One of the things I’ve been struggling over all week has been my first Recycle This post of 2012. At this time of year, I usually set myself a green goal or two for the year – and invite everyone else to set one as well. Something that, with a bit of focus during the year ahead, will become a lifelong reducing, reusing or recycling habit.

In 2010, I wanted to curb my addiction to cheap clothes – it took a while and an additional quota-based challenge in 2011 but I think I’ve cracked it now. Last year, I aimed to reduced the amount of food waste & food packaging waste we generated and while we haven’t been perfect in that regard, I think things have improved a lot.

This year though I can’t think of anything that feels like such an obvious crunch point for me/us. We’re not perfect by any means and are still working on improving our habits in a number of different areas but nothing feels like it’s an obvious “we really need to do that to be greener” thing this year.

I suspect it’s partly because we’ve been at this for a while now, have addressed the low hanging fruit and now I’m being blind/have rationalised away our biggest problems areas. I’m going to think very careful about that sort of thing for inspiration over the next few days but while I’m doing that, I’m asking for a bit of inspiration: what are you guys planning to do (or not do!) to make your life greener in 2012?

The subtitle of this book is “reusing found objects to create decks, paths, containers, lanterns and more”, so it’s quite clear why it fits a recycling site – it’s about reusing and recycling old stuff for a new purpose in the garden. Right up my street! I don’t usually like re-making inspiration books because they often focus on some very lucky finds for their key pieces and while that is the case with certain things in this book (the rusty gabions that crop up again and again, thirty 1970s light fixtures from a hotel, a stash of spectacle lenses), there is plenty of attention paid to easier to source things – piping, old sheets of metal, and scrap wood or stone – and where to get them.

It also included some useful sections on general skills – which tool to use for which job, how to cut difficult materials like polycarbonate sheets or steel, and advice on patinas & finishes to make newish wood or metal look more interesting.

The thing that surprised me most about the book compared to other similar books though was the amount of text. A lot of these types of books are light on text, heavy on pictures but that isn’t the case with this book – there are a lot of lovely pictures but there is also a LOT of text. I’d started out thinking it was a how-to book but it’s much more of a “this is how I made this finished garden” story, with some suggestions on how we the reader can recreate certain bits of it ourselves – not a bad thing per se but not what I’d expect from this type of book. The how-tos that are included don’t exactly make it easy for someone to follow his lead. For example, this is a how to make a fence/divider.

And how to make a beam bench.

At least that second one is divided into sections but still, not exactly easy reference guides and as far as I could see, none of the how-tos have “in progress” pictures, just a few of the finished items. I was actually confused because the first how-to – using four old windows to create a table base – is called a “beginners project” but it doesn’t include any pictures at all. I expected to turn over to see another page of steps and pictures of at the very least the finished item but over the page was another project (which did have a picture). I thought I’d missed something until I flicked further into the book and saw more how-tos like that. If I’d bought this book hoping for some how-to guides, I’d be very disappointed.

As my garden is includes a lot of patio-ed areas, I’m always interested in salvaging things to use for containers/tubs and there is a chapter dedicated to containers. It included a section on building containers/raised beds from timber (although just the theory of it – how he made his, really) and on making your own containers out of concrete (which I think is an interesting idea – and is largely the subject of the other book I have to review – but isn’t really a recycling thing in my opinion), but the most interesting part to me was turning piping into planters, including a how-to make a solid bottom for an open tube. That’s probably going to be the best idea I’m taking from this book as piping and other wide-diameter tubing is generally much easier for me to find than enough stove burners and door knobs to make an admittedly delightful garden path.

For me, I think the main problem with the book was that it is focused on creating a style and an interesting space to sit in, rather than a practical garden for growing your own fruit and veg, or even really for maintaining year on year. I’d imagine the clear acrylic drainpipe filled with glasses lens would look a lot less chic when coated in algae or accumulating leaf matter, and ditto the off-white “tumbled ceramic dish” pieces which were used instead of gravel on the ground. Perhaps I’m not quite the target market because I have more than enough to do in my garden without cleaning that sort of feature regularly.

Lastly (because it seems a petty complaint), it was too American-ised for me. It was (re-)published by a British publisher for a British audience but it is still packed with Americanisms. Some stuff – like references to “trash” and “the city sidewalk” – isn’t too much of a big deal but there were slightly less common terms used as well (“stucco” for what we call render, and “canola oil”, or rapeseed/generic vegetable oil) and a paragraph about the impact an “arbor” would have on our “square footage” and how that might increase our “property taxes” if it goes against “local building codes” or ordinances. As I said, it feels a bit petty to pick on alternate words or spellings but it’s clearly not been written for a British audience and that makes me wonder what’s been left out that would be relevant to us on the rain soaked isle with its own quirky laws and customs.

The measurements are all in the USian style too – I realise a lot of Brits still use imperial measurements but a lot of us younger people (and the official style is to) use metric and I personally find references to ⅜ screws/drill bits or gallons confusing. As if predicting this, there is a conversion chart at the back of the book for lengths but even that doesn’t seem quite right, talking about centimetres when we’d talk in millimetres. Speaking of the back of the book, there is a “resources” section – nearly two pages of national and regional resources in the US & Canada but only half a page of general resources for British readers. I’m not a book editor so I don’t know for sure, but how hard would it have been to change to using more appropriate measurements (ie, the ones that DIY suppliers/manufacturers use here) and including more resources for UK readers? To be frank, I don’t care about the phone number for a scrap yard in Phoenix, Arizona and it feels a bit lazy to include it in a book intended to be sold to the British market.

Conclusion/tl;dr: Matthew Levesque’s Garden Eco-Chic does look nice: it includes lots of great pictures and aside from being overly wordy, is well laid out. It also included plenty of creative, inspiring ideas and information about sourcing materials and working with them. I imagine it would be useful if you’re interested in garden design theory too as he explains a lot of his choices in great detail.

But if you’re looking for a practical guide or want to create a garden with the emphasis on practical rather than pretty, I don’t think this book is for you.

Personally, I’m a member of the Green Party but I can’t vote for them here as they’re only running candidates in certain areas to focus their attention – if you’re in a similar position and green issues are your hot political button too, hopefully this will help you identify the best alternative.

(In alphabetical order)

Conservatives

• We will reduce carbon emissions in line with our international commitments.
• We will promote small- and large-scale low carbon energy production, including nuclear, wind, clean coal and biogas.
• We will safeguard our energy security by ensuring there is sufficient spare capacity in the energy system.
• We will safeguard our energy security by ensuring there is sufficient spare capacity in the energy system.
• We will protect and improve the UK’s natural environment, and pioneer new schemes to improve conservation.
• We will push for reform of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies to promote sustainable farming and fishing. We will promote high animal welfare standards and ensure that government procures locally-produced food wherever possible.
• We will work towards a zero-waste society via a Responsibility Deal on waste – a voluntary arrangement among producers to cut back on the production of waste and improve its disposal.

Green Party

• Use the £45 billion investment plan to kick-start a green industrial revolution so that low and zero-carbon sectors of the economy are the new platform for prosperity.
• Transform the energy production landscape by supporting renewable sources, including wind and micro-solar generation.
• A massive investment in renewable sources to support development of both large-scale wind and tidal generation and domestic micro-generation – together these measures would create 80,000 jobs in the first year.
• Reduce emissions from aviation by ending the £10 billion subsidy of the aviation industry.
• Retrofit homes, schools and hospitals with energy efficiency measures.
• Reduce waste by making waste reduction, re-use and recycling easier.
• Improve public transport and rail to cut emissions from vehicles.

Labour

• Achieve around 40 per cent low-carbon electricity by 2020 and create 400,000 new green jobs by 2015.
• Make greener living easier and fairer through ‘pay as you save’ home energy insulation, energy-bill discounts for pensioners and requiring landlords to properly insulate rented homes.
• Move towards a ‘zero waste’ Britain, banning recyclable and biodegradable materials from landfill.
• Link together new protected areas of habitat; maintain the Green Belt; increase forest and woodland areas.
• Ensure fairness for food producers through EU reform and a Supermarkets Ombudsman; and support post offices, shops and pubs in rural communities.

Liberal Democrats

• We will require energy companies to simplify the complicated tangle of different tariffs, requiring them to charge families less for a basic amount of energy used, to encourage responsible use.
• We will prioritise achieving a global agreement providing leadership for an international framework that will enable each country to manage a transition to a low-carbon economy.
• We will also introduce a fair social tariff system for disadvantaged families.
• We will immediately raise the requirements of Building Regulations to ensure that all new homes are energy efficient and use ‘Green Loans’ to encourage people to invest in home energy efficiency and micro-renewables.
• We will help developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
• We oppose construction of further nuclear power stations.
• We will invest now in the green technologies of the future delivering hundreds of thousands of new and better jobs in the years to come.
• We will drive a massive programme of investment in renewable energy sources such as wind, wave and solar. We will also transform the National Grid into a smart decentralised grid which will respond dynamically to the changing patterns of energy demand.

As I mention on the About page, we were inspired to make the site after eating a bowl of pistachio nuts and wondering what we could do with the shells. We came up with the idea one night and just about 12 hours later, the site was up and running!

In the last four years, we’ve covered nearly 800 items and had nearly inspiring 11,000 ideas in reply, been mentioned in the national & international press on numerous occasions, and I’ve had hundreds of interesting e-conversations with wonderful people from all over the world.

Thank you all so much for making these past four years so much fun!

(Photo by Joccay)

• Make wipe-clean bibs out of old plastic bags
• As part of Dollar Store Crafts‘ Stashbusting April, Heather has put together a great collection of reusing and upcycling links
• A number of recycling professionals are standing the upcoming UK General Election – supporting green issues and the green economy
• While it’s not as reusable as glass, this alternative milk bottle packaging is an interesting idea – a plastic bag in a supportive cardboard case.

Earlier today we started discussing which contraceptive methods are best for the environment but in certain situations, condoms are the only option – they’re the only contraception that protects against STIs.

French Letter condoms are made from latex sourced through FairDeal Trading, paying a Fairtrade premium for latex rubber: we often think about Fairtrade food items but not so much other things. The price premium paid through FairDeal Trading is used not only to pay fairer wages but also to provide a better working environment for those on the rubber plantations and better education opportunities for the workers’ children.

The rubber supply is sustainable too – from plantations certified by the FSC – and unlike most condoms which include milk extracts, they don’t contain any animal products or derivatives so are suitable for use by vegans.

We’ve got two packs of condoms to give away – their Aphrodisiac selection — ooh scented!

As with the washable pads, the Mooncup and the Jam Sponges, if you want to be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment below (doesn’t have to be much – just “hi” will do, or “if I was designed condoms scents, they’d all be banana or sausage…”) before noon (GMT) on Monday 15th March. I’ll pick two winners at random after that.

(Don’t forget to leave your email address in the email address field – it won’t appear on the website but allows me to contact you if you win.)

UPDATE – Monday 15th March 2010

Wow! Loads of responses! Thanks to everyone who entered. Our lucky winners are…

Gary Hughes and Elizabeth Burton. I’ll be in touch with you both soon to get your address.

Thanks again to French Letter for supplying the condoms – and showing us all that Fairtrade doesn’t just apply to things you put in your mouth food. ;)

Menstrual cups – silicone cups that are inserted into the vagina to catch menstrual fluid – are all the rage at the moment — and it’s not hard to see why.

Mooncups are made from medical grade silicone and will last for years and years. It’s such a waste saving when you consider the average woman uses around 12,000 disposable sanitary products during her lifetime!

Mooncups are not only good for the environment, they’re better for your body than chemical-packed tampons or plastic coated sanitary pads. They’re great for people with heavy flows (because they collect three times as much fluid as mainstream sanitary products) and also for light ones (because they don’t dry out the vagina’s walls like tampons can, so are easier to insert and remove).

Because they’re worn inside the body, they can be used while swimming and doing other sports too – a fantastic alternative to tampons really.

If you’ve ever wanted to try one, now could be your chance – just leave a comment below (just “hi” or “gimme! gimme!” will do ;) ) before noon (GMT) on Friday 12th March and I’ll use a random number generator to pick someone to win.

(I’ll pass the details of the winner onto Kath at Mooncup to make sure they receive the correct size for their situation/time of life.)

UPDATE – 12pm Friday 12th March 2010:

Entries are now closed and our lucky winner is comment 13 – congratulations Hannah! I’ll pass your details onto the Mooncup people so they can make sure you get the correct size cup.

For the rest of you, don’t forget you can buy your own Mooncup direct from Mooncup or through stockists around the world.

If you want to try something a bit different, there is also still time to enter our Jam Sponge – sponge tampons – giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks again to Mooncup for donating the prize.

I’m not really one for Days or similar events because I dislike the way it compartmentalises action or thought and I have particular dislike for International Women’s Day because I don’t feel like I need a special day to celebrate being a woman and our achievements – I’ve got 365 of them a year.

But International Women’s Day isn’t for me. It’s not for me with my education, my career, my IUS, and the roof over my head which I jointly own with my truly-a-partner partner. For example, this year’s IWD is to focus attention to the hardships women face when displaced during armed conflict – and how they often overcome such hardships to rebuild homes and their communities.

Why am I talking about this on a reusing and recycling website? Because it’s all part of the same picture. Yesterday in the Observer, there was a report about how many recently war-torn countries in Africa are being ripped apart again – this time by food companies wanting to construct giant greenhouses to feed us mange tout (pun intended). The people in the worst situations are the ones being exploited to feed us summer veg all year around, to clothe us in £4 fall-apart jeans and provide us with endless consumer items which will end up in landfill within weeks. By living more sustainably over here, we help people throughout the world.

Inspired by IWD today, this week is going to be a little different on Recycle This – we’ll still be thinking about reducing, reusing and recycling but focused around women’s health & sexual health – and we’ve got some great giveaways! Stay tuned!

We currently recycle around 37% of our waste – up from just 11% in 2001 – but still lagging behind other European countries, who recycle up to 70% of their waste. The new targets will have us recycling 50% of our waste within five years (2015) and recycling 60% by 2020.

Recycling provision has grown immensely over the last decade – hence that 26% jump – and most people, certainly in urban/suburb areas, do most of their recycling through regular kerbside pickups. But what do you think would improve the doorstep recycling most in your area? What would allow you to recycle more? What do you think would encourage less green-focused people to make the effort too?

I’ve put a poll together to make it easy for people to contribute but feel free to add your own suggestions in the poll or in the comments below.

Repairing is, of course, an often forgotten part of the 3Rs but is really a core part of the “reduce” – if you fix something you’ve already got, you don’t need to think of a reuse for the broken item or to recycle it, and you don’t need to buy/acquire a replacement.

Obviously the nature of the repair depends on what’s broken and how, but a surprising amount of things can be fixed in 15 minutes with a bit of thread/wire/duct tape or a new washer/drop of epoxy adhesive. Sometimes it’s just really just a case of having the confidence to give it a try.

So, if you’ve got anything you’d like to repair but don’t know where to start, drop me an email at repair@recyclethis.co.uk. Conversely, if you’ve fixed something really well or in an interesting way and want to show off your awesome handiwork, send me an email and I’ll feature it on the site.

Anyway, first up, how can I repair leaking trainers/sneakers?

As most greenies know, the amount of energy reclaimed by saving something from landfill is only a tiny proportion of the energy required to have made the thing in the first place and then ship it around the world. By reusing things we already have – either fixing broken things or reusing some waste for a different purpose (as is the aim of this site), we’re reducing our requirement for those new things but we should really be reducing our requirements first, then reusing the things we still need; not just reusing things all the clutter we’ve gathered in the first place.

With this in mind, I’ve decided to try out a new feature on Recycle This: how can I reduce my use of this? if you’re in any way prone to procrastination, the thought of having to reduce everything can stop you doing anything: it’s a lot easier broken down into smaller steps. It’s pretty obvious how to reduce consumption of some things – that random plastic thing that you’re not quite sure what it is but my, it’s pretty (candle holder? bottle opener? plant pot?) from Ikea, just stop, that doesn’t need to be bought – but other things are sometimes a bit harder – and I thought it might be worth trying to get a bit of crowd wisdom/support for those things. And hopefully the suggestions will help other people with their reducing too.

So do you have anything you’re finding it hard to cut down on/wean yourself off? If so, drop me an email – reduce@recyclethis.co.uk and I’ll try to make this a regular thing. Conversely, if you found a really good way to cut back on something, get in touch – it might help someone else give up that same thing too!

We can kick off with one of my bugbears:

• How can I reduce my use of cat food pouches and tiny, teeny cans?

I’ve been meaning to give it an overhaul for ages and had hoped it could go live for our third birthday in April … but better late than never.

I think as well as being a lot fresher and cleaner, this new design makes a lot better use of the available space and makes things easier to find too. On that point, we’ve swapped the old (WordPress) search for one powered by Google – the old version looked prettier but was useless!

There are a few little “quirks” of this new design that we’re sorting out – if you spot anything amiss, do let me know. Feedback is very much appreciated too. I’m hoping to add some more features to the site over the next few months as well – I’ve got ideas but if there is anything you’d like to see, get in touch. :)

Every day, Monday to Friday, we’ll give you four Things To Do Today – perhaps a recipe for some yummy biscuits, a beautiful video to watch, an interesting article to read or just a helpful reminder about something you could, or should, do.

The emphasis is on doing and making positive things instead of just consuming stuff and wasting time.

Obviously you don’t have to do all that stuff but if, like me, you sometimes need a bit of inspiration about what to have for tea or what your next fun craft project is, the site will hopefully provide you with a wealth of ideas.

Suggestions are, of course, welcome – contact details are on the site.

Hope you like it,

-louisa & john :)

P.S. Happy New Year and all that jazz too ;)

• Fruit juice?
• Catalogues?
• Animal bedding?
• Lemon rind?
• Ash from a fire?

Ever wondered if you can or can’t compost something?

We’ve launched a new site to help answer those tough composting dilemmas.

You can search for a specific item or just browse through the categories to your heart’s content.

Hope you like it : )

-Louisa & John