Recycling is now compulsory in many areas of the country. It is no longer something that just a few people do that are conscious about the environment. Recycling is now a prerequisite for many householders and is often enforced with fines or a refusal to collect rubbish.
But is can be a confusing issue, especially considering the different schemes that run up and down the country where different materials are accepted for recycling. Often there is a lot of disparity in the number of recycling bins and what items can go in each too which adds to the confusion.
This collection of photos shows how large quantities of food wastes collected from a restaurant in New York City can be easily processed using EM•1® Bokashi. The project, coordinated by Ernest “Shig” Matsukawa, is collecting food waste from a small restaurant called Caio For Now. A group of community gardeners have an area where they garden, compost, and have a spirit to experiment. The EM•1® Bokashi they are using is a wheat bran bokashi that Ernest made.
A family-run Luton waste-recycling firm said it is pioneering an environmentally- friendly alternative to landfill for businesses. Cawleys, in Covent Garden Close, is offering its clients the opportunity to achieve zero-landfill status. The company is working in an exclusive partnership with BIOGEN, part of the Eco-technology sector of the Bedfordia Group, using a system known as anaerobic digestion (AD). Richard Swannell, at WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) said it was a valuable tool in tackling climate change. “AD is key to unlocking the hidden value in food waste and means positive action on climate change,” he said. “Not only does it produce renewable energy and organic fertilizer, it also diverts food waste from landfill where it would have emitted methane — a climate change gas.” Cawleys, which includes the Luton Hoo hotel among its clients, delivers the waste to Bedfordia’s biogas plant in Milton Ernest where de-packaging equipment separates any plastic, tin, card and paper from the food waste before it is processed. Words: Andy Gayler Video: Natalee Hazelwood www.lutontoday.co.uk
Opus Environmental has developed an earth friendly system for recycling the food waste that is produced by the food services industry. The Enviro-Pure system features a new technology that accelerates the composting process, so food waste does not wind up in landfills. The Enviro-Pure technology benefits food service businesses by providing significant ecological, economic and operational savings. If you’d like to own a green business that helps the environment while raising profits by cutting costs, check out the Opus Environmental video.
At the end of 2006, the Oxford University Press ‘Word of the Year’ was ‘Carbon Neutral’. At the start of 2007, the BBC reported green and environmental issues extensively. The majority of these articles related to the term “carbon footprint” with much emphasis being placed upon UK businesses. Last week saw UK businesses meeting to discuss climate issues and methods of reducing their Carbon footprint.
Of course, reduction and in some instances elimination of a Business’ Carbon Footprint is extremely viable. Simply carrying out the following steps will reduce your businesses CO2 output or usage:
Single use plastic carrier bags are the scourge of the environment. Not only do they create carbon emissions in their manufacture, but they can cause harm to wildlife and sea creatures and take a long time to decompose in increasingly-scarce landfill sites.
British supermarkets have realized that dealing with the problem is good for their costs and public image as well as the environment.
In 2008, seven supermarkets made a voluntary agreement to reduce the number of plastic bags given out by half, compared to the figures for the number of bags given out in 2006.
