Cardboard - composting

Cardboard

• Save small boxes, packages, rolls, toilet roll tubes etc. for playgroups and schools. Contact your local school first and ask what they can use.
• Strong boxes, like banana boxes, make excellent packing and storage crates.
• Don't put cardboard, even cereal packets, in paper banks.
• Flatten and tie waste boxes securely and take to a civic amenity site or to Smurfit Recycling 37-49 Vermont Street, Glasgow. Tel: 0141-429 5426

Cards

• Why not send an e-card rather than a paper one? See: http://www.foe.org.uk/cards/ or http://www.everyclick.com/christmas where you can send Christmas e-cards and donate to the charity of your choice at the same time.
• Try to buy cards made from recycled paper.
• Cut off the message side and re-use the picture side as notelets or as present labels.
• The Woodland trust operate a card recycling scheme: http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/cards/

Carpets

• Sometimes a good clean with a steam cleaner will rejuvenate and old carpet. You can hire out steam cleaners at most dry cleaning shops.
• Old carpets are good for mulching and damping down weeds instead of digging them out or spraying with weedkiller.
• Spruce carpets accept and collect donations of large carpets in good condition from homes around the greater Glasgow area. Carpets are cleaned, trimmed and refurbished, then sold at low prices.

CDs

• You don't need to throw away your unwanted CD's. Libraries and charity shops will accept CDs that are in good condition.

Christmas trees

By buying your Christmas tree from Caring Christmas Trees you will be helping vulnerable young people in the city.  For more information, contact Jenny at jenny@impactarts.co.uk see http://www.impactarts.co.uk/

• Buy real trees, grown in a pot, which can be used again next year.
• Recycle your tree in accordance with GCC’s Christmas tree recycling scheme.
• The City’s brown bin users can recycle their real Christmas trees in January, and trees can also be taken to the four civic amenity sites for composting.

Civic amenity sites

You can recycle just about everything recyleable at Glasgow's civic amenity sites. There are four sites at Dawsholm (G20), Easter Queenslie (G33), Polmadie (G42) and Shieldhall (G51). All four operate 8am-8pm 7 days a week. (Except Christmas Day and New Years Day.)

• Find out all you need to know about civic amenity sites on the Glasgow City Council website.

Clothing

• Many charity shops have a stock of good quality second-hand clothing, which you could consider before buying new.
• There are a host of re-uses for old clothing, including patchwork and mending.
• Give unwanted clean clothing to charity shops or put in textile banks.

Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS)

The Comunity Recycling Network for Scotland is a membership body for community recycling organisations throughout Scotland. It provides information, advice and support to both existing and emerging community recyclers. CRNS aims to build a stronger community recycling sector, which can create real social, environmental and economic benefit within local communities.

Computers

Did you know? Computers come under the new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC and 2003/108/EC and must be disposed of with care. The WEEE Directive came into force in January 2007 and aims to both reduce the amount of WEEE being produced and encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it. Find out more about WEEE regulations and where to recycle your WEEE items locally on the Waste Aware Scotland website.

There are a few charities that accept old computers and laptops in working condition, such as:

Computers for Charities
Cemetery Lodge
Ersham Road
Hailsham
East Sussex
BN27 3LJ
United Kingdom
Tel: 01323 840641

Or to dispose of your old computer safely take it to a civic amenity site.

Computer printer ribbon inkjet and toner cartridges

Try to reduce the amount of printing you need to do in the first place. Anything that can be printed can be saved and stored electronically, and backed up on to separate media for safekeeping and takes up much less space. Before you click “print” think first, do I really need to print this?

• You can buy refilled and recycled cartridges at Cartridge World and Smart Cartridge – there are stores in Glasgow.
• Take your old inkjet cartridges to Grassroots, 20-22 Woodlands Road for recycling.
• Send used inkjet and toner cartridges, in original boxes if possible, to GreenAgenda Tel: 0800 028 0656; Fax: 0800 917 0812. They will provide bags for posting, and storage bins, and will uplift if necessary. GreenAgenda will donate to Friends of the Earth Scotland.
• Many charities also accept used cartridges.
• Or to see a fuller list of cartridge recycling places in Glasgow check out the Sort-it website.

More on recycling printer and toner cartridges

Reduce, reuse, recycle - printer and toner cartridges

Envocare - cartridges

Corks

• Natural corks can be used to make a notice board or, if sliced finely, can be used in a compost bin. Plastic corks can't be recycled.
• Save natural corks for school projects, playgroups, craftwork etc.
• Both natural and plastic corks can be cut up and used to help drainage in plant pots, instead of crockery or stones.

Composting

Composting in an ideal way of recycling a lot of organic waste.

Find out all you need to know at Glasgow City Council: composting or at Waste Aware Scotland - Home Composting.

CREW

CREW (Communities Reducing Excess Waste) is a waste prevention programme run by volunteers working with Friends of the Earth Scotland. It's designed to educate and motivate people and businesses in communities across Scotland. Interested? Find out more and how to sign up at Friends of the Earth Scotland - Campaigns - CREW.

Comments

[Liz McTeague]

Cardboard: East Renfrewshire has cardboard recycling bins at several of its recyling locations including Giffnock Station car park (off Fenwick Road).