If you're like most people and not a topnotch housekeeper whose home would pass the white glove test at any given moment, you can still keep your place organized with everything neatly in its rightful place. Keeping clutter at bay while also having things easily accessible is actually possible with just a few simple ideas and just a tiny bit of elbow grease.
1. Keep like items together
It's really common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people store like items in various locations throughout their homes. Teach the kids to keep all of their school work and similar items in one designated area. This not only cuts down on clutter but keeps their homework safe in a central location. It also saves time and eliminates the frustration of searching for papers that mysteriously get lost.
Toys and sporting equipment should also be kept together instead of shoes and uniforms thrown in the hall while bats and catcher's mitts land in the living room. Use medium to large, inexpensive plastic containers and clearly label them. If you have a garage or some separate area such as a laundry room or entrance way, install shelves and stack the containers there for easy access.
2. Creatively tackle clutter
Keep a small and decorative basket or container of some sort at the bottom of the stairs. Instruct family members to use the basket for things that need to be put away or that need to be returned upstairs. Be sure to make use of hidden areas like under the bed and put shelves in closets to add even more storage space.
Cabinets or bookshelves that are tall but narrow take up the least amount of space and can be put just about anywhere. Make use of vertical spaces as well as the empty space around the ceiling that's perfect for either storing or displaying items on shelves.
3. Organize in increments
Instead of feeling overwhelmed and depressed at the prospect of trying organizing your entire house in one day, give yourself a break and tackle the task in smaller increments. This way you'll be more productive and actually accomplish a lot more in the long run.
Take a leisurely walk throughout the house and jot down all the areas that desperately need some serious organization. Try your best to see your home with a fresh perspective and then create a schedule or plan and stick to it. Post it on the fridge or somewhere you'll see it often as a reminder of your vow to keep your home neat and organized.
4. Maintain your newly organized home
Set aside 15 minutes each day to walk through every room in your house, de-cluttering as you go. Carry a laundry basket with you to easily carry the items and transport them back to their rightful place on your return trip.
Have a designated bin or container to keep all of those to-do lists or important mail, receipts and papers in one place until you can deal with them, which should be at least once a week to avoid a pile-up of clutter.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Father’s Day Flowers
I don’t know about you, but personally, I find Father’s Day to be the most difficult holidays to celebrate. Not because it’s obscure or commercialized or even controversial. Far from it, actually. Father’s Day is difficult because I can’t seem to grasp exactly what Father’s Day is all about. Well, perhaps we can get some hints when we take a look back at the origins of this holiday.
Fathers were originally honored on St. Joseph’s feast day, on March 19. However, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, inspired by Anna Jarvis’ campaign to establish Mother’s Day, started celebrating an equivalent holiday to honor her father. Her father, William Jackson Smart, had to raise their family single-handedly when her mother died while giving birth to their sixth child. She wanted to acknowledge the courage, protectiveness, and selflessness that her father showed when he raised his family as a single parent. Thus, the first official Father’s Day celebration occurred in June 1910.
Now, we have observed and experienced the re-definition of a father’s role in today’s complicated and ever-shifting society. This, in itself, is tough enough to handle and adapt to. But there is a glaring problem that’s even more challenging. Particularly, how in tarnation do you celebrate Father’s Day?
Yes, I know there is a plethora of gifts in every shopping mall and gift shop, locally available or through the Internet. But that’s just the problem, you see. All of these gifts are becoming commonplace and boring, frankly speaking. I mean, let me ask you this: What can you give your father as a gift on his special day that won’t collect dust on the shelf or mantelpiece, clutter up his desk or his closet even more, and won’t become a grayed-out shadow of its former self in the basement or garage? You want to give him something that will actually be appreciated the day after it has been given, right? And more importantly, what can you give him that he hasn’t already bought for himself?
Celebrating Mother’s Day is so much simpler. Take her out to dinner, or better yet, invite the family over for a special 5-course extravaganza, and juts let her enjoy the day and the company without having to do any of the hosting or cooking or cleaning work. If you want, you can easily make her day with a visit to a luxurious spa. You can easily find something or someplace to pamper her and make her feel like a queen.
Fathers can be relatively easy to find gifts for. If your dad is a techno-geek, an outdoorsman, a sports fanatic, or a home theater nut, there are countless gift ideas readily available at your nearest shopping mall. DVDs, CDs, books, a train set, the latest USB gadget, a digital camera, or two tickets to the playoffs. You can also plunk yourself down in front of your computer and find several gifts for him on the Internet. But do these gifts really show him how much we appreciate and love him for his kindness, courage, protection, concern, and strength?
Fear not, for there are always alternatives to everything. Likewise, you can easily find other great gift ideas for your father, like plants and flowers. Now, stop raising your eyebrows and give it a good thought. How many people give flowers and plants to their dads on Father’s Day, or for any other special occasion, for that matter? The fact that these types of gifts are not the ones you’d usually think of on Father’s Day makes them even more special.
There are flowers and plants that can symbolize masculinity and paternal qualities, believe it or not. You want an example? How about the sunflower, which’s big and strong, with a bright face like a shining symbol of hope in a dark and gloomy place. Violets are great, also. They have long been connected to the qualities of fidelity, trust, sacrifice and devotion. Now those are gifts that a father would like.
Fathers were originally honored on St. Joseph’s feast day, on March 19. However, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, inspired by Anna Jarvis’ campaign to establish Mother’s Day, started celebrating an equivalent holiday to honor her father. Her father, William Jackson Smart, had to raise their family single-handedly when her mother died while giving birth to their sixth child. She wanted to acknowledge the courage, protectiveness, and selflessness that her father showed when he raised his family as a single parent. Thus, the first official Father’s Day celebration occurred in June 1910.
Now, we have observed and experienced the re-definition of a father’s role in today’s complicated and ever-shifting society. This, in itself, is tough enough to handle and adapt to. But there is a glaring problem that’s even more challenging. Particularly, how in tarnation do you celebrate Father’s Day?
Yes, I know there is a plethora of gifts in every shopping mall and gift shop, locally available or through the Internet. But that’s just the problem, you see. All of these gifts are becoming commonplace and boring, frankly speaking. I mean, let me ask you this: What can you give your father as a gift on his special day that won’t collect dust on the shelf or mantelpiece, clutter up his desk or his closet even more, and won’t become a grayed-out shadow of its former self in the basement or garage? You want to give him something that will actually be appreciated the day after it has been given, right? And more importantly, what can you give him that he hasn’t already bought for himself?
Celebrating Mother’s Day is so much simpler. Take her out to dinner, or better yet, invite the family over for a special 5-course extravaganza, and juts let her enjoy the day and the company without having to do any of the hosting or cooking or cleaning work. If you want, you can easily make her day with a visit to a luxurious spa. You can easily find something or someplace to pamper her and make her feel like a queen.
Fathers can be relatively easy to find gifts for. If your dad is a techno-geek, an outdoorsman, a sports fanatic, or a home theater nut, there are countless gift ideas readily available at your nearest shopping mall. DVDs, CDs, books, a train set, the latest USB gadget, a digital camera, or two tickets to the playoffs. You can also plunk yourself down in front of your computer and find several gifts for him on the Internet. But do these gifts really show him how much we appreciate and love him for his kindness, courage, protection, concern, and strength?
Fear not, for there are always alternatives to everything. Likewise, you can easily find other great gift ideas for your father, like plants and flowers. Now, stop raising your eyebrows and give it a good thought. How many people give flowers and plants to their dads on Father’s Day, or for any other special occasion, for that matter? The fact that these types of gifts are not the ones you’d usually think of on Father’s Day makes them even more special.
There are flowers and plants that can symbolize masculinity and paternal qualities, believe it or not. You want an example? How about the sunflower, which’s big and strong, with a bright face like a shining symbol of hope in a dark and gloomy place. Violets are great, also. They have long been connected to the qualities of fidelity, trust, sacrifice and devotion. Now those are gifts that a father would like.
Furniture - Functional vs Stylish
certainly, plenty of furniture is made to be looked at. What it's for, or even how well it's made is sometimes resultant, especially if it's an antique. But there are some persons who wish to have furniture that is not only pleasant to look at but something that isn't departing to accident distant inside a year.
Sometimes these two effects are hard to get in one member.
A good example of this is the computer desk. If you look through some of the modern furniture catalogues, you'll sight that many of these computer desks are absolutely gorgeous.
The finishes are breathtaking and the style itself is cool, to say the slightest. And then you get them home and find that some of the shelves aren't all that resolute and the desk itself starts to vibrate. Yeah, it looks great but you're a little anxious about smackping a PC, imprinter, scanner and other peripherals on top of this thing.
And then there's that nasty work bench like form that you just want to smack a piece over because it looks like something that the cat dragged in. But you get it home and find that you can kick it down the stairs, abandon hot acid on the desk top and puzzle it out a ten yarn shop from the roof and it doesn't even grate. Now THAT is a computer desk.
Why can't we get the two effects together?
The catch of functional vs. stylish doesn't just end with computer desks. The one thing that's genuinely hard to find is a very comfordesk manage for your computer, especially if you're departing to be meeting in it for eight hours a day.
Most of the ones you find in office furniture supplies look genuinely great. And then you get them home and after about an hour you have to get up. Then you find one of these genuinely comfordesk manages and they're just about the ugliest effects you've ever seen.
You're just happy that your computer room is out of eye shot from house guests.
russet desks are another nightmare. The genuinely stylish brown desks of nowadays that you find in your franchise supplies, come with those screw in kind of legs.
The finishes are truthful handsome but don't go stirring that desk around too greatly because those legs are departing to accident off for effective. The surfaces are also handsome but don't go banging on them with something harder than a number two pencil. They grate if you just look at them weird.
And then there are those genuinely well made antique brown desks. These are the ones that your grandmother had. They look as nasty as sin and if you banged your knee into it you'd maybe disregard it.
Not the desk, your knee.
Yeah, it would be pleasant if someone would make a manage, a desk, a cabinet, or something for that substance that could take the punishment of everyday life and didn't look like it came delivered to you from the Salvation band.
perhaps sometime.
Sometimes these two effects are hard to get in one member.
A good example of this is the computer desk. If you look through some of the modern furniture catalogues, you'll sight that many of these computer desks are absolutely gorgeous.
The finishes are breathtaking and the style itself is cool, to say the slightest. And then you get them home and find that some of the shelves aren't all that resolute and the desk itself starts to vibrate. Yeah, it looks great but you're a little anxious about smackping a PC, imprinter, scanner and other peripherals on top of this thing.
And then there's that nasty work bench like form that you just want to smack a piece over because it looks like something that the cat dragged in. But you get it home and find that you can kick it down the stairs, abandon hot acid on the desk top and puzzle it out a ten yarn shop from the roof and it doesn't even grate. Now THAT is a computer desk.
Why can't we get the two effects together?
The catch of functional vs. stylish doesn't just end with computer desks. The one thing that's genuinely hard to find is a very comfordesk manage for your computer, especially if you're departing to be meeting in it for eight hours a day.
Most of the ones you find in office furniture supplies look genuinely great. And then you get them home and after about an hour you have to get up. Then you find one of these genuinely comfordesk manages and they're just about the ugliest effects you've ever seen.
You're just happy that your computer room is out of eye shot from house guests.
russet desks are another nightmare. The genuinely stylish brown desks of nowadays that you find in your franchise supplies, come with those screw in kind of legs.
The finishes are truthful handsome but don't go stirring that desk around too greatly because those legs are departing to accident off for effective. The surfaces are also handsome but don't go banging on them with something harder than a number two pencil. They grate if you just look at them weird.
And then there are those genuinely well made antique brown desks. These are the ones that your grandmother had. They look as nasty as sin and if you banged your knee into it you'd maybe disregard it.
Not the desk, your knee.
Yeah, it would be pleasant if someone would make a manage, a desk, a cabinet, or something for that substance that could take the punishment of everyday life and didn't look like it came delivered to you from the Salvation band.
perhaps sometime.
Are you living in a ‘Green’ House?
Going green may not be as simple as we’d like it to be but now thanks to companies such as British Gas, the race to go green by suppliers has suddenly picked up pace and make it a whole lot easier.
Unfortunately whilst more options are becoming available, cheap gas and cheap electricity still remain to be seen.
Back in the 2007 Budget, we heard how Gordon Brown is making changes that will help us meet the government’s target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% from 1990 levels by 2050.
This announcement included the introduction of green mortgages, helping families make energy efficiency improvements to their homes via their banks and building societies, for which Mr Brown is still in discussions.
The timing of these proposals falls well, with news of a mandatory energy efficiency assessment and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) needing to be issued before you are able to sell your home after May 2007.
Many local authorities are starting to team up the likes of the new British Gas Green Energy company, providing easy access to companies specialising in supply and installation of energy efficiency and then reducing the price of your council tax by upto £500, depending on your area and what you’ve had installed.
So how does this work in your favour, come 1st June 2007?
If you take advantage of the new energy efficiency loans being offered and make your home more energy efficiency with solar panels, new efficient boilers, etc. you’re bound to receive an excellent rating on your EPC.
Not only would you receive an excellent rating but also your house suddenly becomes a lot more desirable to any potential buyer due to the lower stamp duty it will attract, providing your house does not exceed £500,000.
Unfortunately whilst more options are becoming available, cheap gas and cheap electricity still remain to be seen.
Back in the 2007 Budget, we heard how Gordon Brown is making changes that will help us meet the government’s target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% from 1990 levels by 2050.
This announcement included the introduction of green mortgages, helping families make energy efficiency improvements to their homes via their banks and building societies, for which Mr Brown is still in discussions.
The timing of these proposals falls well, with news of a mandatory energy efficiency assessment and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) needing to be issued before you are able to sell your home after May 2007.
Many local authorities are starting to team up the likes of the new British Gas Green Energy company, providing easy access to companies specialising in supply and installation of energy efficiency and then reducing the price of your council tax by upto £500, depending on your area and what you’ve had installed.
So how does this work in your favour, come 1st June 2007?
If you take advantage of the new energy efficiency loans being offered and make your home more energy efficiency with solar panels, new efficient boilers, etc. you’re bound to receive an excellent rating on your EPC.
Not only would you receive an excellent rating but also your house suddenly becomes a lot more desirable to any potential buyer due to the lower stamp duty it will attract, providing your house does not exceed £500,000.
Installation Is A Snap With A Closet Organizer Kit
You are can configure your closet in any what you are only limited by your imagination and the money you would like to spend. The closet organizers of today are available in department stores and come in many different styles. Families late, children missing busses, parents stressed—all due to a serious lack of organization. Installing the closet organizers is quite a straight forward process. Install closet organizers to get things in your closets sorted out so that storing and retrieving would be less like a trip to the mines.
The pre-made closet organizers are available on the internet and in many discount stores. Huge empty space will be optimized by adding some shelving units while special hangers will organize small wearable clothing such as neckties and scarves into a single, manageable multi-hanger. If you closets are unorganized and there is no place to put away the clothing neatly the best solution is a closet organizers. If the mess in your closet is getting you down and you're tired of being unable to find what you want to wear, then how about you get organized. Closet organizers can be a valuable space saving technique in your home.
Many of the closet systems are meant to be functional but the newer designs are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The way closet systems are designed today, it's very easy to do it yourself if you have the time and want to save a little. If a closet wardrobe system sounds like something worth pursuing, you'll find there are a host of options available. These systems can be found in modular, pre-made designs that can be purchased to fit most standard closet sizes. When installing the organizer the shelves need to be properly anchored and the draws need to be fastened to no when gets hurt by the organizer falling on them.
Most kits are adjustable, so there is usually no cutting involved. Many of the kits that are out on the market will need some sort of tools to put them together and most of them requiring drilling. Kid closet organizers can be purchased as closet organizer kits or systems. In many home improvement stores there are kits that are easy to install yourself, they are easy to put together and there is no cutting involved. Closet organizers made of wood are also available as kits. These kits must be assembled, but instructions are generally detailed and easy to follow.
Keep longer garments to the back or sides of the closet, leaving room on the floor for shoes or other items. The disadvantage of having shoes scattered all over the floor is that the space can look very cluttered, and one pair can't be separated from another. Customizing a closet can be done quite easily and with a very manageable budget. Your storage area can be increased by placing organizers to strategic places.
Huge empty space will be optimized by adding some shelving units while special hangers will organize small wearable clothing such as neckties and scarves into a single, manageable multi-hanger. Use your closet doors to create more space by adding over-the-door racks. You can use this space for hooks, hats or shoe storage.
The pre-made closet organizers are available on the internet and in many discount stores. Huge empty space will be optimized by adding some shelving units while special hangers will organize small wearable clothing such as neckties and scarves into a single, manageable multi-hanger. If you closets are unorganized and there is no place to put away the clothing neatly the best solution is a closet organizers. If the mess in your closet is getting you down and you're tired of being unable to find what you want to wear, then how about you get organized. Closet organizers can be a valuable space saving technique in your home.
Many of the closet systems are meant to be functional but the newer designs are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The way closet systems are designed today, it's very easy to do it yourself if you have the time and want to save a little. If a closet wardrobe system sounds like something worth pursuing, you'll find there are a host of options available. These systems can be found in modular, pre-made designs that can be purchased to fit most standard closet sizes. When installing the organizer the shelves need to be properly anchored and the draws need to be fastened to no when gets hurt by the organizer falling on them.
Most kits are adjustable, so there is usually no cutting involved. Many of the kits that are out on the market will need some sort of tools to put them together and most of them requiring drilling. Kid closet organizers can be purchased as closet organizer kits or systems. In many home improvement stores there are kits that are easy to install yourself, they are easy to put together and there is no cutting involved. Closet organizers made of wood are also available as kits. These kits must be assembled, but instructions are generally detailed and easy to follow.
Keep longer garments to the back or sides of the closet, leaving room on the floor for shoes or other items. The disadvantage of having shoes scattered all over the floor is that the space can look very cluttered, and one pair can't be separated from another. Customizing a closet can be done quite easily and with a very manageable budget. Your storage area can be increased by placing organizers to strategic places.
Huge empty space will be optimized by adding some shelving units while special hangers will organize small wearable clothing such as neckties and scarves into a single, manageable multi-hanger. Use your closet doors to create more space by adding over-the-door racks. You can use this space for hooks, hats or shoe storage.
Aspergers and Aggressive Behaviors
The 2 essential factors every parent needs to know to cope with aggressive and violent behavior in their Asperger's child.
For many parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome; coping with violent and aggressive behaviour can be a very difficult challenge indeed. In this article I will outline the 2 essential factors that you need to know to cope with such behaviors.
Aggressive behavior in the child with Asperger's Syndrome occurs for a reason, just as it would with any other child. No child ever really just "acts out" for no apparent reason whatsoever. The key is in the words "apparent reason" – there is ALWAYS a reason but the major challenge for the parent is often working out what that reason is.
Inappropriate behavior, whether mild or severe, generally occurs in order to:
1. Avoid something – for example a child may become aggressive and shout before getting the school bus; as they want to avoid going to school.
2. Get something – for example a child may lash out at another child because they want to get the toy that the other child is playing with.
3. Because of pain – for example a child may show a range of challenging behaviors to their parents because they feel in physical pain, such as having earache.
4. Fulfill a sensory need – for example a child may lash out or shout in the classroom if it is too noisy, too busy, too bright, too hot, or strong in a particular smell.
So the first step in reducing or eliminating this behavior is to determine the need that it fulfills by looking at the four categories above. The second step is to teach them a replacement behavior, which they can use to communicate what they want or don't want. It may even involve using some of their obsessive or self-stimulating behaviors (like hand-flapping, rocking, pacing) as a replacement behaviour. This is because it would be far less intrusive to others than aggressive behaviors, but still serve the same purpose. It could also be about encouraging the child to express their feelings or negotiate verbally. For other children they may communicate through another method like emotion cards, drawing, using symbols or "talking" through a puppet. You know your child best so you need to determine this.
This process takes time and initially, depending on the behavior, you may not have time. If the behavior is severe, then you need to remove the child from whatever situation they are in at the time immediately. Simply insisting that they stop the behavior and participate in whatever is occurring will not benefit the child or you; unless you remove them from the situation first. Maintaining your child's routine will go a long way towards reducing the need for inappropriate or aggressive behavior in the first place. Because for children with Asperger's routine is a great source of stability and comfort for them.
So just to recap the 2 critical factors for coping with your child's aggressive and violent behaviors are:
1. Identify the real cause of the behaviour from the 4 main categories above.
2. Teach the child to communicate the real cause of the behaviour to you in a less harmful manner.
For many parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome; coping with violent and aggressive behaviour can be a very difficult challenge indeed. In this article I will outline the 2 essential factors that you need to know to cope with such behaviors.
Aggressive behavior in the child with Asperger's Syndrome occurs for a reason, just as it would with any other child. No child ever really just "acts out" for no apparent reason whatsoever. The key is in the words "apparent reason" – there is ALWAYS a reason but the major challenge for the parent is often working out what that reason is.
Inappropriate behavior, whether mild or severe, generally occurs in order to:
1. Avoid something – for example a child may become aggressive and shout before getting the school bus; as they want to avoid going to school.
2. Get something – for example a child may lash out at another child because they want to get the toy that the other child is playing with.
3. Because of pain – for example a child may show a range of challenging behaviors to their parents because they feel in physical pain, such as having earache.
4. Fulfill a sensory need – for example a child may lash out or shout in the classroom if it is too noisy, too busy, too bright, too hot, or strong in a particular smell.
So the first step in reducing or eliminating this behavior is to determine the need that it fulfills by looking at the four categories above. The second step is to teach them a replacement behavior, which they can use to communicate what they want or don't want. It may even involve using some of their obsessive or self-stimulating behaviors (like hand-flapping, rocking, pacing) as a replacement behaviour. This is because it would be far less intrusive to others than aggressive behaviors, but still serve the same purpose. It could also be about encouraging the child to express their feelings or negotiate verbally. For other children they may communicate through another method like emotion cards, drawing, using symbols or "talking" through a puppet. You know your child best so you need to determine this.
This process takes time and initially, depending on the behavior, you may not have time. If the behavior is severe, then you need to remove the child from whatever situation they are in at the time immediately. Simply insisting that they stop the behavior and participate in whatever is occurring will not benefit the child or you; unless you remove them from the situation first. Maintaining your child's routine will go a long way towards reducing the need for inappropriate or aggressive behavior in the first place. Because for children with Asperger's routine is a great source of stability and comfort for them.
So just to recap the 2 critical factors for coping with your child's aggressive and violent behaviors are:
1. Identify the real cause of the behaviour from the 4 main categories above.
2. Teach the child to communicate the real cause of the behaviour to you in a less harmful manner.
Recycling plastic and glass – why it makes a difference
With a little understanding of the issues involved, we can re-use or recycle most of the masses amount of waste we produce from plastic and glass and at the same time we can reduce costs, save energy, protect the environment and even create new jobs. Although waste awareness is on the increase, recycling rates are on the low side and many people are still unaware of just why recycling is so important.
Recycling Plastic Waste
According to Recoup (the UK's leading authority on plastics waste management), every household uses approximately 373 plastic bottles a year of which 29 are recycled and yet recycling just one of these plastic bottles can save enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for up to 6 hours. So why are we not recycling more plastic?
One of the main issues regarding the recycling of plastic is lack of opportunity to recycle. This is partly because plastic can be contaminated with other materials and the cost of processing this can outweigh the cost of producing more plastic so compared to other materials like glass and paper, there are fewer places to recycle plastic. However, plastic is lightweight and highly versatile and one way round this is to re-use plastic within the home.
There are many different types of plastic but most plastics fall into one of the following main types:
• PET (Polyethylene terphthalate) – Fizzy drinks bottles and trays for convenience foods to put straight into the oven
• HDPE (High density polyethylene) – Milk bottles and washing up liquid bottles
• PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) – Cling film, juice and water bottles, shampoo bottles
• LDPE (Low density polyethylene) – Plastic bags
• PP (Polypropylene) – Margarine tubs and microwavable meal containers
• PS (Polystyrene) – Egg cartons, plastic cutlery and cups, yoghurt pots, meat and fish foam trays
Plastics are largely used for packaging and because they have a relatively short life span (they tend to be thrown away as soon as their contents are used), they represent a major waste problem. They are also generally non-degradable which means they can take a long time to decompose and break down. Landfill sites require more and more space due to the amount of plastic being disposed of and this is an area of concern, particularly as around 80% of plastic is disposed of in landfill sites with less than 10% currently being recycled (Environment Agency Report 2001).
Solutions are constantly being sought and although more and more supermarket chains and retailers are now issuing biodegradable plastic bags, this in itself can be a problem as many people might think that it is ok to just throw them away as they will eventually break down, which is not always the case. Some of these biodegradable bags rely on sunlight to break them down so if they are thrown away as part of household rubbish and end up in a landfill site, they will not degrade because there is no light.
What you can do to help…
• Re-use plastic bags as much as possible – don't throw them away
• Buy products with very little packaging
• Try to re-use plastic pots and tubs within the home, for example to store small items like buttons and screws and for germinating seeds or donate them to playgroups and schools for arts and crafts
• Buy refillable products as much as possible
• When purchasing fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, don't put them into plastic bags – it isn't necessary
• Find out what plastic re-cycling facilities there are in your own area and use them, encourage your family and friends to do the same
• Try to buy products made from plastic that has been recycled
Recycling Glass Waste
Glass is an inert substance and so is not directly harmful to the environment but it is not degradable either so if sent to a landfill site it will stay there indefinitely which is a real shame because glass is such an easy and very useful material which can be recycled over and over again without any loss to quality.
Recycling glass is easy for the consumer, particularly as the number of bottle banks and roadside collections of glass are increasing. By far the most common use for glass within the home is in the form of bottles and jars and this makes up around 80% of recycled glass.
When recycling your glass containers, bottle banks often require the glass to be separated according to colour, which in itself can be a barrier to recycling as the consumer has to put in a little more effort, but there are reasons for this. As you can imagine, it would be a mammoth not to mention expensive task to separate every bit of coloured from clear broken glass before processing so there are few facilities that can currently do this, which is why it is so important to separate them beforehand.
One of the issues with recycling glass in the UK is that the UK produces a large amount of clear glass and yet the amount of clear "cullet" produced (cullet is basically a collection of broken glass) is low in comparison to the amount of green cullet. One reason for this is that a lot of green bottles (wine for example) are imported leading to a surplus of green cullet and at the same time a lot of clear glass is exported in the form of spirits. Another is that a lot of people are still not recycling clear glass containers other than bottles and this reduces the amount of clear glass cullet available. However, on a positive note, mixed coloured glass waste can be used for the building of roads and in the construction industry so it is important to recycle ALL glass containers.
Contaminants like metal rings, paper labels, plastic etc. must be identified and removed from the glass before the glass can be turned into new containers and much of this is done using equipment like metal detectors, vacuums, crushers and also by plain old manual inspection.
What you can do to help…
• Re use bottles and jars within the home
• Where possible, return jars and bottles (milk bottles for example)
• Before recycling glass rinse out all bottles and jars and remove any tops and metal rings etc. as these can damage the furnaces used to recycle the glass
• Recycle all glass containers not just drinks bottles, this can include jars, medicine bottles, glass food containers and so on
• Make sure when placing glass into a bottle bank that you put the right colour in the right bank
Making a difference
Surveys have shown that if recycling was made easier, more people would be willing to recycle. The fact is, it doesn't take a lot of effort or time to recycle or re-use an item, only a little initiative, and yet it is one way we can be sure of making a real difference to the environment and the world in which we live.
Recycling Plastic Waste
According to Recoup (the UK's leading authority on plastics waste management), every household uses approximately 373 plastic bottles a year of which 29 are recycled and yet recycling just one of these plastic bottles can save enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for up to 6 hours. So why are we not recycling more plastic?
One of the main issues regarding the recycling of plastic is lack of opportunity to recycle. This is partly because plastic can be contaminated with other materials and the cost of processing this can outweigh the cost of producing more plastic so compared to other materials like glass and paper, there are fewer places to recycle plastic. However, plastic is lightweight and highly versatile and one way round this is to re-use plastic within the home.
There are many different types of plastic but most plastics fall into one of the following main types:
• PET (Polyethylene terphthalate) – Fizzy drinks bottles and trays for convenience foods to put straight into the oven
• HDPE (High density polyethylene) – Milk bottles and washing up liquid bottles
• PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) – Cling film, juice and water bottles, shampoo bottles
• LDPE (Low density polyethylene) – Plastic bags
• PP (Polypropylene) – Margarine tubs and microwavable meal containers
• PS (Polystyrene) – Egg cartons, plastic cutlery and cups, yoghurt pots, meat and fish foam trays
Plastics are largely used for packaging and because they have a relatively short life span (they tend to be thrown away as soon as their contents are used), they represent a major waste problem. They are also generally non-degradable which means they can take a long time to decompose and break down. Landfill sites require more and more space due to the amount of plastic being disposed of and this is an area of concern, particularly as around 80% of plastic is disposed of in landfill sites with less than 10% currently being recycled (Environment Agency Report 2001).
Solutions are constantly being sought and although more and more supermarket chains and retailers are now issuing biodegradable plastic bags, this in itself can be a problem as many people might think that it is ok to just throw them away as they will eventually break down, which is not always the case. Some of these biodegradable bags rely on sunlight to break them down so if they are thrown away as part of household rubbish and end up in a landfill site, they will not degrade because there is no light.
What you can do to help…
• Re-use plastic bags as much as possible – don't throw them away
• Buy products with very little packaging
• Try to re-use plastic pots and tubs within the home, for example to store small items like buttons and screws and for germinating seeds or donate them to playgroups and schools for arts and crafts
• Buy refillable products as much as possible
• When purchasing fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, don't put them into plastic bags – it isn't necessary
• Find out what plastic re-cycling facilities there are in your own area and use them, encourage your family and friends to do the same
• Try to buy products made from plastic that has been recycled
Recycling Glass Waste
Glass is an inert substance and so is not directly harmful to the environment but it is not degradable either so if sent to a landfill site it will stay there indefinitely which is a real shame because glass is such an easy and very useful material which can be recycled over and over again without any loss to quality.
Recycling glass is easy for the consumer, particularly as the number of bottle banks and roadside collections of glass are increasing. By far the most common use for glass within the home is in the form of bottles and jars and this makes up around 80% of recycled glass.
When recycling your glass containers, bottle banks often require the glass to be separated according to colour, which in itself can be a barrier to recycling as the consumer has to put in a little more effort, but there are reasons for this. As you can imagine, it would be a mammoth not to mention expensive task to separate every bit of coloured from clear broken glass before processing so there are few facilities that can currently do this, which is why it is so important to separate them beforehand.
One of the issues with recycling glass in the UK is that the UK produces a large amount of clear glass and yet the amount of clear "cullet" produced (cullet is basically a collection of broken glass) is low in comparison to the amount of green cullet. One reason for this is that a lot of green bottles (wine for example) are imported leading to a surplus of green cullet and at the same time a lot of clear glass is exported in the form of spirits. Another is that a lot of people are still not recycling clear glass containers other than bottles and this reduces the amount of clear glass cullet available. However, on a positive note, mixed coloured glass waste can be used for the building of roads and in the construction industry so it is important to recycle ALL glass containers.
Contaminants like metal rings, paper labels, plastic etc. must be identified and removed from the glass before the glass can be turned into new containers and much of this is done using equipment like metal detectors, vacuums, crushers and also by plain old manual inspection.
What you can do to help…
• Re use bottles and jars within the home
• Where possible, return jars and bottles (milk bottles for example)
• Before recycling glass rinse out all bottles and jars and remove any tops and metal rings etc. as these can damage the furnaces used to recycle the glass
• Recycle all glass containers not just drinks bottles, this can include jars, medicine bottles, glass food containers and so on
• Make sure when placing glass into a bottle bank that you put the right colour in the right bank
Making a difference
Surveys have shown that if recycling was made easier, more people would be willing to recycle. The fact is, it doesn't take a lot of effort or time to recycle or re-use an item, only a little initiative, and yet it is one way we can be sure of making a real difference to the environment and the world in which we live.
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