2014 is the year in which the largest waste disposal legislation project in the European Union is due to be carried out. The project mainly includes a review of the laws that are currently in existence and will definitely change the way in which we are looking at rubbish removals. According to leading experts in the field however the whole thing is not only about rubbish removals, but rather about changing the whole economy of the EU and pushing it forward to the circular economy model.
How is it possible to happen? There are several simple steps that are to be taken, and they are all related to encouraging, on both local and international level the reusing and recycling of materials that up until now has been simply thrown away and disposed of in the old-time ways.
Some experts, like Michael Delle Selve from the European Container Glass Federation go as far as to suggest that on the territory of the whole union the production of materials should be overhauled completely. According to him that is the best way to stimulate a boost in recycling throughout Europe. In his statement Selve explains that policy makers are to take a more responsible stance towards the problem if a sustainable solution is to be found. The simple production-use-disposal line should be broken in order to enter the usage of circular economy.
Packaging materials are today the biggest problem, because on one hand they cause the most pollution, while at the same time they are not properly recycled. Only then long term eco-friendly results are to be achieved and at the same time the economy of the Union is going to be stimulated to change in a positive direction too, because the employment of raw materials is going to be reduced. Thus the dependence of international markets that countries from the EU have, including the UK too, will also be reduced, because there will be less raw materials imported from outside the Union, unlike the situation today.
Actually, the UK is far ahead of home of the countries in the European Union already in terms of recycling. There are many local policies in London town councils, as well as throughout the country that stimulate recycling. What is more, private contractors, like rubbish removal companies also do their best to stay up to day with the latest trends in the industry and employ more and more recycling methods every day. This is only good news of course because the day will come when those approaches will be not only mandatory everywhere, but also are going to be recognized as the only adequate way of dealing with materials. Circular economy is the way of the future, because it will reduce the need of raw materials, and is going to reduce the levels of pollution on the planet, thus making the world a far fairer and better place to live in – which is after all the meaning of progress in all its forms.
Curbside collection is the term used to describe the commonly used rubbish removal system in many countries around the world. Also known as kerbside collection, this rubbish removal practice is generally available to households and businesses in metropolitan and suburban areas. Curbside rubbish removal is provided by local councils and paid for through local taxes owed by residents.
In a nutshell, municipal curbside collection of general household and commercial waste is done by specially trained and equipped personnel, using a purpose-built rubbish removal vehicle i.e. the garbage truck all people are familiar with.
Prior to the nineteen hundreds, human settlements in developed or industrialised cities did not generate that much household waste (note household, not industrial waste). Most of the time, rubbish was burnt in the fire, tossed out the window, buried in the garden or deposited in outhouses. One of the first organised rubbish collection operations to be put in place was in London where night men or gong farmers went around the city at night collecting household waste.
Although, some sort of rubbish removal system was implemented and working relatively fine, the problem with waste management still remained. At the time, people were already aware that tossing all sorts of waste in nearby rivers and lakes is not an option as it created pollution and health problems. London waste for example, since Roman times, has been dumped outside the London Wall near the Thames. On the other side of the puddle, in Manhattan, NY rubbish removal practices were as wild as they could be! At one stage, local councils actually roamed hogs through the streets so they can eat up as much garbage as possible. Oddly enough the practice caught on, though swine were no longer running the streets of large cities. Instead, there were special farms established where swine were fed with waste.
London did indeed have the first organised rubbish removal system, but over the English Channel in Paris, France people saw the introduction and implementation of the first ever integrated rubbish removal and recycling system. In eighteen eighty four, Eugene Poubelle came up with the proposal that people should separate household waste into perishables items, paper, cloth, crockery and shells. Eugene Poubelle was also the founder of the standard urban rubbish bin. Paris was the first city in the world to install standard sized rubbish bins throughout metropolitan areas. While Poubelle was in charge of Paris’ rubbish collection and disposal system, organic waste was properly collected, transported and composted outside the city. This effective waste management practice was in place well into the nineteen hundreds, when the introduction and mass use of plastics created soil and water pollution.
After the start of the twentieth century, with the arrival of consumable goods and disposable products, local councils around the world banned waste dumping and moved on to properly organised rubbish collection systems i.e. curbside collection. During the same period, the standard rubbish bin used in many countries was Eugene Poubelle’s design. The nineteen sixties saw the introduction of the now classic, black nylon garbage bag.
Simple and inexpensive changes that will surely change the ambiance of your home
by Joanna Burns October 25, 2014You don’t have to remodel and redecorate your entire house in order to change the interior mood of your home. Instead you can conduct some simple changes and still alter the ambience of your household.
You will be amazed by how much the atmosphere of your home will change if you simple change the frames of your wall pictures and paintings. Even more today picture and painting frames are sold in various styles and shapes and therefore you can literate your creativity and personalize your home furthermore.
Change the showerhead of your shower with a new one which has numerous hydro-massaging functions to convert your bathroom into a room that promotes relaxation. You can alter the ambience of your bathroom even more by replacing your current bathroom mirror and placing new handles on your bathroom cabinetry and hanging new towel hooks on your bathroom walls.
Believe it or not by the paint colour of your walls plays the biggest role into the overall ambiance of your home. This means that repainting your walls in a new color will automatically change the feeling and mood of your home. Note that you can change the feeling of your home drastically by choosing a color that is the total opposite of your current wall paint. For instance if your walls are currently painting in a dark color, you can choose a lighter color and vice versa.
Another feature that affects greatly the overall atmosphere of your home is your faucet. So don’t be hesitant to change your kitchen and bathroom sink faucets with new ones. As soon as you place the new faucets you will notice that your kitchen and bathroom have a different and more pleasant vibe.
Changing the light fixture is another simple alteration that will change the mood of your home. Just like with picture frames, nowadays light fixtures are sold in different styles and shapes so don’t be timid to express your imagination and creativity.
Once that you have conducted all these small changes don’t waste time clearing the accumulated waste. Instead call a professional rubbish removal company and have it clear the waste for you. While the company if providing your rubbish removal services, gather you family and go to a nice restaurant to celebrate the successful changes that you have conducted.
As you can see you can easily change the ambience of your home without breaking bank. So if you are tired of the same scenery, don’t wait a minute longer to start altering your home.
By installing a fire pit in your garden you will be able to gather with your friends in your garden during the night without worrying about the low temperatures and chilly weather. Also by having a fire pit in your backyard you will be able to camp with your children in your garden in full safety and more importantly without having to travel numerous miles away from the city to a forest and specialized camping site.
Take note that nowadays garden fire pits are becoming more and more popular amongst homeowners and home designers. This is why today you can find a large selection of different types of fire pits to choose from. Generally there are two types of fire pits: aboveground fire pits and in-ground fire pits. At the moment aboveground fire pits are more popular because they are easier to install and are surrounded by a low stone, rock, concrete or brick wall which prevents the fire from escaping. Some people go even further and build their low walls in a manner that allows them to use the wall as a seating feature. Note that the walls aren’t sold with the fire pits, meaning that you will have to build the wall on your own by purchasing all the necessary materials.
We realize that aboveground fire pits sound as a money and time consuming feature but they are a well worth feature as they tend to change the overall ambience of any backyard as soon as they are installed and lit. Also bear in mind that you can always use professional rubbish removal services if you are too tired to clear the waste after you have built the wall and placed your fire pit. Don’t worry that you won’t be able to find such services because nowadays there is a multitude of companies that provide professional rubbish removals at highly reasonable prices.
In-ground fire pits on the other hand represent basically a hole in the ground whit cemented walls in which the fire pit is place. By being underground the fire is protected from the wind and cannot escape. The main downside of these pits is that they don’t provide as much warmth as their aboveground counterparts.
Both types of fire pits are fuelled by one of two types of fueling: wooden fuel and gas fuel. People prefer the first type of fueling because it gives a more authentic feeling to the whole fire in the garden experience. The downside of wood fuel is that you will have to carry the wood from your garden shed to the pit and more importantly maintain the fire manually by adding new logs every now and then and by poking the fire in order to keep it from dying.
Gas fuel on the other hand is much easier to maintain as the only thing that you will have to do is to turn on the gas valve of the pit. However unlike wooden fuel the fire won’t die on its own so if you forget to turn off the gas valve of the pit the fire will go on until you do so, and you may accumulate a large gas bill along the way.
It will sound unbelievable and unrealistic but recent studies show that more and more people nowadays are struggling with their trash can emptying routine. If you are one of these people don’t be ashamed and more importantly don’t worry because we will present to you a step by step tutorial which will make your trash bin emptying routine an easy and simple thing to do.
Before we present to you our step by step tutorial we want you to know that you can always delegate your trash can emptying routine to a professional rubbish removal company. This way you won’t have to worry whether your garbage bins are full because a team of professional junk clearance technicians will take care of it. Also if you are worried about the price for such services don’t be because rubbish removal services are becoming more and more affordable as each day passes.
The first thing that you must do it order to facilitate your garbage can emptying routine is to learn when is the collection day. The collection day is the day in which the garbage men as passing through your neighborhood and are collecting the rubbish. By learning when collection day is you will be able to conduct your garbage can emptying routine a day before and prep your trash for collection day. This will prevent the unnecessary and more importantly unwanted accumulation of junk.
Commence your emptying routine by opening each trash can in your home and removing the old and filled garbage bag. Even if the bag is half full remove it and replace it with a new one. If your bags have handles, simply pull the handles upwards and shut the opening of the bag and prevent spills and tie the handles together. Alternatively if your bags don’t have handles you must tie a knot on the opening before your remove the bags from the garbage cans. This way if a spill occurs it will happen within the trash can which you can later clean.
Once you have emptied all the trash can, place in each one a new and clean garbage bag. Bear in mind that you can replace your plastic garbage bags with paper bags that are reusable. If you opt to use paper bags know that you must empty the content of each paper bag in a plastic bag when you are emptying your trash cans. Once you have emptied all paper bags, simply put them back in place.
End the emptying routine by placing all your old garbage bag in the master can and taking the can outside so that the garbage men can empty it during collection day.
Environment friendly solutions to waste disposal today come up from every corner, even the most unlikely ones. This is just the age that we live in. Even cigarette butts are likely to become a powerful fuel when recycled in the not so distant future, or at least that is what scientists from the Seoul National University in South Korea.
The scientists in question have conducted extensively studies on the possibility of recycling and re-use of one of world’s most littered item – cigarette ends. They have come up with a theory that if proven right will change not only the way we think about cigarettes but also the whole course in the development of professional rubbish removal services.
When digging in the technical data of the Korean’s research, it becomes clear that the whole process actually consists of one simple step. The result however sounds like a miracle – the junk that cigarette butts present is transformed into a coating for the electrodes of super capacitors, which are basically electrochemical items that are used with the sole purpose of storing large amounts of energy.
The proposed conversion technique is known as pyrolysis. The process occurs with the burning of cellulose acetate fibers (the staff cigarette filters are made from). They are burnt until the remaining material is transformed into simple carbon based material.
Usually super capacitors are made from carbon, grapheme and carbon nanotubes. These materials however are pretty expensive and not so efficient. Actually, according to the data that have been released by the University of Seoul’s science team, the results achieved with the process of burning cigarette butts shows much greater performance levels than the methods that have been employed up until now in the industry.
The project is still far away from its complete form. If in the future the results are still as promising as they are now, this will mean that two birds are hit with one stone. On one hand it means that there will be an easy and much cheaper way to produce and store large amounts of energy. On the other, one of the largest causes for littering the world will be eliminated. So, cigarette ends might very well change the world we live in, the way we look at the habit of smoking and last but not least, many of the approaches in the rubbish removal industry.
Knowing the government’s policy for rubbish collection and recycling is important
by Joanna Burns October 7, 2014Getting to know the rules and regulations for recycling and waste collection in your area is vital if you want to get rid of your junk properly, without any problems with the authorities and even fines. Basically every area has its own local rules and regulations but there are several general ones on a government level that apply everywhere. These policies are very important not only because they stand higher than any local policy that might be in existence, but also because they determine the course in which waste collection in London and England as a whole moves towards.
England alone produces tremendous amounts of waste on a yearly basis. This amount is unimaginable so it is no wonder that Westminster’s policy toward rubbish collection and recycling aim at putting it as low as possible. Actually, the long term goal of the government is to make England a so-called “zero waste country”. How is it going to happen?
First and foremost any business that is based in England is encourage to reduce the waste produced by their activities as much as possible. Alternative business models, new design solutions and improving on the efficiency of products and services are all part of the plan.
Educating the population to value the items they possess more, thus encouraging recycling and reuse, leaving as little as possible to the rubbish removal companies to collect.
Making business actually realize that by reducing the waste they produce they save a lot of money – all through proper waste management.
Similar policies that aim to the zero-waste economy are also applied in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The point is that they are good for the economy growth of the countries in question, increasing both the productivity of companies and the individual budget of the citizens, but they are also very good for the environment – a fact that should not be taken lightly in the society and age we live in. Namely because of this government policies towards waste-collection and recycling are important. There should be wider spread of information about them, and more and more people should be involved in the discussions surrounding them. This will not only help make those policies better known and educate the population, but why not lead to improvements on the rules and regulations, making them even more efficient than they are at the present moment.
Waste types that must be cleared with the aid of professional junk removers
by Joanna Burns October 5, 2014Many people don’t know when exactly they should use professional waste clearance services. This is why we have decided to list down all the types of waste that require the hiring of a professional waste removal company.
Construction waste– Construction waste must be removed by a professional rubbish removal company because such waste may contain lead, asbestos and other types of hazardous substances. Also in more cased the accumulation of construction waste is so vast that a non-professional cannot clear it on his own. So if you have recently built something or remodeled an area of your house, don’t be hesitant to call a junk removal company.
Sanitary waste– Sanitary waste is also known as sewage waste. Such waste accumulates when you are changing your kitchen or bathroom pipes or when a pipe bursts and floods an area of your home or place of work. Sanitary waste can be very dangerous and can cause severe health complications if it is cleared without any protective gear. So if you have sewage waste on your property, play it safe and use professional waste clearing services.
Toxic waste– Toxic waste is beyond any doubt the most dangerous type of waste. Toxic junk always contains hazardous particles that can cause heavy health complications and death. So it is absolutely mandatory that you contact a professional junk removal company if you are dealing with toxic waste. Also keep in mind that not all waste removal companies are licensed to clear toxic waste, so always seek for a company that is licensed to dispose of toxic rubbish.
Chemical waste– Some office and household products are made of chemicals that can cause health complications is they are not cleared properly. Such products are commercial cleaning detergents, some types of paint, automobile products, toner cartridges and etc. Most health organizations divide chemical waste into two sub-categories, hazardous chemical waste and non-hazardous chemical waste but this is of no concern to you because of the fact that you must use professional rubbish removal services for both types of chemical waste. Once again you cannot hire any waste clearance company for the removal of chemical waste. You can seek out a company that is licensed to clear chemical waste.
Garden waste– This type of rubbish is the least harmful but still can cause health problems if it contains particles such as pesticides and insecticides. This is why it is for the best if you opt to clear your garden waste by using a professional junk removal company that specialized in garden waste clearance.
A home removal is definitely a great opportunity to improve your life in all its aspects. Of course, in order to achieve that you should first ensure that the actual home relocation you are facing in going to be carried out properly and in as hassle-free manner as possible. This is not as hard as it may sound. The only thing to do is to look out for several things including the safety of your items during the transportation process.
There are many strategies that you can employ in order to make the safety of your items a sure thing. Here we are going to describe how you can protect your clothes while they are being moved along with the rest of your furniture and personal items to the new location of your home.
Needless to say, clothes are among the essential items every human possesses. During transportation they can get dirty or thorn, they can get wet or damaged in various ways. So you should not take the state in which they are being relocated lightly.
The most efficient and hassle-free way to get your clothes moved safely is to get your man and van contractor of choice take care not only of the loading them on a van and driving them to the newly assigned location, but to also take care of the packing process. Most man and van contractors offer comprehensive packing services that are both very efficient and come at a reasonable price, so no additional strain is going to be put on your budget in case you go for that option.
If you choose to do the packing on yourself after all, you should follow several very simple guidelines that will ensure the successful completion of the job:
- Make sure that all your clothes are properly wrapped. Bubble wrap is definitely the best material that you can use, because it ensures the safety of your items of clothing. You can use bubble wrap to pack every item individually, or group several of them. Jackets and suits, which you would not want to bend or crease, are best wrapped in specially tailored clothing bags, so make sure you have a good supply of them.
- When every item of clothing is properly wrapped, it is time for you to take care of the actual packing. For that purpose you are going to need suitable boxes, which you can obtain either from your man and van contractor or by simply searching online. Do not use ordinary cardboard boxes, because they are not water-proofed. Using such boxes can be potentially dangerous. Use the special kind of packing boxes that are of great quality, largely available and come at very reasonable prices. Packing boxes come in every size imaginable – from small enough to fit only a pair of shoes to huge wardrobe size boxes, which name speaks for itself.
The proper packing of your clothes will ensure that you overall house moving project is also carried out properly.
If your living space at home is slowly disappearing with each day, then perhaps it’s time for that long awaited and much dreaded house clearance. Sacrificing precious living space in favour or junk and rubbish is not worth it. A specialised house clearance service will deal with the situation effectively without costing you as much as you would think.
In case you require clearance and house removal service look for a company that does both – chances are you will get a good price on the package deal. What’s good about house clearance is that owners can offset some of the service costs through selling on some of the items that were destined for disposal. Many service providers will approach you with an offer to sort through the stuff and round up some of it for resell. Don’t expect to make money though, at the end of the day resell profits are just an additional bonus.
If you want to shave off some of the clearance costs, do your own sorting. Separate general household junk from redundant appliances for instance, also single out junk you think may be hazardous – things like paint, thinners, spirits, exhausted motor oil, some examples of household chemistry and certainly more specific in terms of clearance and disposal. Consider the amount of household rubbish you need to get rid of and where it’s situated throughout the property. Some companies will charge extra for collecting and taking rubbish outside, from awkward locations like attics, basements etc. If possible take some of the junk outside yourself – a bit of manual labour on your behalf will reduce some of the clearance costs.
Recycling and reusing is also part of the house clearance process. Many charities are engaged in collecting and redistributing disused items to the needing. Doing that will not be as profitable as reselling the stuff, but hey – you are doing something good with stuff that was destined for the tip anyway. Some of the better house clearance companies out there also specialise in antiques reselling and antique sale advisory. In case you have come across old items of unknown value, by all means have them appraised before making a decision on what to do with them. Automotive appraisal services are also available through some service providers – old rust boxes in your garage or backyard can turn out to be valuable classic cars or bikes. The US clearance scene is a particularly good example of how valuable property is given another chance at life, especially when it comes to motor vehicles. House clearance services are usually combined with additional options like garden or garage clearance especially if owners are selling the place or looking to remodel the property from scratch.