Information on Loughborough

Recycling in Loughborough and Charnwood

Posted on 28/05/2008

recycling bins

A series of events highlighting the practical use of reusable shopping bags are to be held at local supermarkets throughout Recycle Now Week, the first week of June.

Charnwood Borough Council is supporting Recycle Now’s ‘Just One More Thing’ campaign and plans to educate shoppers on the huge difference they can make, simply by cutting down on the amount of plastic carrier bags they use on each trip to the supermarket. In the UK the average person uses 167 plastic bags a year, which means the supermarkets distribute 13,000,000,000 of them annually. The typical bag can take up to 1000 years to breakdown in a landfill site. Most people say they simply forget to take and reuse their old carriers or reusable bags at the supermarket. As a nation we need to get into better habits, but we also need to find out what works best for UK shoppers.

Charnwood residents are generally very good at recycling, but Recycle Now is asking them to consider ‘just one more thing,’ requesting more recycling of plastic bags and most importantly to start using reusable bags.

Council employees will be on hand at special stands outside the supermarkets, to speak to the public and answer any queries regarding waste minimisation and recycling they may have.

Kath Kay, Waste Policy Manager at Charnwood Borough Council, said: “Single use carrier bags, although not a bulky part of an individual’s household waste, are collectively a major non-biodegradable part of the household waste sent to landfill.

“Reducing the use of these bags by opting for reusable shopping bags is good for the environment. Using reusable bags reduces pollution and our dependence on finite resources such as oil.”

To encourage shoppers to start using reusable shopping bags, there will be a chance for some visitors to receive a free reusable shopping bag at most of the stands.’.

Cllr Mike Preston, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “This is an important issue that needs to be addressed. We can all make a positive difference by having a reusable shopping bag at work, in the car or in a handbag to use whenever we do any shopping.”

For more information about Recycle Now Week, visit www.recyclenow.com. For further information on waste collection and recycling in Charnwood, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk.

Council stands will be hosted at the following locations during Recycle Now Week:

Monday 2nd June 10am- 2pm

Co-op, Hall Croft, Shepshed

Tuesday 3rd June 10am- 2pm

Somerfields, Melton Road, Syston

Wednesday 4th June 10am- 2pm

Tesco, Park Road, Loughborough

Thursday 5th June 10am- 2pm

Asda, Barkby Thorpe Road, Thurmaston

Friday 6th June 9am- 2pm

Sainsbury’s, Greenclose Lane, Loughborough

 

(and if you want to make a bigger difference how about ditching the gym membership, leave the 4x4 at home and walk to the shops several times a week carrying the shopping home )