WE ARE OPEN

FOR BUSINESS

Coronavirus Safety Aware
NO physical contact with our drivers during visits
ALL communications and paperwork sent via telephone or email
NO paperwork to be signed
ALL staff are strictly following our Coronavirus Safety Policy

t: 0800 169 8588

WE ARE OPEN

FOR BUSINESS

Coronavirus Safety Aware
NO physical contact with our drivers during visits
ALL communications and paperwork sent via telephone or email
NO paperwork to be signed
ALL staff are strictly following our Coronavirus Safety Policy

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Ways to reduce your plastic waste

Plastic is a great product in so many ways, but the environmental impact it can have is enormous, particularly when it comes to the single use plastic products we seem to uses on a daily basis in our throw away society. Now more than ever, pressure is applied to governments and corporations to accept responsibility for these products and take action where necessary, but what can we as private individuals do to cut down our personal plastic usage?

Some great advice on ways to reduce your plastic waste from Hertfordshire.

Make good use of reusable bottles

In the United Kingdom we use over 35 million plastic bottles every single year. This is a staggering amount of plastic when you consider that these bottles will only be used the one time. Carrying a reusable bottle is a great way to cut your plastic use and save lots of money too. You can even download an app on your smartphone that tells you where you can refill your bottle for free.

Refuse to use those plastic straws

Plastic straws have a dreadful impact on the environment. Let's be honest, the only people who really need a straw in a drink are people in hosital or those with certain disabilities, the rest of us can make do without. You can even ask your pubs and restaurants to stop adding straws to drinks as standard and offer paper straws to people who really want one.

Cut waste with your own coffee cup

Two and a half disposable billion coffee cups are thrown away every year in the United Kingdom and when you consider that only about than one out of every four hundred are recycled, you will begin to appreciate the scale of this problem. You can do your bit for the environment by carrying a reusable coffee cup with you. It may sound strange, but the bulk of coffee purchased from these outlets are by local office workers who often take the coffee back to their office to drink, or by people who meet at a pre arranged time with friends for a coffee. As this is the case, why not simply provide your own mug for your favourite beverage. Some coffee shops even offer a small discount if you use your own cup and if they don't offer it, challenge them as to why they don't. Change only ever happens when enough people react to a problem!

Avoid food packaging that creates too much waste

We should all be cutting down on the amount of plastic we buy and food packaging makes up a good proportion of this waste. To make matters worse, some councils have banned soft plastics from their recycling bins, so you can't stop this waste going into landfill sites. Remember that loose fruit and vegetables are often cheaper than pre packaged goods and you are also able to choose exactly the produce you want too.

Reuse bottles for as much as possible

There are some products where it can difficult to avoid using a plastic container. Washing up liquid or kitchen and bathroom cleaning sprays virtually all come in plastic bottles. If you can find eco friendly refill pouches that you decant into the existing bottle, fantastic, or you may be able to find places where you can refill your old bottles. The refills are frequently cheaper than buying a new bottle. Some products are so concentrated that a one litre bottle of product can be diluted to make as much as 200 litres of cleaning product, this clearly cuts down on a huge amount of waste plastic.

Cut out disposable cutlery. Pun intended!

Much like taking our own coffee cup, having your own cutlery makes good sense too. Plastic knived, forks, sporks and spoons are often horrible things to use. They often snap, have sharp edges and clearly contribute to the plastic waste mountain. It may be tricky to plan for every take out snack or meal, but taking your own cutlery in your bag or in your desk at work makes a good deal of sense.

Milk bottles or cartons?

As well as helping the environment, getting your milk delivered in glass bottles, which are then collected and reused, will also support your local milkman. If you really don't want to have a milman deliver your daily pinta, consider buying milk that comes in PurePak containers, just ensure they are the ones manufactured from vegetable or plant based materials such as coconut mulch.

Avoid microbeads

Fortunately the United Kingdom government have announced a ban on microbeads that will come into force in 2018. Sadly there will still be products on the shelves, so keep checking the labels of products before you buy and avoid products containing polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and nylon. Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. They are used in exfoliating personal care products, toothpastes and in biomedical and health-science research.

Microbeads can cause plastic particle water pollution and pose an environmental hazard for aquatic animals in freshwater and ocean water. The United States has already introduced the Microbead Free Waters Act 2015, that phases out microbeads in rinse off cosmetics. This legislation came into effect in 2017.

Take your own shopping bags

Since the plastic bag charge was introduced in England, there has been a substantial drop of 85% in their use. As most of the reusable bags are easily folded, why not keep a set in your car for every shopping trip? Some of them are very robust and attractive and many people use them instead of their normal bag in case they want to a bit of impromtu shopping.

If everyone makes just a few small changes in their consumer habits, a major positive impact on the amount of plastic we use on a day to day basis will be seen.

Hoarding costs you money

Many hoarding behaviours can be put down to past experiences the individual has gone through. This may be periods of abject poverty, that makes them feel the need to hoard items just in case they could be used to good effect at a later stage. It is now thought that hoarding can adversely affect your finances. This may sound like a strange statement to make, but a bad financial situation is something we all want to avoid.

Time to have a good clearout

We've all been there. Our house has become a little cluttered and we feel the need to have a good tidy up. Many refer to it as a spring clean, but any time of year is a good time to de-clutter our living space. Having a good tidy up not only clears your house, it will help to clear your mind too. Research has shown that living in a cluttered environment can even have adverse effects on a person's sleep.

Fly tipping: what's the problem in Walkern?

Illegal dumping is the proper name for fly tipping and it is typically distinguished from littering because of the type and amount of material left and the way in which it is disposed of. Fly tipping has always been a problem in Walkern and indeed all over Hertfordshire.

The waste consequences of Covid

In an age where we are constantly looking for ways to cut down on our waste, it seems strange that so much extra waste has been created by the covid pandemic. The vast majority of this is made from plastic, so surely it could be recycled, but when one considers what it has been used for, it renders it potentially hazardous waste.

New Bill designed to ban export of plastic waste

When we throw away our waste materials, few of us know or possibly even wonder where this waste will end up. Many often believe that if it goes into the recycling bin, it will be recycled and therefore they will be doing their bit for the good of the environment. Unfortunately, a good deal of plastic waste often ends up in developing countries.

The problems with waste disposal in Walkern

How many times have we looked at all the waste materials we have accumulated and despaired at the arduous prospect of sorting it into various types of waste to dispose of at the local tip? This once simple task has now become a major headache for many as the restrictions on what we can dispose of in landfill has increased so much in recent times.

Plastic pollution around the globe

Plastic pollution is now one of the biggest environmental concerns we have to face. You may feel that large amounts of plastic waste are unavoidable in the world we live in, but you and your family can help with the plastic pollution issue by being aware of its dangers and taking the necessary steps to reduce your plastic waste.

Carbon emissions and the environment

An awful lot has been said over the years about the damage we are doing to our environment with the carbon emissions and waste we produce. Some dispute the possibility that we are damaging our planet beyond repair, while others state quite clearly that we have very little time to change our ways and that time is running out.

How the five R's can dramatically improve our environment in Walkern?

We have all heard of recycling our waste materials and for many years, some councils have provided special recycling bins to help residents avoid putting too much waste into landfill. But recycling is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to helping keep our environment healthy in Walkern.

Recycle or incinerate! What is the best solution for our waste materials in Walkern?

We are constantly being encouraged to recycle our waste materials and not putting them into landfill. However, there appears to be an emerging trend for incineration of waste in many areas, but is this a good or bad step?

Single use plastic products in Walkern

Here at Walkern Skip Hire we always recycle as much of your waste as possible, however, there is always more that can be done to improve the environment that we all need to survive.

A guide to what can and cannot go into a hired skip

At Walkern Skip Hire we are frequently asked what waste materials can be placed into the hired skips we supply. So we thought it would be a good idea to offer a quick guide as to what is and is not acceptable.

Recycling your waste materials in Walkern

Recycling is something most of us do now to some degree. Some do it more than others, but we mostly appreciate that it is an important part of our daily lives. It is more important to recycle waste in order to conserve resources and maintain a healthy environment than ever before. The question is, are we really doing everything possible when it comes to recycling our waste materials? The achances are that many of us are probably not doing all we can. So here are a few tips to help you recycle properly.

The problem with plastic pollution in Hertfordshire

Waste reduction in Hertfordshire

The country is now committed to reducing the amount of waste and the government have set targets for waste reduction. A new plan for cutting waste was published back in 2007 that aimed for at least 40 per cent of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2010, this rose to 50 per cent by 2020.

Plastic waste from the United Kingdom may be sent overseas instead of recycled

Massive amounts of packaging waste is being sent overseas to be recycled and turned into new products. However, concerns have been raised that in reality a good deal of it is being dumped in landfill sites in countries that we have no agreement with.

Just how recyclable is the plastic we use in Walkern Skip Hire

We all know that plastic is recyclable, so as long as we put it in the correct bin it will be made into something else useful. Sadly this is a myth that all too many people believe, the painful truth is quite the opposite. We have all seen the triangular set of chasing arrows logo on plastic products and seem to automatically assume that it denotes that the product is recyclable.

What happens to all the plastic we throw out

Just where would we be without plastic? The production of plastic has exploded over the last fifty or so years, growing from 16.5 million tons in 1964 to 343 million tons in 2014; it is expected to double by 2036. The question is, where does all of this plastic go when people in Hertfordshire throw it away?

Fly tipping: A modern day curse

Fly tipping is simply another term used to describe illegal dumping of all manner of waste material, it is also called fly dumping. Whatever term is used, it is the dumping of waste illegally instead of using an authorised method such as kerbside collection or using an authorised rubbish dump. It is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, including waste dumped or tipped on a site with no licence to accept waste.

Recycled plastic for roads and pavements

Plastic use in road and pavement construction is not exactly a new concept, but it does appear to be increasing. Using plastic waste to make plastic roads is definitely on the upward trend. Plastic roads mainly use plastic carrier bags, disposable cups and PET bottles that are collected from landfill sites prior to burial and are a vital part of this construction material.

Seaweed sachets offer an alternative to plastic

Indonesia has a wealth of naturally growing seaweed that can make an edible, water permeable film that can be used in sachets that hold tea, coffee, and hot cocoa as well as a whole host of other useful daily consumable products.

The increasing problem of plastics in our oceans

The amount of plastic in the oceans of the world is predicted to treble in the next ten years unless affirmative action is taken to deal with the problem, according to a new report just published.

Plastic pollution in the ocean starts from the rivers

A scary statistic is that more than eight million tons of waste plastic ends up in the ocean every single year. If we continue to pollute our oceans at this rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 and it can take many years to break down if at all, not to mention the toxins it leaches in the process.

Plastic microbeads are a load of rubbish

Would you like to fill your mouth with plastic, or cover other parts of your anatomy with it on a regular basis? The answer would most likely be a resounding no, but we are already doing just that.

Waste plastic from the UK is polluting the globe

Literally thousands of tons of plastic scrap collected for recycling from British households have been transported and dumped on sites across the world. This shocking revelation was revealed from a recent freedom of information request.

Hiring a skip from Walkern Skip Hire rather than using the local dump

Have you got a load of rubbish to dump? Is it better to hire a skip or use the local dump? Do you need a permit for having a skip? Can anyone apply for a permit? Here are a few answers which could help you when hiring a skip from Walkern Skip Hire

Hire a skip from Walkern Skip Hire for your garden waste

No matter what the season, a medium sized Hertfordshire garden can generate a massive amount of waste materials. The winter will leave a lot of dead leaves and twiggs from nearby trees to clear up, and when the warmer months hit, the waste is generated on a weekly basis as things grow rapidly.

Get a skip and avoid fly tipping in Hertfordshire

Not only does fly tipping blight the Hertfordshire countryside around us, it can have a devastating effect on the wildlife that we co-exist with. Then of course there is the eye watering cost of clearing up the mess that inconsiderate people have created. We all pay the price for this ecologically unsound practice through increased council tax bills from our councils. This could all be avoided if everyone disposed of their waste in the correct manner and hiring a skip is probably the best way to go about this, particularly if you have a large amount of waste to dispose of.

Some facts about waste and recycling from Walkern Skip Hire

The United Kingdom produces over 100 million tonnes of waste every single year. If you consider that one tonne is about the weight of a small car, it is easy to see how it mounts up. In less than two hours, the waste we produce would fill the Albert Hall.

Hire a skip instead of going to your local Hertfordshire tip

Using a local Hertfordshire tip is not the same as it was a few years ago. These days everything has to go in the correct hopper, it cannot all go in the same one any longer. This means you have to know what goes where in order to segregate all the rubbish at home.

Hire a skip from Walkern Skip Hire for your soil and mud

A Hertfordshire client recently hired one of our skips as they just could not believe how much earth they had to get rid of when they dug out a pond in their back garden. Our client had intended to build up their flower beds and other low spots of their garden with the excavated earth. They never thought they would need to get rid of any earth at all.

Useful information about skip hire in Hertfordshire

The one question we get asked the most at Walkern Skip Hire is what size skip the customer will need. We always suggest that you think about what you need to dispose of and remember that two skips can be far more expensive than one larger skip. Skips are measured by the yard and range from 3 yard mini skips to roll-on roll-off containers more suitable for higher volume waste requirements.

Hire a skip from Walkern Skip Hire to save you time effort and money

Hiring a skip from Walkern Skip Hire is without a doubt the best way to get rid of all your waste materials! It is convenient, quick, easy and saves you a huge amount of work. Generally speaking, we only get a couple of days a week away from work, and when you end up ferrying your household waste back and forth from the local tip, your weekend soon gets swallowed up.

The benefits of skip hire from Walkern Skip Hire in Hertfordshire

Having a good clear out of the garden shed or garage produces way more rubbish than you ever imagined possible. Decorating preparation can also produce a good deal of waste, such as old skirting boards and stripped wood chip paper that his been up since the war, so a skip is a great way to dispose of the waste.

Further Information

If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 0800 169 8588, email us at info@stevenageskiphire.co.uk or fill in our enquiry form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.