I thought it would be good to let you know about a relatively new community organisation - Don'tDumpThat - (www.dontdumpthat.com) dedicated to finding new homes for all those things you no longer want. With nearly 4000 members in 34 forums across the country from Glasgow to Gosport and Bristol to Boston - and 20+ new ones looking to start there may be one near you (and if there isn't then we are always looking for enthusiastic people to start new ones). DontDumpThat offers forums for Offers and Wanted's arranged in categories of common items as well as discussion forums. You can find out if there is one near you by going to: http://www.dontdumpthat.com/?p=find I look forward to welcoming you as a new member to a forum near you ... Ed Jones Don'tDumpThat www.dontdumpthat.com We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Monday, 16 October, 2006 - 12:26 pm: |
| If you are keen to start a business collecting plastics for recycling, the first step to take is to contact your district council and see what services they currently have so that you don't overlap with something that is already in place. There is a small fund available for Community Waste Prevention initiatives but the fund is only available to community groups, charities and not for profit organisations. There is a large gap in the market for collecting recyclables from commercial businesses so that is a good area to look into, although the fund mentioned above would not be applicable to this kind of venture. |
| By she on Thursday, 12 October, 2006 - 10:13 pm: |
| sheila from east cumbria - there are very few places to recycle plastics that my husband and I were thinking about starting a collection service - would the council help us get started? |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Tuesday, 22 August, 2006 - 05:23 pm: |
| One place that would be happy to take your computing equipment is Cumbria Furniture Services, who are linked with Impact Housing. This organisation accepts donations of furniture and other household items, including computers. You can contact the Ulverston branch on 01229 583185. You could also take your computing equipment to your nearest Houshold Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) for disposal. Any monitors will be separated out from the general waste and properly dismantled so that the harmful substances in them don't damage the environment. |
| By Dan Ulverston on Monday, 14 August, 2006 - 02:28 pm: |
| Where do I go to get rid of my computing equipment - some are still working and it would be a waste (no pun intended) to just throw them out. I am most concerned about the monitors though, because of the lead in them - I would prefer _not_ to have them go to landfill |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Thursday, 03 August, 2006 - 04:05 pm: |
| Worn out batteries are a real hazard to the environment as they contain harmful substances that can pollute water and contaminate land. Old household batteries should not be put in the bin for this reason. Using rechargeable batteries wherever you can is definitely preferable to using conventional batteries, even if you are able to recycle them when they wear out. Rechargeable batteries have a longer useful life than conventional batteries and can also be recycled when they eventually wear out, so they are the less wasteful option. The only Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) in Cumbria that currently has facilities for household battery recycling is Flusco, near Newbiggin, Penrith. However, the County Council will be putting household battery recycling banks in all the HWRCs very soon and then your nearest site will be in Carlisle. |
| By Jon on Monday, 31 July, 2006 - 02:43 pm: |
| Battery Disposal I use rechargeable batteries where appropriate, but I know of no means of safe disposal of exhausted or worn out household batteries of any type. And yet the recycling 'quiz' in the latest 'Your Cumbria' magazine strongly implies that taking batteries to the local HWRC is a good second best to using rechargeables. So please tell me what I can do with worn out household batteries in the Carlisle area. |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Friday, 21 July, 2006 - 01:05 pm: |
| It's great that you are considering using cloth nappies for your twins! You can save yourself money (about £500 when compared with the cost of 'disposable' nappies) as well as preventing a huge amount of waste being sent to landfill during the time your children wear nappies (8 million 'disposables' are thrown away in the UK each day). A real nappy incentive scheme is something that local authorities in Cumbria are currently working to develop. The incentive scheme will either be a voucher towards the cost of purchasing real nappies or a trial pack of different nappy types. Keep an eye on the Resource Cumbria website for developments! You can also find details of all the local real nappy retailers and laundry services by visiting the 'Nappyfinder' www.realnappycampaign.com/nappyfinder or calling the real nappy hotline on 0845 850 0606. |
| By Sarah from Whitehaven on Sunday, 16 July, 2006 - 04:41 pm: |
| I'm considering buying cloth nappies to use on my twins, I have heard that the council sometimes give money towards the cost of buying cloth nappies, yet I cannot find anything on this, was hoping you could help? Thanks |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Wednesday, 17 May, 2006 - 10:05 am: |
| I'm not sure where in the county you live but the best way to find out your nearest recycling centres (including those for plastic and card) is to visit www.recyclenow.com and type your postcode into the box under 'where can I recycle?'. This will produce a list of all your local facilities, what can be recycled where and a map showing the locations. Most plastic recycling banks now accept a mixture of plastics including bottles, trays and other containers. There are more plastic and card recycling banks springing up at recycling centres around the county all the time so keep checking on your local recycling centres for new developments! Local authorities are very aware that the public are keen to recycle these materials and plastic and card make up a significant percentage of what is found in household bins. You should be able to recycle phone books and catalogues in most paper recycling banks. If the catalogues have hardback covers, these would have to be removed and just the pages put into the banks. Some paper recycling banks do not accept yellow pages but you can find out if your local facilities accept them by visiting www.recyclenow.com and following the steps mentioned earlier (enter your postcode etc) then just select 'paper and card: phone directories and yellow pages' from the drop down menu once you've typed in your postcode. You can then click on your local recycling centre and see whether it accepts yellow pages. |
| By Angela on Monday, 15 May, 2006 - 12:47 pm: |
| I would also like to know,about plastic recycling? It is dreadful that I have to through away, all these plastic Milk bottles, and plastic trays, containers. There are very few places to recycle cardboard. I would also like to know, where can I recycle old Phone books, and Catalogues? Last time I went to Recycling centre, with these. Only to be told to put them in the skip, with all the other rubbish for land fill. I wasted all that petrol. Now I have another two years, of these books. |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Wednesday, 10 May, 2006 - 12:45 pm: |
| Lots of people are keen to recycle plastic and more facilities for plastic recycling are springing up all over the county so keep an eye on your local recycling centres for new developments. You can visit www.recyclenow.com and type your postcode into 'where to recycle' for an up to date map and list of all your local recycling facilities. It isn't environmentally friendly to drive miles out of your way to specifically do your recycling. The best thing to do is incorporate visits to recycling centres into other trips out in your car, such as on the way to and from work or when shopping. If you have a look on the recycle now website the map will show you what facilities are nearest to your regular routes. It is depressing to see large amounts of plastic going straight in the bin at work, especially if staff are keen on recycling. The waste produced where you work is commercial waste (not household waste) and so the hospital will pay to have it collected and disposed of. The hospital would also have to pay to have any waste collected for recycling but it is very worthwhile, especially if the staff are keen. It is well worth speaking to the managers responsible for the hospital waste and voice your opinions (and the opinions of other staff) about the importance of recycling. You might be able to get the ball rolling and end up with recycling facilities for several kinds of material where you work! |
| By judy, egremont,cumbria. on Thursday, 04 May, 2006 - 09:50 pm: |
| there seem to be very few places to re cycle pastics supermarkets etc seem to do tins, bottles and paper . i work in a hospital were large ammounts of pastic waste can be see but no where to re cycle it .staff are keen to re cycle but people give up when it becomes a megga effort. it obviously isnt enviromenaly friendly to drive miles to dispose of it. |
| By Kate - Resource Cumbria on Wednesday, 12 April, 2006 - 12:00 pm: |
| Garden waste collected from Cumbrian residents is composted on a large scale at sites around the county. Some of the compost is then used by the councils for landscaping, parks, gardens etc but some is also available for sale to the public. 'Second Nature' compost is made with the garden waste collected in the Carlisle and Eden Districts. The Household Waste Recycling Centre at Bousteads Grassing, Rome Street, Carlisle sells 25kg bags of this compost for £3.50 each at the site. A W Jenkinson, Haweswater Road, Penrith Industrial Estate, also sell this compost and will deliver large amounts, please call 01768 891660 for more information and prices. Compost made with the green waste collected in other districts may also be available in the future. |
| By Brg anrside on Thursday, 06 April, 2006 - 02:30 pm: |
| I would like to be able to get cumbrian compost from recycled garden waste. I have bought some from Formby but transport was expensive and wasteful of resources. What happens to Cumbrian recycled graden waste ? |
 User Profile |
 Getting Started |
 Formatting |
 Trouble Shooting |
 Credits |