Diverting Waste Through Recycling

Introduction

Throughout history, recycling has existed in one form or another. Even as long ago as 400 BC signs of early recycling are known to have taken place. Archaeological studies show that ancient waste dumps contained less of what is known today as household waste, such as pots, tools and ash, which demonstrates that people were, even back then, keen to reuse materials at a time when natural resources were not so freely available. Little did they know that what they were starting would play such a huge role in shaping the world for future generations.

Indeed it could be argued that the old ‘rag-and-bone’ man was an early recycler collecting unwanted goods on his horse and cart, before reusing or turning the collected items into something new. The 60′s TV series, Steptoe and Son, brought this very much to the public eye and greater attention.

During periods such as the World War Years, recycling and reuse were necessary as natural resources became much more difficult to come by. As well as food being rationed, certain materials such as metal and fibre were largely permitted only for use by the government in support of military operations, to meet manufacturing requirements often in the production of weaponry.

In the 1970′s, the need to recycle aluminium increased due to rising energy costs. As a material aluminium utilises much less energy in the production process than some other materials and was therefore much sought after. The demand for aluminium saw the rise of scrap metal merchants who were willing to pay money in exchange for good quality metal. Also, in the 70′s in parts of the United States of America, the first vehicles were seen to be collecting waste with a separate trailer for the collection of recyclable materials being towed behind the vehicle.

To the late 1980′s, early 1990′s and as the importance of managing the global environmental state increased amongst worldwide governments, the focus upon recycling really started to gather momentum. In the UK, the government imposed recycling targets upon Local Authorities and with the introduction of the new legislation upon the waste industry, recycling schemes really began to take off. The once commonly recognised waste disposal companies, began to call themselves waste management companies and demonstrated through the offer of waste collection and recyclable material collection that waste needed to be managed more effectively. Local skip companies needed to become better at what they did.

Today, many hundreds of materials and products can be recycled, ranging from paper, card, glass and plastics, to mobile phones, electrical items, printer cartridges, textiles, clothing and concrete. The demand for different types of collection receptacles has increased dramatically.

What is Recycling?

The term recycling describes the process of converting used materials to new or nearly new products to avoid the need for potentially useful materials or products to be discarded. Essentially it is diverting waste from landfill.

In a world where climate change is high on the environmental agenda, recycling plays a key role in reducing the need to unnecessarily send waste materials and products to landfill or other waste disposal options. This reduces the need or the reliance upon consuming fresh or new raw materials, reduces energy use and reduces air and water pollution, all of which contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling is probably most evident through the recycling services now provided by local councils for domestic refuse and recycling collections and by modern waste management companies who generally offer a full range of waste and recycling collection services. Some companies, who have traditionally focused only on the collection of recyclable products, are now extending their service offering to collect general waste as well.

Many offices and retail outlets require a commercial waste collection service.

In the waste sector, the common promotional activity surrounds the waste hierarchy – ‘reduce, reuse, recycle and recover’. This slogan is a simple message designed for a far reaching audience. Think about how you can reduce your waste. Can the waste products or materials be reused? Can the waste product or material be recycled? Many questions to consider.

The waste hierarchy is a strategy which many waste management companies and local authorities consider when developing new waste strategies. The strategy is intended to focus the mind around preventing waste being generated in the first place. Consider the options for reuse and recycling but ultimately minimise the amount of waste produced at the end of the cycle. The slogan has been adopted particularly well in the public sector.

So the emphasis is very much on the entire production process. The waste hierarchy extends much wider than to waste management companies and local authorities. Working groups have been set up to bring many industries together to consider the entire waste cycle. For example, the manufacturer of a product needs to consider how the product is to be manufactured. Can parts be used which can later be recycled or reused? Can the amount of packaging which surrounds the product be reduced? When the product reaches the retailer, is it necessary for the product to be placed within an outer package? Once the retailer sells the product, what will the buyer do with the unwanted elements of the purchase, i.e. the packaging? How will the packaging be collected and where will it go? Will it return to a recycling plant, for onward shipment to a reprocessing plant, where the cycle begins all over again? The process must be simple to manage and implement.

How are Materials Collected for Recycling?

Legislation now dictates that all waste should be treated to avoid the amount of recyclables and unnecessary waste going direct to landfill. Since 1996, UK government has applied a landfill tax on all waste disposed of within landfill. The rate of tax has increased considerably in recent years rising from the original level of £8 per tonne, to today’s rate of £40 per tonne. The UK government has previously announced that this will increase further to £48 per tonne by the end of 2010/11. This rate applies to all general waste streams, although there is a lower rate for inert materials. Sending waste directly to landfill is an expensive option and finding suitable methods to divert waste away from landfill is now a priority.

So, the message to everyone is clear, segregate your waste to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Traditionally, at home or at work, as soon as you place waste in the bin , it is forgotten about. Someone else will collect it and take it away. Nowadays, at home and at work, recycling is being encouraged through the provision of bins in which to place certain recyclable materials. At home, the children are often the keen recyclers.

Perhaps the most common materials to be seen being collected for recycling are paper, card, glass, metals and plastics. But the opportunity to recycle a vast number of materials or products continues to grow.

Within the office environment recycling bins can be located at high usage points such as near photocopying machines to collect unwanted paper.

The methods of collecting materials or waste to be recycled is also increasing and becoming more noticeable within local communities. Dedicated collection sites, often referred to as a bring bank sites, are springing up in supermarket car parks to encourage customers of the supermarket to return such items as bottles, newspapers or cardboard to the containers on their way into the supermarket. Shoppers are therefore encouraged to bring back their recyclables.

Local Authority waste collection crews or their appointed contractors will collect refuse and recyclables from the kerbside usually at the front of your home. Collection from domestic premises generally remains the responsibility of the local council and many have now employed the provision of bins in which to collect specified recyclable materials or products.

In the industrial and commercial sector, waste management companies offer separate containers in which the customer deposits the appropriate waste stream or recyclable material ready for collection. The bins will often be clearly labeled as to which recyclable materials should be placed within that container or bin. Alternatively, the bins will be colour coded to identify which recyclable wastes should be placed within which bins. Waste management companies may have to deal with special requests from the customer.

The key to a successful recycling initiative is residents about what can be recycled and how. In the commercial world getting the buy in of shop floor employees is crucial. The introduction of any recycling scheme must ensure that in asking employees to separate waste for recycling, it does not become time consuming and affect the productivity of what employees should be doing in their work. The introduction of any recycling scheme should be kept simple.

The Recycling Process

Various collection systems exist for the collection of the recyclable material . Whichever collection system is used , the materials are taken to a materials recycling facility where they will be segregated from other wastes. This could be done manually or by using mechanical separators.

To begin the recycling process from a collection point of view, the more recyclable material which can be separated at source, i.e. at home or in the work place, the more efficient it will be for the waste collector. That is why separate containers are supplied to the waste producer to encourage segregation at source. If card can be collected on a vehicle, which will collect no other waste material, the card will be kept clean and therefore will have a higher value when it reaches the processing plant. Similarly, specialist glass collection vehicles are used to collect only glass. Apart from the obvious health and safety reasons and the weight of collected glass, it will have a much higher value if the collected glass load is not mixed with other waste. Uncontaminated recyclables will have a much higher value than contaminated materials.

Once collected, the recyclable materials can be taken direct to a reprocessing plant, if the load contains only that particular type of material. So a dedicated glass collection vehicle could take the load directly to a glass processing plant. It is more likely that the glass will have to be bulked up for onward shipment to the processor.

If mixed recyclables have been collected such as paper and card within the same container, it may be necessary for the collector to take the load to a materials recycling facility to unload and allow the load to be sorted into separate paper and card bundles for onward transport to a paper or card processing plant. Whichever method is used, the recyclable material collected will usually be segregated or cleaned before going through to a reprocessing plant to be converted to a new resource and ultimately used as a new product or in manufacturing. Inert materials can be a useful by product at landfill, for example shredded tyres to aid traction on access roads.

The largest supermarkets have introduced cardboard recycling schemes due to the high volume of packaging material used on products.

The Increasing Importance of Recycling

In the UK around 35% of waste collected from households is recycled or composted. Whilst in the commercial and industrial sector, the volume of waste sent to landfill has declined substantially in recent years and the volume of waste now being diverted for recycling or reuse by this sector has risen above the volumes going to landfill.

Landfill continues to play an important role in the management of waste across the UK as not all wastes can be recycled and some are more suited to landfill disposal than by any other means. However, it’s not just the increasing costs of disposing of waste directly in landfill which is making recycling a more attractive option for businesses. Landfill is becoming scarce, with some experts suggesting that the amount of space available across all UK landfill sites, has less than ten years existence remaining before all sites are deemed to be full. So what will happen to the waste then?

In recent years, waste management companies have started to consider and invest in new technologies, such as energy from waste plants, anaerobic digestion plants and mechanical biological treatment plants, as alternatives to landfill. Local Authorities have also adapted their views by undertaking detailed strategic reviews as to how waste under their jurisdiction should be handled. In some cases this has meant that unitary authorities are implementing plans to introduce long term contracts, usually around 25 years in length, through which to manage their entire waste management requirements. These contracts will often include the need to build a facility through which to handle all waste generated across the region by segregating all waste streams. The contracts may also include the collection of all waste and recyclables from homes across the area. So the face of waste management is changing rapidly. The days of just throw it in the dustbin have disappeared and the advent of new technologies are upon us.

Conclusion

Recycling is here to stay. It has evolved over the years from something that was undertaken without any real thought behind it. The trusty rag and bone man was just trying to make a living. Today, many blue chip organisations are setting out plans for a ‘zero to landfill’ waste policy, where the intention is very clear – reduce waste, reuse waste and recycle waste, but no waste must end up in landfill. Some companies have announced ambitious target dates by which to achieve such policies.

Many homes across the country now have some form of container in which to separate waste for recycling. The need to separate newspapers, aluminium cans and plastic bottles are almost common place. Whilst in industrial and commercial sectors, there is an increasing list of items to consider for recycling such as printer cartridges, office paper, metal and electrical equipment. Even on street corners you see bins to recycle such items as newspapers and drink cans.

The advent of new technologies will accelerate further the way in which our waste is to be managed in the future, but it is highly unlikely that we will ever reach the ultimate waste free society. There will always be a need for waste to be disposed of somewhere, somehow.

The Iphone, Ringtones & Gamecheats

We’ve come a long way from the first cell phones. The concept isn’t a new one; in fact in 1947 Douglas H. Ring and W. Rae Young, Bell Labs engineers, proposed hexagonal cells for mobile phones. The real launch of the first portable phones was in the early 80’s and now of course we have the ever popular iphone with more and more people looking to make use of iphone ringtones. At that time only the very wealthy or well to do individuals were able to afford those mobile phones. They were very large and heavy. Not something to be carried in your pant pocket or purse, this was something that weighed a few pounds.

As big as they were though, they didn’t have a clear sound and using them was a hassle and as they have evolved we can see how the ring tones for mobile phones have become such a popular thing. At first, all were designed for permanent installation in vehicles otherwise known as a ‘car phone’. Some of these bulky units were soon converted for use as “transportable” phones the size of a briefcase.

As we all tend to love our gadgets these days we see how popular video games have become and how game cheats for psp and other popular gaming platforms are something that people spend a great deal of time and energy researching and; looking to get the edge over their fellow gamers. As you may be looking to develop as a gamer or just as someone who is able to be an expert when it comes to gadgetry, take some time out to do as much research as you can – you may end up being the mobile phone ringtone and gaming expert.

The reason United Kingdom Radio Stations are Choosing 03 Numbers

 

Non-geographic telephone numbers (e.g. 0845 numbers) have long been popular with UK radio stations that use them for travel hotlines, on-air auctions and as their main studio numbers. There are many reasons as to why they are so commonly used (discussed below) and now it seems that a brand new non-geographic number range is making them an even more attractive proposition.

03 phone numbers offer exactly the same benefits as 08 numbers, but with one crucial difference – the cost for people to call them. 03 numbers cost the same to dial as regular landline (01/02) numbers, even from a mobile phone. Furthermore, 03 numbers are included in the free minutes allocations offered by all landline and mobile network providers. This is important when 40% of all UK calls are now from mobiles (Source: Ofcom). In fact, this percentage is likely to be even higher for calls to travel lines where listeners are inevitably stuck in traffic or on the road. Popular south coast station, Wave 105 in Hampshire found that 89% of the callers to their 03 travel line (0345 230 1050) in May 2009 were from mobile phones.

Up-to-date travel reports are a USP for many local radio stations and therefore encouraging people to call is an integral part of the broadcaster’s role. With a ‘caller-friendly’ 03 number this makes a radio presenter’s job easier as the call costs are not a barrier to stop people getting in touch. It’s perhaps for this reason that the BBC has recently replaced all of its 0870 numbers with 03 numbers (e.g. Radio 1′s main studio phone
number: 03700 100 100)

Like all non-geographic numbers, radio stations can handpick an 03 number that incorporates their frequency. For example, Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio) uses 0330 123 1215 as its main on-air studio line – with 1215 reflecting its frequency on AM/MW. Not only does this make the number more memorable for its listeners, but it also serves as a very effective marketing tool for them to enable people to recall the station’s frequency more easily.

Having a memorable phone number that listeners can recall easily is specifically important for radio as it’s a form of media that people consume whilst carrying out other tasks – e.g. driving, decorating and working! This means they generally don’t have the opportunity to note down the phone number when it’s been announced which makes a memorable phone number even more crucial to encourage listener interaction.

Another reason why 03 numbers are popular with radio stations is because they do not isolate the listeners that live outside of the station’s immediate area.

Many radio stations broadcast to more than one county – locally, regionally and even nationally and by using an 03 number it enables broadcasters to announce a single number that is not location specific (unlike numbers with area codes). This also helps to ensure that announcements are clear and concise without mixed messages.

What’s more, an 03 number guarantees their phone number is future-proof should they decide to broadcast to an even wider audience on DAB digital radio.

A further benefit of an 03 number is the fact that online call management systems can be added to them without the need for additional hardware or equipment. For example, online call re-routing means that calls to an 03 number can be forwarded to another landline or mobile at the touch of a button. Mike Ayling at Wave 105 finds this feature specifically useful:

“At night and at weekends, when the travel centre is unmanned, we often divert the calls to the main studio so that the on-air presenter can take them and broadcast the travel information straight away. This can all be achieved with one telephone call or online and ensures that our travel reports are always up-to-date and it means that all calls are answered – which is important to us from a customer service point of view.”

This instant call diverting is also popular with radio stations that take networked shows as they can re-route calls to their main number to another studio with immediate effect.

To sum up, 03 numbers offer radio stations all the flexibility of 08 numbers – without the increased call
costs for their listeners. These 2 reasons alone will guarantee that you are likely to hear 03 on a wireless near you in the very near future…

 

Nokia 2600

Nokia 2600 Overview: The Nokia 2600 is a 2004 model mobile phone which is compatible with European providers only. It operates on the frequencies of GSM 900, GSM 1800,

Nokia Company Overview: Nokia Corporation is the most prolific maker of mobile phones and thus the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer. With headquarters in Keilaniemi of Espoo, Finland, Nokia is best known for its range of mobile phones. Nokia also produces mobile phone infrastructure and other telecommunications equipment for applications such as traditional voice telephony, ISDN, broadband access, professional mobile radio, voice over IP, wireless LAN, a line of digital terrestrial television receivers and satellite receivers. Nokia provides mobile communication equipment for every major market and protocol, including GSM, CDMA, and WCDMA (UMTS).

Audio Playback: The Nokia 2600 does not come with an MP3 player. This phone comes with built in polyphonic ringtones, which means you can download simple MIDI files from the Internet and upload them through your phone, or simply download them via GRPS (if GRPS is built in). We do not recommend purchasing polyphonic ringtones from pay-per-use services such as television commercials, because the 2600 is capable of receiving them as MIDI files which are common on the Internet.

Video and Picture Taking: The Nokia 2600 is not equipped with a camera or a video recording function.

Messaging and Internet: The Nokia 2600 is not capable of accessing the Internet, due to the limitations of GPRS access. Unfortunately, there is no MMS capability. On top of sending messages, the Nokia 2600 is equipped with intelligent t9 typing, which allows you to easily type text messages without pressing each key upto 4 times for the correct letter.

Connectivity and Interactivity: With the 2600, you can’t really do much when connecting to other devices, since it’s USB capabilities are limited to nill.