Three words I’m sure we’ve all heard but do we know what they actually mean?
What’s the first thing you think of? Personally, I can just picture a big plastic container at the bottom of my Grandparents garden where my Nanna would put the potato peelings.
So what was happening in that big bucket at the bottom of the path? Adding certain ‘organic matter’ like those peelings all together in ideal ‘composting conditions’ starts a process that leaves a soil conditioner rich in nutrients.
No, very important that I didn’t know is its not for all food/animal/plant products…
Fill your backyard compost bin with a 6-inch layer of “brown” matter and a 2- to 3-inch layer of “green” matter.
I have invested in a small compost caddy for my kitchen with compostable bin liners for my ‘green matter’
Then my ‘brown’ layers are made up of cardboard, paper, egg shells and leaves.
Add some water till its damp, but not soaking wet. Every now and then give it a turn to get the process working faster and keep adding those ‘brown’ and ‘green’ layers. Et voila, compost for planting or use the liquid created to water your plants, flowers and growing your own vegetables/fruit.
It is here I need to remind you that if you buy compostable products, firstly, a huge green thumbs up, but in order for that item to compost it needs those special conditions!
There are a lot of similarities between compostable and biodegradable materials as they are both intended to return to the earth safely. BUT biodegradable materials are designed to break down within landfills, compostable materials require special composting conditions (above).
Although biodegradable materials return to nature and can disappear completely, they sometimes leave behind metal residue. Some biodegradable plastics break down into smaller pieces but never actually disappear.
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects.
Recycling can prevent the waste of potentially useful materials filling up our landfills.
Recycling means we won’t be buying new, so all the stages of production are eliminated or at least reduced. This includes the energy needed and pollution during production and transporting is no longer necessary.
Especially when it comes to plastic recycling.
The truth is, plastic recycling has been broken since it began. Globally, only 9% of the plastic we’ve ever produced has been recycled. The other 91% has ended up in landfills or incinerated or scattered throughout the environment, including in huge floating islands in the ocean partly composed or plastic by-products from the manufacturing process.
The best thing is to simply do without plastic and choose to reuse or…
There are soooo many recycling ideas and upcycling options! These are what we’ve got up to recently:
Pintrest has hundreds of ideas so if you give one a go, share it with us on Facebook and /or Instagram!
So now you’ve got a better understanding of these buzz words, hopefully you’ve also got a better understanding of why they are so important!
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