Having declared a climate emergency, Shropshire Council has now removed all recycling banks. Duh. They say you can use the kerbside recycling instead, but this doesn’t include Tetra Packs, which will have to be put in the black bin and incinerated or taken to the nearest recycling centre (in our case in Craven Arms).
Let’s not be too unkind to the council; even though their previous decision to freeze Council tax for six years has left them about £120 million worse off, hindsight is a wonderful thing and we are where we are, which is not a good place at all. However, driving 16 miles to Craven Arms and back in an average car will put nearly 12kg of CO2 into the atmosphere and nearly three times as much if it’s a 4×4 gas guzzler*. And sending them off to be burnt won’t help the climate emergency either.
We can’t go on hoping someone else will solve the climate crisis for us, so here’s an idea: Could someone in your road take on the job of collecting Tetra Packs and taking them to the recycling centre when they are next going that way? Could that person be you?
Tell us in the comment section below or contact us if you’re prepared to help in this way. If you can’t get to the recycling centre yourself, see if a neighbour will transport them for you. It can’t be that hard, can it? We’ve all got to do our bit for this War Effort.
*See ‘How Bad are Bananas – the Carbon Footprint of Everything’ by Mike Berners-Lee
Comments
Ecowarrior says
Well that was a good idea and as ever the simplest ideas are sometimes the best. Contacted our neighbours and they now leave their washed Tetra Packs in a bin by my garage and when someone in the road goes to Craven Arms Recycling Centre they take the Tetra Packs for recycling. A local church is doing the same. Please let us know if you have set up something similar in your road.
Simon says
Recycling Tetrapak cartons is, like disposable coffee cups, energy intensive and results in poor quality materials. Some information and alarming facts here:
https://treadingmyownpath.com/2014/09/11/why-tetra-paks-arent-green-even-though-theyre-recyclable/
The best thing is to avoid using them if possible. This isn't easy if you drink non-dairy milks etc but I now buy Innocent almond milk in PET (which tastes nicer, contains 3x as much almond as Alpro and own-brand almond and has no 'padding' or gum). Carton juice isn't really good for you while juice from concentrate has particularly large CO2 footprint. Rosie's grocery in Frankwell, Shrewsbury now sell juice in returnable 1pint glass bottles. Why not persuade a shop near you to do the same?
Similarly with laminated takeaway coffee cups, either buy your own reuseable cup or choose an establishment that serves coffee in real china cups or mugs, brewed by someone who actually knows and cares about what they're doing. It tastes nicer and the pleasure of good coffee is in taking time to enjoy it, not rushing around absent-mindedly sipping dirty water from a plastic-lined piece of litter.
After pressure from the public Terracycle and Walkers (by far the biggest creator of this waste) have provided information and online map at https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/crisppacket
I am surprised no-one in Church Stretton or Craven Arms has set up a crisp packet recycling point. It's very simple. Crisps packets are one of the most common types of litter on our streets and roadside verges and they are far easier to manage than Tetrapaks.
Simon says
Recycling Tetrapak cartons is, like disposable coffee cups, energy intensive and results in poor quality materials. Some information and alarming facts here:
https://treadingmyownpath.com/2014/09/11/why-tetra-paks-arent-green-even-though-theyre-recyclable/
The best thing is to avoid using them if possible. This isn't easy if you drink non-dairy milks but I now buy Innocent almond milk in PET (which tastes nicer, contains 3x as much almond as Alpro and own-brand almond and has no 'padding' or gum). Carton juice isn't really good for you and juice from concentrate has a particularly large CO2 footprint. Rosie's grocery in Frankwell, Shrewsbury now sell juice in returnable 1pint glass bottles. Why not persuade a shop near you to do this?
Ecowarrior says
Hi Simon,
Great that you have contributed to the conversation. I agree that recycling Tetra Packs is not as good as glass or metal cans BUT until the food industry offers widespread alternative packaging we are stuck with them. Surely better to try and recycle them than bin them as food for the local incinerator.
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