Letter: Clearing up confusion over cardboard recycling
Monday 5th December 2011, 7:57AM GMT.
I feel the need to respond to an article in the November 26 edition of the Shropshire Star, entitled ‘Campaigner forces recycling axe debate’.
Firstly, can I point out that the ban on cardboard from green bins is not the result simply of a decision by Veolia and that they are merely correctly responding and adhering, to a directive. It is not appropriate to blame them.
Apart from the irrelevant fact that collecting cardboard in the green bin was technically kerbside, it was only composted and only a certain amount of card could be incorporated into the mix ratio. Obviously, composting is a form of recycling but because of this limitation, nowhere near as efficient as recycling it as a separate material in its own right.
For those not too sure of the reason for the ban, it was not because of this inefficiency, but of inks and dyes polluting green waste.
Could those responsible for submitting the information for this article, please enlighten us as to ‘sustainable fashion’ by which Telford disposes of its cardboard. The article does correctly state that ‘Shropshire Council – not Veolia, alone – must work harder and faster to find a way…’, but I would like to know what it is that Councillor John Tandy says the public are doing to get something started up.
It’s all very well for an article to pose questions but this one gives no answers. It does, however, justly point out that ‘it – (presumably the card ban) – is not the general public’s fault’ but it isn’t really the fault of any particular body – not Veolia’s or of the local authority, for that matter.
Simon Forrester
Wem
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Fair comment.
However, since we became a unitary authority my household recycles considerably less than it used to.
Prior to unification I could recycle, or at least, put in the bin, all plastic containers and could get rid of all other recyclable plastic in St Martins.(I live in Gobowen)
That facility was removed, so more waste back in the general waste bin. A step backward.
Now that cardboard is no longer collected, I can make a 10 mile round trip to put my cardboard in the one container thoughtfully supplied by Shropshire Council to cater to the entire Oswestry area. That will do wonders for the ‘carbon footprint’ for recycling in the highly unlikely scenario that entire area drives to that point.
Far more likely, is that, with no way to store cardboard, most will revert to putting it into the normal waste, thus increasing landfill and cost to the council.
So, it is the standard one step forward, two steps back.
Genius!
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WRong!
You are plain wrong on this
What qualifications do you hold please simon?
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In what way is he “plain wrong”
and what qualifications do you have? (for what its worth mine include a law degree, several post graduate qualifications and a Ph.D)
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…..and clearly very proud of them he is too!
(p.s. Mr R B-B, nobody asked)
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What about recycling cardboard on it’s own? To be re-used in cardboard production? Does Veolia collect garden waste because they can sell it on as compost? Anybody with garden (and garden waste) could compost that waste in the far end corner in their garden. Recycling cardboard is much more important because of the amount of wasted trees/paper. Much more important for the environment!! Hopefully veolia will get in touch with e.g. cardboard maker and strike a deal for cardboard recycling which will give veolia enough incentive to renew cardboard collection.
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What an odd letter.
Few people dispute the problem of contamination by the inks on cardboard; indeed, a well-known cereal manufacturer has stopped using recycled fibre in the manufacture of its cereal boxes pending further research into the problem.
The main beef of Shropshire residents – who are, lest we forget, Council Tax payers – is that Shropshire Council and its subcontractors have unilaterally ceased cardboard collections for recycling without bothering to put an alternative system in place first. And all this by a wholly artificial deadline.
As for the pompous assertion that “it’s all very well for an article to pose questions but this one gives no answers”, well, Mr. Forrester, that is what SC and its contractors are paid handsomely to do – when they’re not on strike, that is.
Other councils manage perfectly well – why can’t Shropshire?
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as willy kerswell pointed out in the shrewsbury chronicle recently cardboard in the uk atleast is printed with water soluable non toxic vegetable oil based inks which fully break down in the composting process with NO i repeat NO toxic residues
it is not true the you cannot compost cardboard it is perfectly safe to keep composting cardboard as millions of home composters, and many local authorities continue to do so
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the author says “For those not too sure of the reason for the ban, it was not because of this inefficiency, but of inks and dyes polluting green waste.”
but this is not true, having spoken to someone at the council about this they assured me that inks are not toxic but that the problem is with plastic and non biodegradable cardboard.
Please be assured people that ink is not toxic and it is safe to keep composting cardboard, it is very good for adding carbon to the compost and balancing the content of the compost stopping it being too soggy
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this is really not a very well written letter
it is clear that the author has not researched the subject very well and has still not answered why telford have an excellent cardboard recycling collection scheme but shropshire council find it beyond them to organise something similar
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Im sorry but i think your wrong too, ok its not Veolia’s fault that cardboard can no longer be composted to create the required grade of compost. But it is Veolia’s fault that they are not collecting cardboard – that is what they are paid to do, Veolia should of come up with an unternative way of collecting our cardboard months ago but they didnt.
Veolia are paid to collect our cardboard, they are not doing so, so the fault lies with them.
Oh and did anyone else read the article about Veolia saying that they are putting a few more recycling banks scattered around shropshire, I really hope this isnt their solution to the problem
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Carl good point they should make other ways such as use one of the many boxes we already have and if needed a carrier bag most people would do this but it takes alot of work to get people used to doing things but not long to return to the old ways of everything in the waste bin.When you sign a contract then change it surely the contract can be renegotiated surely.
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So its too toxic to compost but its fine to be recycled ? and its fine to put food in?
no wonder im confused!
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What Directive is he refering too? I dont know of any Directive which is linked to PAS100 – a UK composting standard
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here in church stretton we have been given no provision for cardboard recycling. its a disgrace. rubbish service from a rubbish council
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As a soil scientist I would like to reassure people that it is quite safe to include cardboard such as cereal packets etc. The inks used these days no longer contain the harmful heavy metals that used to be a problem. Due to economic reasons the industry has converted to vegetable-based inks.
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