Buy Local

The Weather Report: Hello and welcome to another RecyclingCDs Newsletter. We hope you’ve been enjoying what is left of the summer weather and remembering that although it may not have been a particularly hot one, we did at least avoid the severe flooding of recent years (mostly!) and luxuriated in some lovely weeks of unexpected glorious sunshine back (way back) in April and May. In the spirit of being content and thankful for what we have, let’s settle back into the cosy arms of my favourite season - autumn.

Ah, what bliss this season brings! Scarlet, golden leaves swirling all around from beneath a still warm and sunny, blue sky; chestnuts falling to the ground revealing shiny new conkers, arousing nostalgia of more youthful days and past times; a slight chill in the air requiring colourful scarves and cosy knits. Mmmmm, I love it!

In a Pickle: Traditionally autumn is a time of year particularly focused on reducing, reusing and recycling as we make use of the remaining summer fruits and vegetables and put aside food stores for winter by pickling, freezing and making vegetable chutneys and fruit jams - yummy! It is a shame that most of us seem to have lost the time, inclination or forethought to fill up our pantries and cupboards in this way.

In a Jam: But, the chances are, that you may know someone else who does take advantage of the abundance of UK home grown crops to make such products as jams, pickles, chutneys and other sauces from fruit and veg. I find that mothers (mine makes a particularly succulent plum jam) and grannies are often quite useful in this field so pay one (your own or someone else’s) a visit and offer to exchange help with chores or other good will for some home-made goodies.

New Friends: If you don’t know anyone who either grows or cooks then aside from setting yourself the task of making new, useful friends pronto, you would be best advised to get yourself down to the local store, farmer’s market or perhaps a church or community fete to see what fruitful delicacies are on offer. Supporting local growers and culinary artisans in this manner may take a little more time or effort than popping down to the supermarket to pick up a few jars and cans but the benefits will pay for themselves.

The Supermarket Option: This may appear convenient, but when you consider the extra additives, colourings and preservatives that go into many of the products sold there, not to mention the toxic pesticides and fertilisers that the fruit or veg may have grown up in and therefore absorbed before it got to the store, convenience becomes a little less rosy. We have heard of strawberries being picked for commercial jam manufacturers that are bleached grey after picking before being made into the finished product which is injected with food colourings to make it strawberry coloured - bleugh! Disgusting as well as totally pointless!

Sure, we can purchase organic products in most supermarkets but why buy something that’s been trucked up and down the country from farmer to manufacturer to warehouse to supermarket store, packaged in travel proof and storage proof packaging that is most often neither recyclable nor reusable, when we can buy the same product from a local source sans packaging. It’s an understandable strategy for foods like bananas or rice which aren’t too easily grown in our own climate but for food, particularly fruit products that are readily grown and easily produced locally, it seems a ridiculous waste of resources to buy anything else.

Reasons To Buy Local: By sourcing and buying local, we allow ourselves to not only gain a karmic sense of community by playing an active part in said community, but we may also make a few friends and who knows where that could lead! We could gain instant knowledge of where the food we consume comes from, how it has been raised and manufactured from seedlings into the finished product we buy thus re-establishing the connection between us and our food that has been mislaid for so long.

Excess Packaging: In addition, we may well discover a source of food that is most likely natural, probably local and possibly organic too. Apart from the advantages of better taste and nutrition compared to many commercial supermarket brands we will probably be able to get away without packaging too. Whilst some large stores have begun using plastic packaging that claims to be compostable or recyclable it is not at all clear how we should dispose of these. Compostable plastic for example won’t compost if sent to landfill as it requires certain conditions in which to compost successfully.

Compulsory clear labelling on all packaging explaining best disposal practice would be a positive step but the real answer to our increasing landfill problem surely is to forego the packaging in the first place. For most supermarkets that transfer products all over the country and from abroad, this is not a viable option.

The Simple Life: For us, the consumer, however the options are vast and relatively simple. We can shop for most of our groceries locally thus avoiding the need for surplus packaging. We can order from fruit and veg delivery companies who source local food. We can take our own bags to local greengrocers and whole food stores. If we’re lucky enough to live near a farm, we can find out about sourcing direct. We can form a co-op with neighbours, friends and family to order products in bulk thus reducing cost as well as packaging waste. We can grow our own food if we have space. We can work with or form community groups if we don’t have our own space enabling us to share allotments or other growing spaces. We can do a combination of these things or just a few. The choice is ours.

Take Control: The bottom line it seems is that we CAN reduce the amount of waste we produce as well as eat better and live more fulfilled lifestyles without spending more money and in many cases reducing the amount we spend. We DO have choices that lie outside of the supermarket and their over-packaged, over processed, unhealthy food. We are not obliged to use them, so let’s think outside the trolley and see where it takes us.

We will be adding links to groups and organisations you can join or get advice from about growing your own food, forming a co-op or community garden and shopping locally. If you are already involved in a community food and gardening project do let us know so we can add the details to our site.

Shared resources + innovative thinking = less waste + community growth = happier individuals!

Featured Artist:

If you’ve read our blog post earlier this month, you will know that our featured artist of the month is… drum roll please… Harlequin! Our latest artist recruit’s designs are inspired by electronic imaging and the paranormal. Harlequin’s designs for RecyclingCDs include astrological signs as well as Green Man and Che Guevara. Have a look at his work here http://recyclingcds.com/product_artist.asp?id=48 and remember to use the discount detailed below when making your purchase.

Discounts & Offers:

With these offers we are really spoiling you this month. Not only can you purchase any of our featured artist, Harlequin’s clocks for the reduced rate of £5.99 until the end of the month (September) but our RecyclingCDs’ website voucher is still valid so don’t forget to enter the following Voucher Code: CKR0030 when ordering CDClocks from the website to receive a fabulous 10% discount (limited time only). These offers cannot be used in conjunction because that would be rather greedy on your part and utter lunacy on ours!

Latest in the Forums:

Canadian city to ban single-use plastic water bottles

eDay 2008, New Zealand 4-5 Oct08

Recycling Poll:

I have set up a poll on ToLuna to discover how much household waste we all recycle. If you have a spare minute, pop over to the site and answer the simple multiple choice question here.

Networks:

As usual you can get in touch and stay up to date with RecyclingCDs on Facebook and MySpace as well as our blog and website. Help us spread the recycling word by adding one of our banners to your own site or blog.

Until next time happy recycling!

From Rache & All at RecyclingCDs

Let me introduce you to the latest recruit to our RecyclingCDs Artists collective. Harlequin’s designs vary from astrological star-signs to images of Che Guevara and Green man.

In his own words, Harlequin says:

“I have always had a passion for the paranormal world and a good understanding of working with electronic images. My natural creativity allows me to combine these things together to produce atypical artwork. I like my designs to be bold and to draw the observer closer. My work has been exhibited and has been appraised favourably. I also like to produce some mainstream designs to try to provide something for everyone, but I am afraid that there are still a lot more of the dark arts to come. I hope you like what you see.”

Have a look at Harelquin’s designs here

For this month only we have a special offer on all of our featured artist’s designs. You can purchase any of Harlequin’s unique CDClocks for the discounted price of £5.99! Offer closes end of September, so hurry!

The Snowball Effect

Hello and welcome to another month at RecyclingCDs. I know what you’re thinking - snowballs in August? Not very seasonal is it; and whilst the weather seems to be very changeable of late we’re not forecasting hailstones just yet. What we are predicting however are incredible lifestyle changes approaching.

We know that charity begins at home but did you know that changing the world starts there too? Change begins with very small and delicate steps taken by individuals like you and I. When nurtured, these steps gradually build and join forces with all the other very small steps taken by all the other like-minded people around us. And then one day, we realise that a powerful movement has been born and before we know it a change to the status quo has taken place and we can barely remember the time before the change.

Thus every small step we can take now towards a more sustainable future and every positive, meaningful change we can make to our everyday habits is vitally important. From refusing to purchase over-packaged items at the supermarket, composting our kitchen waste and finding new uses for what we previously regarded as rubbish to buying pre-loved instead of brand new clothing and furniture, using public transport and walking whenever possible and moving our banking and utilities to ethical suppliers. All these decisions, which may not seem particularly life-changing on their own, when combined add up to significant change that will make a valuable positive difference to both our own lives and that of our future generations.

So if you’re feeling a jaded shade of green convinced that you can only make a limited amount of positive difference by yourself, fret not. Just like a tiny snowflake in a huge snowball, every little bit counts and you are definitely not alone. The movement, whether we call it green, eco, slow, ethical, sustainable or something else entirely, is most certainly out there, and in here. It has begun and YOU are part of it.

To ensure your little snowflakes of positive change don’t melt away before they hit the ground, join forces with a friend, a neighbour, an online forum or local group and watch what happens when lots of individual flakes of snow get together to support each other in the same direction. Before long snowflakes become snowballs; snowballs become snowdrifts and suddenly there is snow everywhere. Magical!

RecyclingCDs is here to help snowflakes turn into snowstorms. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions, ideas or suggestions to help bring on the snow and if you’re feeling stranded there are heaps of links to other snowflakes on our forums. Get out there and enjoy the weather!

News:

One of the groups RecyclingCDs has joined forces with this month are the lovely people at My Zero Waste. You may have heard of this family from Gloucestershire who have assigned themselves the not-nearly-as-easy-as-it-looks task of reducing the amount of waste they send to landfill. The team have been measuring their rubbish on a weekly basis and hope to achieve a status of Zero Waste.

The My Zero Waste website is full of articles on reducing waste generated from food, general, household and personal products as well as interesting polls and competitions which is where we come in. Alongside a host of other cool eco sites RecyclingCDs has donated a prize that you can win simply by completing an entry form, making a pledge to reduce your own landfill and submitting feedback for each pledge completed. The more pledges you sign up to and comment on, the greater your chance of winning a prize. There are heaps to choose from including our own Stunning Frog CDClock or a Gossypium duvet cover, Neal’s Yard relaxation set, an Ecover cleaning kit, EcoCentric bathroom accessories and so much more. Visit My Zero Waste for your chance to win.

Discount:

Our RecyclingCDs’ website voucher is still valid so don’t forget to enter the following Voucher Code: CKR0030 when ordering CDClocks from the website to receive a fabulous 10% discount (limited time only).

Forums & Blog:

The RecyclingCDs forum is the space for you to share links, ideas, information and news about reducing, re-using and recycling. Don’t be shy, if you have anything to share on these subjects or a burning question to ask, please feel free to sign up to the forum here and get involved.

Read the latest links and posts in the News section including Plastic Bag News - Greener Kew where residents and traders are working towards making Kew a greener place starting with the abolition of the plastic bag from over 50 retail and trade venues. Good on Kew! Also in News, under Plastic Recycling - the Co-operative Group, not content with being way ahead of most other supermarkets when it comes to ethics and sustainability, are now the first UK retailer to convert all their own brand drinks bottles to 100% rPET plastic. Meanwhile, over in Recycling Stories under Other Ways To Recycle CDs you can read a brief review of our visit to Urban Canvas’ live exhibit last month.

Networks:

Get in touch and stay up to date with RecyclingCDs on Facebook and MySpace as well as our blog and website. Help us spread the recycling word by adding one of our banners to your own site or blog. Check our Links page for codes.

Until next time - get those snowballs rolling and happy recycling!

From Rache & All at RecyclingCDs

Good news from: Sarah Dryden, New Consumer, 25Jul08

“The Co-operative Group has become the first retailer in the UK to roll out 100% rPET plastic bottles across its entire own-brand range of carbonated drinks and mixers.

The move to 100% rPET plastic bottles for these beverages, along with the retailer’s own-label 330ml sportscap juice drinks, will reduce CO2 emissions by 1,212 tonnes and save 808 tonnes of new plastic from being made per annum - equivalent to the weight of 180 African elephants.

rPET bottles are made from recycled plastic (polyethylene terephthalate or PET)*. Using rPET instead of virgin (new) PET, saves one-and-a-half tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of plastic used.”

Further Info:
Full New Consumer article / Co-op Group

Image Credit: New Consumer

Last month we informed you that Urban Canvas would be undertaking a live interactive exhibition in New Street Square. RecyclingCDs popped down to peruse and meet the team.

All photographs copyright: Racheblue 2008

From: Greener Kew via LCRN

“Kew traders have got together with the Kew Society and decided to make Kew a greener place. Abolition of the free plastic bag culture that has caused so much damage, particularly to the world’s ocean life, is the first step for a Greener Kew.

Over 50 local traders have pledged their support, and larger establishments including Kew Gardens, are also supporting the campaign.”

More here / Blog here

Image Credit: Greener Kew

Recycling Kitchen Plastics

This month we have been mostly recycling plastic food containers. Well, when I say ‘recycling’ I mean rinsing and storing for future use, which is I guess, part of the recycling process and at least avoids landfill for now. Every week however, seems to bring more plastic into our home in the form of tubs, pots, trays and bags. The task of deciding what to do with them all is becoming a little tiresome.

Thankfully, since signing back up with Abel & Cole, who deliver a cardboard box of delicious organic fruit and veg every week, our plastic consignment has reduced significantly as we no longer have to suffer the ridiculous amount of plastic film wraps and trays that seem to constrain almost all the organic (as well as a great deal of non-organic) fresh produce available in the supermarkets these days. Our delivery box does contain the odd thin plastic fruit punnet and an occasional compostable or biodegradable bag but we can deal with these relatively easily by reusing them ourselves or simply returning them to Able & Cole for reuse.

Of the plastic obtained from our non-delivered shopping, bread bags are washed and reused for food storage and many of the trays and fruit holders have been saved for the joyful day when we have a garden and can grow our own vegetable plants - I hear they’re very useful for cuttings and seedlings. Yoghurt pots and butter/spread tubs are re-used continuously as they are perfect for packed lunches, storing leftovers, picnic food, cookies and so on. There may come a day when our cupboards are too full of these containers but we’re hoping that by the time we really have to throw them out some clever bod will have figured out an easy and accessible way to recycle the plastic they are made from!

We try to avoid buying over-packaged products or those wrapped in non-recyclable / non-compostable / non-degradable material in the first place. But it’s not easy to avoid these products as anyone who uses supermarkets regularly will attest. Despite our efforts we’re often still left with those awful plastic trays and cling film style wraps (mainly from fresh fish) that we can’t think of a way to reuse. So it seems our kitchen plastic reduction has some way to go. Two inspiring bloggers - Fake Plastic Fish and Life Less Plastic - are working towards achieving a much more commendable goal of avoiding plastic altogether - well as much as is possible. Their methods and trials are well worth a read and contain many a useful tip for the eco-conscious recycler (check the forums for links).

News:
RecyclingCDs had a stall at the Creative Herts Summer Craft Fair a couple weeks ago. Turnout wasn’t huge (due to limited advertising and strange timing during the student holidays - whoops!) but thanks to everyone who was able to come down. We managed a few sales and made contact with some lovely creative folk from the Hertfordshire region. We plan to organise a few of our own exhibition sales in the future and will keep you updated here and on the website. Do let us know if you would like to be involved.

Designs & Orders:
One of our very talented artists is exhibiting his work next month at the Brick Lane Gallery. Vincent Chong’s fantastical designs will be on display at Art In Mind from 30th July until 11th August. Go check it out at 196 Brick Lane, London, E1.

Our most popular CDClock designs this year seem to be the aptly named Stunning Frog and city scenes such as the beautifully romantic Venice photos shot by Kingsley Davis. Drop us a line to let us know which are your favourite images and if you would like to see our artists cover a specific design theme, we’d be happy to oblige.

When ordering CDClocks from the website, don’t forget to enter the following Voucher Code: CKR0030 to receive a fabulous 10% discount (limited time only).

Forums & Blog:
More information and links to the anti plastic bloggers Life Less Plastic and Fake Plastic Fish can be found on Recycling Stories: Plastic Free on our forums. In the Awesome Designs section of Recycling Stories you will find a link to Stugbags who make stunning receptacles from reclaimed print waste. Hop over to Links: Event Links for information on Urban Canvas’ live exhibition this Thursday (31st July) at New Street Square, London EC4 to see street art created from recycled CDs - brilliant! Finally, have a look at In The News: Recycling Abroad for a fascinating photo story of textile travels from UK India and back.

We’d love to hear your views on these and any of the other topics on our forum boards and blog. So if you have something you’re desperate to tell the world or a burning question to ask simply sign up to the forums here and get chatting.

Networks:
Get in touch and stay up to date with RecyclingCDs on Facebook and MySpace as well as our blog and website. Help us spread the recycling word by adding one of our banners to your own site or blog. Check our Links page for codes.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the delicious summer weather and we’ll catch you next month. Happy Recycling!
From Rache & All at RecyclingCDs

From UK recycling bins and charity shops to India’s recycling factories and workshops. How one garment becomes another in wonderful pictures from The Guardian, May 2008.

“May 23 2008: Clothes donated at UK charity shops can end up half way across the world, among pavement traders and tailoring shops in India. A new exhibition explores the journey of recycled clothing from charity shops, as well as the contrasting flow of recycled silk saris to the UK. Photographs are on display at the Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, south London from May 24 2008 to Jan 25 2009″

Full article here

As part of City of London Festival the awesome team from Urban Canvas will be decorating the pavement of New Street Square on Thursday 31 July - prepare to be impressed! Come along and watch the artists create a temporary art installation from recycled CDs (what a great idea) or get involved and contribute to the art work.

Click here for more on Urban Canvas and here for CoLF

Two fantastic bloggers have set themselves the aim of living without plastic - no mean feat in this very plastic era. Life Less Plastic and Fake Plastic Fish have admirably changed and altered their daily habits to drastically reduce plastic reliance for a variety of reasons and are an inspiration to us all.

“When I went plastic-free I knew I’d be doing something good for the environment and I knew it would help me get potentially harmful chemicals out of my life, but I didn’t realize that it would also mean eating healthy and saving money. What great bonuses!
And how inspiring to know that making one positive change in your life can lead to so many positive consequences for you and the environment.”

“Fake Plastic Fish… they’re cute, and if we don’t solve our plastic problem, they could be the only kind we have left…
Goals:
1. To reduce the need for new plastic to be produced since petroleum is a non-renewable, polluting resource, and the production of plastic wreaks havoc on our eco-system in all sorts of ways.
2. To keep existing plastic out of our waterways and landfills where it can cause further harm.
3. To limit my exposure to toxins that can leach from certain types of plastic.
4. To educate others about these issues so that my actions can have a farther-reaching impact than those of a single individual acting alone.”