Recycle Now

So why would you actually want to Recycle?

If you’re not already recycling, find out more about how easy it is and how you can really make a difference.  For those who already recycle, discover the positive effect your recycling efforts are making and find out what else you may be able to do.

Recycling Conserves Resources

When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry.

Recycling helps conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.

Recycling saves energy

Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that required for producing new products from raw materials – even when comparing all associated costs including transport etc.

Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy is required to extract, refine, transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with providing industry-ready materials.

Recycling helps protect the environment

Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution.

As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change. Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of C02 a year – the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.

Recycling reduces landfill

When we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites reduces. There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the UK, and in 2001, these sites produced a quarter of the UK’s emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Find Out Where Your Local Recycling Point Is Now ..

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The Exotic Paper Company

The Exotic Paper Company (ltd) is a small family run company in based in Taunton, Somerset. They specialize in the supply of 100% recycled papers, paper products and poo planters.  The company started life in 2005 as a hobby based out of a garage. It has grown year on year to become a well established company, while still retaining its open and friendly culture as well as adhering to its original principles and ethics.

Their recycled paper products use post consumer waste collected from schools and businesses in the UK. Their mill, based in Hemel Hempstead dates back to 1803 and promotes and educates schools and other enterprises on sustainable living.

Everything they produce is 100% recycled, and contains no bleaches or detergents.  They are approved by NAPM (National Association of Paper Merchants) to the highest 100% level.  They are also members of BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Shops).

What Are Their Main Products?

The best seller from this company is the Ellie Poo paper (made with elephant dung), or Rhino poo paper (made with Rhino dung). They also produce a selection of inclusion papers, such as grass, straw, bank note, banana or there newest product is denim paper made from recycled jeans.

This is a standard A4 130gsm piece of 'Ellie Poo' paper

PLASTIC GOLD

All that glitters is not gold! A a low cost low-energry process that turns waste plastic bottles from refugee camps into jewellery! An Algerian Royal College art student that wanted to find a creative yet economic solution to raise awareness about her cultural displacement!

http://www.ecouterre.com/saharan-refugee-camp-recycles-plastic-bottles-into-amazing-gold-jewelry/

THE SEXY WORLD OF SUSTAINABILITY

I read Justin McGuriks article in The Guardian about sustainable futures, he believes that sustainable design is wearing thin and the matronly browns and little green arrows have drained the sexiness from design. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/feb/03/justin-mcguirk-sustainable-design

Justin McGuirk - Bin Around - The unsexy world of sustainability 

However I disagree with what he says. I feel that sustainability has a big importance and I also feel the graphics related to sustainability and recycling have a great effect. The more people see and recognise 'the little green arrows' that Justin McGuirk refers to in his article, the more they will be encouraged to start helping towards a better future.

Who isn't encouraged by brightly coloured bins?

 

JUNK ART

Junk Art is just basically art made from junk!
I found several artists that create beautiful pieces of art just by using litter and other odds and ends. They are helping to create a sustainable future by recycling our rubbish to make good art!
Here are two I found most interesting...


A german artist called HA SCHULT created over 1'000 life sized trash people!


Instead of throwing his empty egg cartons away dutch artist Enno De Kroon uses his
as a canvas, creating 2 and a half dimensional art, he refers to this style as 'Egg Cubism'.

Love Your Bike

Apologies for featuring Creative Concern again but it's a rich seam to tap given their platform as an ethical agency who summarise their approach as 'communications for a sustainable future.'

The Love Your Bike campaign was produced for Friends of the Earth in 2006.  Pretty self explanatory in that it sought to encourage commuters to leave the car behind in favour of the bike. The images are strong and clever.

http://www.creativeconcern.com/about

Green Spot at Bluecoat

Manchester based agency, Creative Concern, were engaged by the Forestry Commission to devise an interactive installation that would raise consciousness about the benefit of green spaces in cities.

They developed Greenspot, a collection of ten trees positioned in the Courtyard at Liverpool's Bluecoat.  The plaques that accompanied the exhibition displayed facts about trees and green spaces and it also included interactive audio and lighting.  At the end of their time at The Bluecoat the trees were rehomed at Alder Hey Children's Hospital where they were dressed for Christmas and decorated with poems written by some of the young patients.

I like this as a solution.  It is a simple and effective way of demonstrating instantly the impact of green on an urban setting (not unlike the interior of Westminster Abbey last summer, ahem).  Also, responsibly done, in that the exhibit found a, presumably, permanent home at Alder Hey.

What particularly interests me is that Creative Concern designed and installed the project, built the associated website and handled the marketing and PR.  Have they got any jobs going around July 2014 I wonder?

http://www.creativeconcern.com/about