London Waste Management

The environmental crisis is a big problem, but it does not mean we are too small to do anything about it. However big or small, we all have a role to play in protecting our environment. London homes and businesses produce 7 million tonnes of waste per year Environmental responsibility does not exist only on a global scale. It is a local question too. The damage to local environments can have an immediate impact. Polluting waste can contaminate water supplies, harm animals, ruin harvests, and be dangerous to adults and children in the area.  There are aesthetic concerns too; often environmental damage is ugly. This is not trivial; it can negatively impact the value of your property. Any environmental neglect also requires fixing. This means your local authority will have to spend time and money on an easily avoidable problem, instead of somewhere else. 80% of Black Friday purchases end in landfill But how do we come into play? You may have heard people talking about a ‘throwaway cul...

Fridge removal does not necessarily mean fridge waste. New specialist factories are opening across the country with the facilities to truly recycle fridges. Why are old fridges difficult to recycle? The first reason is low yield. Companies that recycle want to extract materials that they can sell. Fridges are heavy and made of lots of different materials, and until recently, the only thing that could be salvaged was low-quality plastic. This plastic can only be used for plastic plant pots and seedling trays. It is not food grade and so has limited use and value. This is the same reason a scrap metal merchant won’t want anything to do with your old fridge. The second reason is legal. Fridge insulation and cooling contain harmful gasses and chemicals. Since 2002 the law has protected the environment from irresponsible companies who would carelessly release them to the atmosphere. These chemicals can cause harm to the ozone layer and pollute the local environment. Thankfully there is a wa...

Recycling garden waste can be an important way to save our planet. Here is how you can do your part. 27% of all household waste is green waste The three Rs apply to every aspect of our lives. This includes our gardens. According to a study by Southampton University, on average each UK household produces 288kg of green waste per year. So how can the tonnes of annual London garden waste save the planet? Only 3% of households nationally compost, here’s why you should start Turning your hedge trimmings and potato peels into compost allows you to grow your own vegetables. Not only is this rewarding and a money saver, growing our own fresh produce reduces the amount of plastic packaging used by supermarkets. According to Greenpeace UK, British supermarkets create 1.2 billion plastic bags each year to use for fruits and vegetables. That is 38,000 tonnes of polluting plastic. Cutting back on excess plastic is not the only way that growing your own produce helps the environment. It eliminates t...