Recycling at home
Why do we need to
recycle?
Hints and
tips
Recycling electricals and
batteries
Composting hints and tips
Why do we need to
recycle?
Before recycling became popular in
the 1990's, most of Ryedale's rubbish was sent to a landfill site
(formerly a large stone quarry) in Thornton le Dale. This site
lasted about 25 years and was closed in 2009.
Another site is now being used but, like all landfills it will
fill up quickly, so there is a real need to reduce our waste,
as well as to recycle more of it.
As well as being unsightly, messy and smelly, landfill sites
emit methane (a potent greenhouse gas) and produce leachate (a
liquid which gathers at the bottom of the landfill). Both of
these are problematic and expensive to manage and treat.
There will always be a need for some landfill capacity but the
less reliant we are on this form of disposal, the more sustainable
we will be in managing our waste.
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Hints and
Tips
The Recycle Now website is an
excellent resource for news, information, hints and tips to help
you recycle. There are sections for recycling in the garden, at
work and at school. Visit the Recycle Now website for more
information.
To dispose of any excess or bulkier waste there are a number of
Household Waste Recycling Centres (skipsites) in Ryedale, managed
by North Yorkshire County Council. Please see NYCC's
website for more information.
Reduce, Reuse and
Recycle
Tips to help you reduce the amount of waste you produce.
- Buy in bulk - reduce packaging by buying larger containers,
concentrates and refills. This will also help you to save
money!
- Buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than over-packaged
varieties and choose products packed in recyclable material
- Buy products with less packaging
- Home composting items such as fruit and vegetable peelings,
grass cuttings and teabags turns waste into a reuseable product
and, during decomposition, reduces the volume of waste
- Avoid food waste - about one third of the food we buy gets
thrown away and most of this could have been eaten. To find useful
tips on the storage of food, tantalising receipes and advice on
portion sizes visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/.
This will also save you money.
- Avoid plastic carrier bags - use cloth bags or a "bag-for-life"
when you go shopping. Try to keep a few reuseable shopping bags in
your car, next to your door or in your handbag
- Drink tap water rather than bottled water to reduce the number
of plastic bottles
- Unwanted mail - to reduce the amount of unwanted mail through
your letterbox there are several things you can do; Register with
the Mailing
Preference Service to stop receiving unsolicited/addressed
advertising mail like credit card applications.
- Choose reuseable items like cloth napkins, refillable pens and
non-disposable razors
- Opt for ceramic crockery with cloth napkins instead of paper or
plastic alternatives
- use old glass jars to store small items such as nails and
pins
- Save any bubble wrap or padded envelopes and reuse when you
next send a parcel
- Cut up old Christmas cards to make gift tags for next year
- Use dishcloths instead of disposable wipes
- Buy rechargeable batteries and energy saving lightbulbs. Energy
saving lightbulbs last up to 12 times longer
- Use reuseable nappies - 8 million disposable nappies are thrown
away every day in the UK - see http://www.realnappy.com/
- Use reuseable containers and lunch boxes instead of plastic or
foil wrapping
- When using paper use both sides of the page and buy recycled
paper
- Use the blank side of paper for notes and then recycle it
- Recycle printer ink cartridges
- Repair broken or damaged items when possible
- Pass unwanted toys and clothes to neighbours, nurseries or
charities
- Buy recycled products e.g. paper, glass, tissues, toilet rolls
and kitchen rolls
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Recycling electricals
and batteries
New laws mean that Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, as
well as batteries should no longer be put in together with
non-recyclable waste for landfill.
Household Waste Recycling Centres (skip sites) in Ryedale are
geared up to accept batteries and electrical items and the site
attendant can provide assistance in terms of helping you put them
in the right container on site.
There are five different categories of electrical
equipment:
* Cathode Ray Tubes (eg. tv’s and computer monitors with large
heavy backs to them)
* Cooling devices – fridges and freezers
* Fluorescent Tubes (incl small energy saving lamps)
* White goods – washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and
cookers
* Small appliances such as toasters, kettles, hairdryers and
battery operated appliances
You can still have your large white electrical goods picked up
from your home by the council’s bulky collection service and these
items will then be recycled.
Also, some major retailers offer their own in-store take back
scheme. When you buy your new electrical appliance the old one will
be collected free of charge. If this service exists the Council
would encourage residents to use this service.
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Composting hints and
tips
Why do I need to compost my peelings when they break down
in landfill anyway?
Organic waste that is sent to landfill is unable to decompose
properly because, squashed under all the other waste, it doesn't
have any access to air. So methane is produced, a powerful
greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming.
When you compost your organic waste at home you are not only
providing your garden with a limitless soil improver for plants and
vegetables, but you are doing your bit to reduce global warming
too!
My compost is a moist, lumpy mess, smells rotten and there are lots
of flies in the bin - what's wrong?
A classic mistake made by many first time composters is to use
their new compost bin to get rid of grass cuttings, fruit and
vegetable peelings. On their own you will end up with a sludgy,
smelly mess. Just a little hard work will solve the problem!
Empty the bin and break up any large lumps. Then refill the
bin adding plenty of brown material (see below) and some fresh
greens as you go. Then be patient! It will take a couple of
months to look like it should.
My compost is dry and brown and doesn't seem to be doing
anything - what's wrong?
This usually happens in autumn
when the bin is filled with leaves and plant prunings. Autumn
leaves don't produce enough nitrogen to activate the heat
production process.
How do I make healthy compost?
Gather leaves, water them thoroughly and place in black
plastic sacks, punctured with a fork to allow air to
circulate. After about two years you will have rich leaf
mould, which can be used as a weed suppressant and moisture
retaining mulch or a soil improver.
The green materials contain bacteria that generate the heat
that is required by the process. A healthy compost bin is living
ecosystem, which has a good mix of green and brown materials
providing the perfect conditions for a variety of mini-beasts,
especially worms who do all the hard work.
Things you can add to your compost bin
| Green Materials |
Brown Materials |
| Tea Bags |
Crushed egg shells |
| Grass cuttings |
Corrugated cardboard packaging (ripped into small pieces) |
| Vegetable peelings |
Newspaper (scrunched up) |
| Old flowers |
Toilet & kitchen roll tubes |
| Fruit scraps |
Garden prunings |
| Nettles |
Dry leaves, twigs and hedge clippings |
| Coffee grounds & filter paper |
Straw & hay |
| Spent bedding plants |
Bedding from vegetarian pets |
| Comfrey leaves |
Wool |
| Rhubarb leaves |
Feathers |
| Young annual weeds (e.g. chickweed & speedwell) |
Ashes from wood, paper or lumpwood charcoal |
| Pond algae & seaweed (in moderation) |
Woody clippings |
| |
Cotton threads |
| |
Natural fibre string |
| |
Shredded confidential documents |
| |
Corn cobs & stalks |
| |
Pine needles & cones (slow to compost - don't put too much
in) |