Waste
We can all create less waste by reducing the amount we buy and consume... Some other ideas:
- Always carry a reusable bag so you don't have to buy a plastic one
- Buy loose vegetables and fruit rather than prepackaged ones
- Avoid fast fashion - make clothes last by repairing them
- Recycle clothing and textiles - buy from and donate to charity shops
- Give away items you no longer need - see websites below
- Carry a water bottle and reusable coffee cup
- Take your own containers to Handam and MacDonalds butcher/deli
- Squash plastic bottles, cans and tins to reduce carbon footprint of transportation
- Batteries can be recycled at the tip, Hardware Shop and Co-op
- Printer cartridges accepted at Red Cross
- Glass can be collected from £3.50 per month https://doorstepglassrecycling.co.uk/
In Pitlochry we have a great recycling centre at Bridge Road. Click here for a list of all items you can recycle there
Pitlochry Coop will accept "stretchy" plastic for recycling, ie not the "crinkly" kind
Barnados charity shop in Pitlochry and the Salvation Army shop in Perth (King Edward Street/South Street) take electrical goods. Broken electronic equipment can be put to further use at Perth College (WEEE Centre) and at PUSH. The equipment can be left at Friarton Recycling Centre in Perth or at Perth College
CATH in Perth accept household items to make up Starter Packs for homeless people
CATH in Perth accept household items to make up Starter Packs for homeless people
Tesco and Asda in Perth accept bags and bubble wrap
|
Perth and Kinross Council - useful pages:
PKC Bins and recycling PKC - Donate useable items PKC - Zero waste fortnights PKC - List of plastics which can be recycled Websites for giving away unwanted items: |
Why we should recycle?
We are overflowing with plastic products in shops, cafes, restaurants, homes, schools, on the streets. Plastic is everywhere. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, it is down to how we use plastic, and how we dispose of it at the end of its life. For example, I still have and use a few plastic boxes and toys (now for my kids) at home that were purchased 10+ years ago
Plastic as a material can be turned into so many things. And best of all it can be recycled and then used to create a new product
Products made from recyclable plastic are getting more popular and easier to access. There is more pressure on manufacturers to use recycled plastic
BUT, to create a new product from recycled plastic, they need to receive a sufficient quantity of plastic items in the first place. And they can’t do that without us. We as consumers are the only way to make that whole process of making recycled plastic products happen. That is why it is so important to make sure that those plastic bottles, trays, pots are going into the right bin (blue lidded for Perthshire). If we won’t provide manufacturers with material to create new products, they will continue using new resources. Whether it is plastic, paper, metal or glass.
That is why it is so important to recycle correctly, and if out and about making that bit of an effort to find a recycling bin or take an item back home and not just put it in a dust bin on the street or general waste bin. That way you can prevent it from ending up in landfill and help to create new products
Kaja Ekiert
We are overflowing with plastic products in shops, cafes, restaurants, homes, schools, on the streets. Plastic is everywhere. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, it is down to how we use plastic, and how we dispose of it at the end of its life. For example, I still have and use a few plastic boxes and toys (now for my kids) at home that were purchased 10+ years ago
Plastic as a material can be turned into so many things. And best of all it can be recycled and then used to create a new product
Products made from recyclable plastic are getting more popular and easier to access. There is more pressure on manufacturers to use recycled plastic
BUT, to create a new product from recycled plastic, they need to receive a sufficient quantity of plastic items in the first place. And they can’t do that without us. We as consumers are the only way to make that whole process of making recycled plastic products happen. That is why it is so important to make sure that those plastic bottles, trays, pots are going into the right bin (blue lidded for Perthshire). If we won’t provide manufacturers with material to create new products, they will continue using new resources. Whether it is plastic, paper, metal or glass.
That is why it is so important to recycle correctly, and if out and about making that bit of an effort to find a recycling bin or take an item back home and not just put it in a dust bin on the street or general waste bin. That way you can prevent it from ending up in landfill and help to create new products
Kaja Ekiert
Local designers Roobedo and Mariposa Textile Design upcycle clothes and textiles as part of their range
Cornelia Wienmann upcycles furniture
Cornelia Wienmann upcycles furniture
Handwash refills are available from the Highland Soap Company, Atholl Road, Pitlochry
Other useful websites:
Ecobricks - making bricks out of plastic bottles and bags Remade Network - repair centres City to Sea - campaign to stop plastic pollution The Wash House Store - refill information Recycle for Scotland |
Refill - find places to fill your water bottle
Packaging waste - Producer Resposibilities Keep Scotland Beautiful Zero Waste Scotland Gumtree |