Did you know you can now recycle your inhalers?

Thanks to a nationwide campaign by GlaxoSmithKline called ‘complete the cycle’  inhalers can now by recycled rather than sent for incineration or landfill.

According to GSK research 512,330 tonnes of CO2 could be saved if every person in the UK returned all their inhalers for one year.*

To recycle your empty or out of date inhalers use the quick postcode search to find out where your nearest participating pharmacy.

* GSK data on file. UK Inhaler recycing & environmental claims July 12

You don’t need to be in for your bins

If you live in North or East Dorset you will shortly be receiving your bins for the new ‘recycle for Dorset’ service.

Here is what you need to know:

• Your new bins may arrive any time between Monday 15 April and Friday 24 May
• You don’t need to be in for your bins
• Your new service starts the week beginning 10 June 2013, please do not use your new bins before this
• We can’t give you a specific delivery date or time, but an indicative delivery schedule and frequently asked questions are available at http://www.dorsetforyou.com/recyclefordorset/delivery
• Please take your bins onto your property as soon as you can
• Your kitchen caddy will be delivered inside your larger food bin (unless you use the current North Dorset brown bin scheme and already have a caddy)
• Take note of the dates marked on your new calendar and keep it somewhere to remind you – the fridge is a good place 
• To report a problem or ask a question, call the DWP customer service team on 01305 221040.
• More detailed information about the ‘recycle for Dorset’ service can be found in your user guide and at http://www.dorsetforyou.com/recyclefordorset.

To read more about the delivery of your new bins please visit the newsroom.

Success in Christchurch and East Dorset

The new recycle for Dorset collection service was introduced in Christchurch and East Dorset in October 2012, and figures show it has already made a big difference:

• Recycling rates in Christchurch nearly doubled. Rising from 34 per cent in 2011 to 62 per cent in 2012.
• 28 per cent (2,100 tonnes) less rubbish was sent for landfill or treatment between October and December, than the same three months in 2011.
• The total amount of waste collected was 7 per cent lower than the same three months in 2011
• East Dorset’s figures (which included one month on the previous service) show an increase in recycling from 43 per cent in 2011 to 49 per cent in 2012.
• The recycling rate would have been 4 per cent higher but new legistlation means street sweepings can no longer be composted.

The new service will be introduced to North Dorset and the rest of East Dorset during the week beginning Monday 10 June 2013. Find out when the new service will be introduced in your area.

Eco Easter

The average Brit eats 17.49lbs of chocolate each year.  And as a nation we spend a whopping £229million on Easter eggs.

All this chocolate leads to roughly 3,000 tonnes of extra waste every Easter.

Try our top tips for how to have your egg and eat it too:

 Try some DiY

Making your own Easter eggs is an excellent way to keep your waste down and still give friends and family a yummy treat. You can even reuse the plastic from past eggs as a mould.

Avoid egg-cessive packaging

Look for eggs where there is little to no plastic, and the packaging fits snugly around the egg. This way you can limit how much you have to throw away this Easter.

 Know what you can recycle

• Card can be recycled throughout Dorset, simply flatten it and place in your recycling bin or box 
• Foil and plastic can be taken to local mini recycling centres across Dorset
• Rigid plastic can be recycled at many mini recycling centres and can also be put in your recycling bin if you live in Christchurch or parts of East Dorset and use the new ‘recycle for Dorset’ service

New construction photos of Swanage HRC

Waste storage barn

Building of the site office

Pouring of the concrete slabs

Inspecting the reinforcement

Here are the latest construction site pictures of Swanage’s new household recycling centre (HRC). As you can see, since the last time we posted some photos a lot of work has been undertaken. The gabion retaining walls and Purbeck hedge bank have now been completed, as well as the concrete for the waste storage barn, access ramp, office buildings and the steel frame for the barn.

Read more about the new HRC here.

 

Sherborne skaters turn to the tap

Sherborne’s skate enthusiasts are set to turn out in force this Saturday (16 July 2011) for the town’s annual skate extravaganza – the Summer Strawberry Jam. Youngsters will flock to Sherborne skatepark in Blackberry Lane to show off their skills on what promises to be a fun, action packed day.

Our recycling officers will be on hand to dare extreme sports fans to take our tap water challenge – will they be able to taste the difference between tap and bottled water? This is a great way of reminding local people of the environmental benefits of drinking tap water. Tap water challenge participants will be given a free reusable water bottle but only if they can tell us which of the two drinks they’re given is tap water.

Did you know it takes over seven litres of water to make a single plastic bottle?

Take a bite of The Big Lunch

Are you getting into the community spirit and attending one of The Big Lunch events taking place in Dorset this Sunday (5 June 2011)?

The Big Lunch, a hugely successful national community initiative which aims to bring people together over a bite to eat, is back and taking place in villages, towns and cities across the UK.

If you are attending a local event we hope you have a great time but we’re also encouraging you not to forget the big clean up – recycle and reuse as much of your waste as you can – especially your leftover food!

Check out our Love Food Hate Waste page for information and tips on how to reduce your food waste. The Love Food Hate Waste website also features hints on food storage, portion planning and delicious recipes (opens in new window) for using up leftover party and picnic food.

Find out more about The Big Lunch and find your nearest event (opens in new window). 

New recycling trial fuels up!

Great news – keen recyclers living in and around Blandford, Christchurch, Wareham, and Wimborne can now take their waste cooking oil to our household recycling centres (HRCs) in these areas.

We’ve worked in conjunction with our contractors, Weymouth and Sherborne Recycling, to team up with Dorset Bio Solutions to run a new trial at these four centres.

You can now drop off your waste vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed and palm oil in sealed containers, such as plastic bottles, at a special collection point at these sites.

Dorset Bio solutions then collect and recycle it into bio diesel.

If the trial is successful, we will look to introduce collection points at our other HRCs in Dorset.

Pupils give recycling A+

Pupilsfrom  Stalbridge Primary School recently visited Wareham Education Centre for a fun and interactive morning learning about recycling and composting. The youngsters took part in a range of recycling activities and games, made their own mini compost bins and took a tour around the household recycling centre to see what materials can be recycled or reused. It was then off to see where all their waste ends up if they don’t recycle it – a landfill site.

Unlimited access to Millhams

There’s good news for residents living in East Dorset. You can now recycle your waste at Millhams Community Recycling Centre without the need to apply for a voucher scheme.

We’ve worked in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council to enable you to use their recycling centre, providing you show your council tax bill from East Dorset District Council when visiting the facility.

This puts an end to the existing voucher scheme which was introduced in 2006 and enabled people living in the East Dorset area apply for 15 vouchers per year to dispose of their waste at the centre.

Vouchers will continue to be accepted at the site if existing holders wish to carry on using these until they run out.

Read more.