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TV’s Craig Says Recycling Is A Do-It-Yourself Job
TV presenter and DIY expert Craig Phillips was pulling on his overalls and preparing to give his dustbin a make-over to encourage people to think about what to do with all the rubbish they generate when they go DIY crazy this May Day bank holiday.
The Big Brother winner and presenter of BBC’s “Big Strong Boys” and “Housecall” said that this is the time of year when thoughts around the country inevitably turn to grabbing hammer, screwdriver and the occasional over-sized power tool, as the nation kicks off one of the busiest weekends of the year for DIY.
“But building those new shelves, dismantling the old cupboards or decorating a room from top to bottom always leads to one big problem,” said the cheeky Liverpudlian. “Just what do we do with all that extra rubbish that we make?”
And Craig said there was no excuse for just filling your bin – recycling centres and civic amenity sites/household waste recycling centres offer facilities to recycle all of your glass, paper, card, wood, plastic and clothes.
“When I finally get round to doing some of my own DIY at the Spring Bank holiday, I always end up with bags and bags of rubbish,” said Craig. “What I didn’t realise was that 60 per cent of my rubbish could actually be recycled.”
So here, Craig offers some top tips and advice on what to do with that extra rubbish this May Day weekend…things that you can do, yourself!
Wood
“Many people don’t realise that you can actually use wood again – maybe not to build anything new, but it can be made into all kinds of useful things, such as a surface for children’s playgrounds,” said Craig.
“If you’re going to take out some old units this weekend, or if you’re building something and have some off-cuts from your two-by-four, whatever you do – don’t throw it away! Check if your local recycling centre has a wood collection point, or offers a bulk collection service and will come and take it away for you for recycling, by calling your council recycling officer.
Clothes
“If you’re going to spruce up your bedroom with a coat of paint or some new storage units, make sure your wardrobe is in a good state too.” said Craig. “We’ve all got clothes that haven’t been worn for years and we know we’ll never wear again, but when you give your wardrobe a clear-out, don’t just bag them and bin them!”
“Taking your old clothes to the local charity shop, jumble sale or recycling bank is a great excuse to get rid of those old clothes, while creating extra space at the same time. And it’s all for a good cause.”
Charities such as The Salvation Army, Oxfam, TRAID and Scope are big collectors of old clothes, either through charity shops and recycling banks or for sorting and selling on, often abroad for aid purposes. So donating your old clothes is definitely a good way to make the best use of them.
Paper
“Almost any household paper can be recycled, including newspapers, magazines, cardboard packaging, stationery, direct mail, and greetings cards,” said Craig. “Once you’ve finished using newspaper to mask windows or to rest your paint tins on, and after you’ve torn the cardboard packaging off flat-pack furniture, make sure it gets recycled!”
Craig said you might find that there are different banks for different papers, so it’s important not to mix them up.
Furniture
“Television DIY shows have shown us how yesterday’s junk can be turned into today’s showpiece, so think about how you can adapt that table, chaise longue or Welsh dresser before it hits the scrap heap,” said Craig. “And as recycled furniture requires few new materials, it’s easy on the wallet too!”
If you really want to get rid of something, it may be able to go to a good home. Your council may provide a bulky rubbish collection service, which is linked to furniture recycling charities. Your old chest of drawers or cooker will be given some tender loving care before being redistributed to charities and other good causes. For details of furniture recyclers, either check the phone book or call your council for more details.
Paint
“If you do decide to give a room a fresh lick of paint, don’t throw away any leftovers,” said Craig. “Community Re>Paint is an innovative and practical waste minimisation project and offers a novel solution to the problem of left over paint.”
Over 300 million litres of paint are sold in the UK to the DIY market and to trade decorators, and approximately 37.5 million litres of DIY paint remain unused - there could be as much as 100 million litres of paint stored in homes across the UK.
Community Re>Paint diverts unwanted, surplus paint from the waste stream and redistributes it for re-use by community groups, charities and voluntary organisations. It is given free of charge to eligible sectors of the community (local charity, community and voluntary groups) and public agencies that provide support services to people in genuine need e.g. Social Services, Housing Departments and Probation Services.
The paint is then re-used locally for projects such as decorating youth clubs and village halls, painting murals, playgrounds and maintaining scout and guide huts. For further information, check out the web site on www.communityrepaint.org.uk.
DIY in the garden
Organic household waste - in other words kitchen and garden rubbish - might seem harmless enough, but this makes up the biggest percentage of our household dustbin contents. Organic waste produces greenhouse gases as it rots, and contributes to global warming.
“The best use for organic waste is to convert it into compost,” said Craig. “You can make a compost heap really easy, or alternatively all DIY stores and garden centres sell composter bins. Look out for composter sales from your local council, you may be able to pick up a bargain!” For more information about composting and composter bins, contact your council.
Glass
“After all that hard DIY work, you’ll have earned the right to sit down with a glass of wine or an ice cold beer,” said Craig. “Just remember that bottle banks are found in many council areas as well as supermarket car parks, so you won’t need to travel far to recycle your empties!”
Craig said it is often overlooked that bottle banks also take glass jars, so once you’ve finished washing out your brushes in the old coffee, marmalade or pasta sauce jars, why not wash them out and recycle them at the same time?
Remember to recycle it!
“Recycling needn’t be a mammoth task,” said Craig. “Many supermarkets host banks for bottles, paper, cans and sometimes clothing, so in most cases you can simply make recycling a part of your weekly shop, rather than making a special trip.
“More and more councils are introducing kerbside collection schemes too, so recycling is getting easier for everyone, not just this May Day bank holiday, but all year round!”
For more information about recycling in your area, contact your local council’s recycling officer.
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You can do more than you think to help and it will make a huge difference - around 60% of your rubbish can be recycled
Alistair McGowan
Patron, Rethink Rubbish campaign
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