Recycling....

[PoshinDevon]

As there is a bit of a run on the "Its finally open" thread about recycling, tbought we could discuss this on its own thread. Hopefully the Sah supermarket is doing what it can about recycling but here in the TRNC its in its infancy and will take a very long time to get better. So a few thoughts......

The easiest way to start on the recycling front would be for people to take their own bags, plastic, paper or whatever to load there shopping into. Whilst this is encouraged in the UK and some supermarkets do make a nominal charge for plastic bags to be honest it hardly makes a dent into the use of plastic bags. It is not at the top of peoples mindset when shopping.

At home in the UK I also have dislike to having 3 or 4 bins for recycling lined up along the side of my house, taking up room and making it look unsightly. It would be tolerable if our local council took everything away, but they dont. Cardboard is not taken so we then spend time and money driving to a recycling centre to get rid of it. This is not right.

I also watched a programme a couple of years ago where lots of items such as plastics, electronics, old wood
engines, scrap metal etc were loaded into containers and shipped to places like India where whole communities made a living recycling it. Not saying this is right and some may say its exploitation but from an economic perspective and being able to provide work, income and food on the table who are we to say it is
not right.

So just a few thoughts to maybe start a discussion. If you do contribute to this thread please respect other peoples opinion and keep the discussion on topic.

[Groucho]

Here's the problem... in the UK recycling is in most towns at best break-even and the logistics make sense. Here the spread out nature of the population would make it very costly.

Should they do it? Yes because the planet could do with keeping in good nick...

Ah but - will they? They might if someone gets a big enough sweetener....

Is this justified in purely financial terms? Only if you know they've got money to burn on projects that are more important than basic human rights and needs like social services, child care, good housing, good health services, better health and safety, let's not forget road safety... the list is endless.

Where do you think their priorities should lie?

We'd all love it if the island was a paragon of virtue with regards to litter and waste disposal....

[Ragged Robin]

I doubt if recycling is a priority for the TRNC Government at the moment!

As far as plastic bags are concerned, I am glad they dont, because I always forget to take bags when I go shopping (even the cool bag which I use in summer) or sometimes when another errand takes less time than expected take the opportunity to try a different market and arent prepared. Also I reuse them, for bin liners and for packing winter clothes in summer and vice versa etc. I give plastic bottles to KAR for the dogs to play with - when my own havent got at them first of course. I also use plastic bottles as watering cans, and in high summer keep a couple of large ones filled near new or particularly thirsty plants in case of water cuts.

A lot of shops are now using plastic where paper bags or cardboard contains used to be the norm. I am not sure what is worse for the environment - non biodegradable or cutting down trees!


Yogurt pots are good for planting on seedling, or temporary containers for cuttings to give to friends of charity.

And doesnt everyone use clothes that are too shabby for charity shops as dusters?

Priority in recycling should be given to metal cans and glass - because both or dangerous for people and animals.

[brian24001]

We have always taken our glass bottles to the bottle bank at Alpha Mega. Not the Efes bottles mind they are re-cycled (reused) locally.

As for plastic bags, the best system I have ever seen was in South Africa.

The supermarkets must buy the bags.

Legislation means they must charge you (I think it was) about 10 or 20c for it, or you can use your own long life bags.

The Gov then takes all of the money from the bag sales to cover the wages of those cleaning them up.

Not complicated, and a shame the first world countries can't figure it out.


As for Cyprus, no chance. How often do you see one item in a bag?

[polkadot]

Perhaps the supermarkets could supply some of their cardboard boxes behind the tills for shoppers to pack their shopping in, as some UK supermarkets do. I wonder if the locals will catch on though.

[Ragged Robin]

Perhaps the supermarkets could supply some of their cardboard boxes behind the tills for shoppers to pack their shopping in, as some UK supermarkets do. I wonder if the locals will catch on though.

Polkadot:

Actually they used to. It was commonfor shopping to be packed in cardboard boxes reused for this purpose, and plastic bags were only used for small purchases, or to prevent particularly sensitive items (eg bleaches, soaps or at the the other end loose food) contaminating each other, or if you specifically asked for one. Then the boxes could be recycled again (eg packing hardwood cuttings for the fire) or just saved for winter fire and burnt.

Sorry to get on my hobby horse again, but the excess use of plastic bags came with the post 2004 yeni Brits and their demands for traditional practices to give way to "little England"

There was also a constant demand for empty bottles and glass jars by people who made their own fruit juices, olive oil and even wine, and glass jars for home made preserves.

Shops also used to leave cardboard boxes outside so that people who needed them could help themselves, but again the "progressive" "Little Englanders" complained it was untidy.

[polkadot]

RR

That is very sad, that we have interfered in a system that is certainly better than what we have now. The cashiers whip the plastic bags out before you can say knife, I carry my own and have a proper cloth bag that I take with me but I get fed up trying to stop them foisting more bags on me. I use them for rubbish and take some to the charity shops, but I hate throwing out stuff which could be recycled, especially all those wine bottles...

[tomsteel]

Why do the 'Little Englanders' continue to bemoan the practices of the locals regarding how they wish to live their lives? If their way of life is so noxious to you, depart for other climes but please stop using these forums as your spleen. Of course, I could just ignore your vents.

[Ragged Robin]

Why do the 'Little Englanders' continue to bemoan the practices of the locals regarding how they wish to live their lives? If their way of life is so noxious to you, depart for other climes but please stop using these forums as your spleen. Of course, I could just ignore your vents.

Hang on a sec. TS. We werent bemoaning the practices of the Locals ; we were regretting the influence of "little Englanders" had resulted in them changing them.

However I do have to agree with Polkdadot, if you have to use the bags be economical with them. I end up having arguments and delaying the queue because I do NOT want item like newspapers or kitchen towel which is already swathed in plastic, but in a bag, AND cause further delays when I insist butter should not be put in the same bag as bleach!

[tomsteel]

RR - good on you. I would rather pack my own shopping than watch 'helpers' heap inappropriate items together or 1 item per bag.

[Groucho]

As a matter of interest I think nearly all the "plastic" bags are made of cellulose these days which comes from wood and is biodegradable - If I store anything in these bags long-term the bags simply disintegrate...

Today I was collecting rubbish on our long walk with the dogs - It just maddens me that people throw down their empty fag packets, shotgun cartridges and drinks containers just where they are when the thing is finished with - often feet from a bin! To be fair I used to do this in the UK too - Rubbish seems to breed - i.e. for a long time after I'd cleared an area it seemed resistant to litter until one unthinking idiot started off the process and then it snowballed.

I picked-up quite a few non biodegradable items (drinks cans and bottles) and some 'plastic' bags which were showing good signs of disintegration already and they were not very old.

[Ragged Robin]

Most forms of what we usually generically call "plastic" and many materials deteriorate in the sun here; I have just been checking and wondering how expensive it is going to be replacing a broken garden chair arm and umbrellas with rotten fabric. The problem is the rest of the article then has to be disposed off and adds to the rubbish tips. The easy answer to chair and tables is use metal or wood but too heavy and expensive for the likes of me.

[mikelapta]

One tıp for next year........Plastıc bottles,I cut ın half,and use as propagators for my seeds and small plants !!!It certaınly protected lots durıng thıs wınter's raıns and haıl

[Ragged Robin]

Yes,I have done that too. Also as I said before KAR ask for plastic bottles for the dogs to play with.

Of course people who have to walk to the shops may need bags for everything, I have some carrying quite a lot of bags and they need to be light. For those of us who are lucky enough to have cars, however small, it isnt necessary to put everything in bags just to transfer from trolley to car boot and from boot to kitchen. Indeed I sometimes have to take heavy things from the bags to carry separately because of the weight.

[polkadot]

For the benefit of those who don't subscribe, in today's Cyprus Today page 12 it says that the Can Kid recycling project is expanding - about 10 wire cages will be placed in central Girne. Unfortunately it doesn't say exactly where. I hope if there are any sightings it will be reported here.
There are 12 to be set up in Gazi Magusa and 2 at Buyukkonuk.