I would if i could !!!!!

[Highland Laddie]

Everyone keeps banging on about recycling,

Over the last couple of weeks we have been having a major clearout of the house, shoes, blankets, quilts, jumpers etc etc etc.

We first tried to put the items to the co-op recyle centre, got a little in the container but it was full, plus a load of black binliners sitting at the side of the container, we then tried at Somerfields, no luck, all full also bags sitting beside the containers, Tesco were next, got a little in there but not all, same story at the council recycle centre, if they don't empty the dam containers, how do we recycle. I ended up putting the last of the stuff to landfill, what a blooming waste.

Cant these containers be emptied more often ?????

[Julia]

That's a shame, what a waste indeed. Was any of it suitable for the charity shops?

I saw a woman at the textile recycle bin at Lidl last week and what a job she had trying to get a bag of clothes into the bin, in the end she gave up and put it back in her car! Her only option would of been to stuff the items in individually or put smaller quantities in the bags or maybe the bin was full.

Does anyone know if the Wick recycling has a bin for plastic?

[Bobinovich]

I also notice they've no bottle bank for blue glass at the Thurso Recycling Centre :(. There used to be one but all they've got now is Clear, Green & Brown. I know there's not as much blue glass on the go but you'd think they'd cater for it too!

[flash]

Most of the stuff we put in our bin nowadays is plastic bottles and milk cartons. There has been a big improvement in recycling facilities in Caithness in recent years. I would like to see facilities for plastics.

[Bobinovich]

Hear hear - there would be next to nothing left in our bin if it wasn't for plastics.

I'm curious though - we got the new recycling leaflet yesterday which explains about envelopes, etc. Now I know that you can't put windowed envelopes in (unless surely you remove the plastic window) but I was once told that when recycling paper and cardboard they allowed up to 10% 'contamination' from other products. Therefore a cardboard box which had sealing tape still on would be fine, and I assumed that envelope gum would be the same.

Anyway, surely it's time to press the envelope manufacturers to produce a more recycling-friendly gum, and to force junk mailers to use standard envelopes with printed addresses (or recycling-friendly gum labels on!) instead of using plastic or non-recyclable ones.

Rant over!

[marlyn]

I am in full agreement about the plastic recycling, I feel guilty when I put any into the bin.

I only realised about the envelope thing when the new recycle leaflet came in this week, but I have now started to shred them and stick it into the compost bin, have become obsessed with that bit of equipment! anything that can go into the compost bin does, and woe betide anyone that I catch throwing veg peelings or tea bags into the bin in our house!! LOL

[noodle]

I also notice they've no bottle bank for blue glass at the Thurso Recycling Centre :(. There used to be one but all they've got now is Clear, Green & Brown. I know there's not as much blue glass on the go but you'd think they'd cater for it too!

I may be wrong, but I think that blue glass can go in with green glass. I think I saw it printed on a bottle bank somewhere....

As for plastics - I really wish we could get recycling for that up here but apparantly the costs are too high (according to the lady I spoke to at the council). And our council isn't the only one which has made this decision. [disgust]

[Errogie]

Does anyone else have this moment when you're slinging the bottles into the bins and you find yourself wondering is this one dark green or another shade of brown or is it just my eyesight, and have you screwed up the whole process of separation and recycling when they come to empty them?

[dirdyweeker]

I too would love to be able to recycle plastics. I use at least one BIG plastic bottle of milk ( 6 pints) every day and they are the bulk of my bin contents nowadays. I frequently use the clothing recycle bins and also find them overflowing with excess bags piled up before them.
How do 'we' try to encourage someone to help us recycle plastics???