SORT IT – Reduce / Reuse / Recycle

When it comes to rubbish – it’s knowing what to do with it:

These are notes and doodles from a group of young people discussing the subject at Hava Word.

It’s not clear exactly what to recycle and where to put it. PLASTIC IS FANTASTIC but it has to be clean.

Redcar & Cleveland council are charged £75 per ton of waste to bury it in the ground and £55 per ton to burn it. Money can be made by selling the clean waste, plastic bottles and particularly Newspaper / any Paper so long as it is clean: Put it in the Blue bin (Black Box) otherwise it is just like burning money. Clean cardboard too.

Leaving litter – Tin Cans – Plastic Bottles – Pizza boxes around the streets, costs money for someone to pick it up. Putting the wrong stuff in our Blue bins (food from our dinner plates) contaminates the cardboard and plastic, so the whole truck load would be rejected at the recycle plant – IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE CARE AT OUR END OF THE CHAIN.

TRASH IS CASH and will save us in the long run – we have to look further ahead to realise that a lot of what we rely on WILL RUN OUT.

If it was easier to do – would we do it? How can we make it easier / it really is about us at this end.

How about colour coding our rubbish bags in the kitchen / it is no good blaming the manufacturer, though they are beginning to get better – IT IS STILL DOWN TO US.

SORT IT; RIGHT!

What do I get out of it? How will I see the benefits?

What’s it worth to me and what about those who just don’t seem to care; how can we convince them?

Some names for a Recycle character that could be used in educating people a better way to SORT IT.

Can Man – Bottle Pop – Magpie – Metal Guru – Card Man – Tin Can – Glass class.

One liners to say what we want:

Don’t do what’s easy – Do what’s right.

Don’t throw it away – Recycle every day.

Save the day – Don’t throw it away.

Wash & Squash – Plastic is fantastic.

Other Ideas:

Colour code your trash bags – Red White & Blue YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. Red/ general waste. White/ paper. Blue/ card & plastic.