Here’s some of the new schemes being promoted by BCP Council, as they try to better recycling in the area.
Grab bag
A new ‘grab bag’ service has launched in Poole, it allows households to get rid out waste that is either too little for a skip or overflow from a skip.
If you wish to use this scheme then just contact the Council on 01202 261709 and buy a bag, then when you want it collected pay again and they will dispose of it.
The bag is 90cm x 90cm x 90cm and has to be placed no more than 4 metres from the highway, to aid collection.
For information on what can be collected and what cannot, go here.
Battery recycling
Batteries are hard to dispose of as you cannot put them in any household bins.
This means that in order to safely dispose of them you have to find a designated bin; luckily for you the Council is promoting their battery recycling service at local libraries and Nuffield Household Waste and Recycling Centre.
Batteries that aren’t properly separated can be a fire hazard.
They are also a wider part of UK recycling strategy; if the target of a 45% recycling rate is met then 12,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided every year.
Here is a map of every disposal point in the UK.
Is my bag biodegradable or compostable?
These terms are normally used interchangeably, but they mean different things.
A biodegradable bag is often thought of as an environmentally-friendly choice and whilst they are still preferable to single-use plastic they remain intact over three years later.
Manufacturers don’t need to say how long it takes their bag to biodegrade, so it could end up being a part of the plastic pollution problem.
Compostable bags must be disposed of in the correct conditions within 12 weeks; bags that are only industrially compostable will not break down in your home bin, so must be disposed of properly.
If you buy home compostable bags then you can dispose of them on your home compost pile, an easy and environmentally friendly method of disposal.
The best solution is to make use of reusable bags or cotton tote bags – as long as you remember them!