In the second part of our practical guide to a greener lifestyle, we focus on the most obvious kind of pollution that is not that easy to deal with – waste. It is pretty annoying because it seems that in many industrialised countries, including here in the UK, most people don’t know how to dispose of many common products, which are sometimes very toxic to the environment. This means that they often end up in a landfill site, which is the second worst solution (winning only with dumping it somewhere illegally).
But hey! We are here to give you some tips on sustainability hacks which hopefully will help you make better decisions every day.
Most people are unaware, but some pharmaceuticals can be very toxic if they end up flushed in the toilet or on a landfill. They can taint rivers, lakes and water supplies- drastically harming the environment .In many countries, including the UK, you can bring any expired medicine to your local pharmacy and they will dispose of it, for free. You can simply take it with you next time a pharmacy is on your way.
Batteries should NEVER be thrown away into household bins as they contain harmful heavy metals such as lead, copper and lithium. These toxic substances can spread throughout the soil and ultimately into our water supplies. So, how should you dispose of them? The easiest way is to take it to your local supermarket. In the UK and most European countries, they are obliged to provide a container for exhausted batteries.
Not surprisingly, electrical and electronic devices shouldn’t end up in the dumpster. There is a reason why all of them contain this symbol on the packaging:
Electronics usually contain a lot of heavy metals that can be, again, toxic when they contaminate the soil and/or water reservoirs. They also contain rare-earth minerals that can be recycled. This is important, because mining is always a very polluting process.
The first question before getting rid of any item should be – is the device still working? If yes, you should consider donating it to your local charity shop. Alternatively, you can put an ad on sites like gumtree or facebook marketplace. It only takes 15 minutes - all you need is a photo or two, a short description of the item and its condition and your contact details.
You might be able to make an extra buck, too. To check the market value of your electronic device, go to ebay or a similar platform and search for your device. For best results, apply a filter to show only finished auctions/listings and look at the most recent ones.
But what if it’s broken? Big items, like washing machines, dishwashers and especially old fridges/freezers can be collected from your address on behalf of your local council, usually for free - you can check specific rules for your area here. Alternatively, you can search online for “scrap metal collection [your city/town/area]” to find local businesses that are eager to collect any metal items you want to get rid of.
Smaller items need to be delivered to a local recycling centre. Most big electronic stores, like Currys PC world, offer a free in-store recycling service or collection on delivery, for a small fee.
If your old earphones don’t justify a big trip to the store, the trick is to keep collecting electronic waste over time until it takes enough space to convince you it’s time to get rid of it.
Similarly to electronic devices, furniture that is in good condition can be advertised on sites like gumtree or facebook marketplace.
If the item is past its prime, so to say, most local authorities/city councils offer free collection of such items. You can check the rules for your area here.
Items made of metal can be collected by local scrap metal businesses - search online for “scrap metal collection [your city/town/area]”
Obviously, that’s a big one. It is crucial because, according to Friends of the Earth, most of the UK’s waste is currently buried in landfill sites, which release greenhouse gases and pollute the soil and water. Recycling reduces the need for raw materials such as metals, forests and oil, therefore reducing our impact on the environment as extracting these materials is a key cause of global habitat loss. Recycling common packaging materials generally uses far less energy than manufacturing from virgin materials.
Unfortunately, recycling schemes differ between different areas. But you can easily check those by stepping outside of your house and looking at the labelling on waste containers. You can also search online “recycling rules [your city/town/area]” or enter your postcode on Recycle Now website. The website also gives you tips on materials that cannot be recycled and how to recycle those that can be, whether its an everyday or particular item.
Still, there are some general rules to follow:
So, there it is! Your everyday tips to avoid toxic waste pollution, made simple. But there's more where that came from. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be looking into the best tips in food, fashion and transportation sustainability. Stay tuned!
Keep up with Retromixer by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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The way this slowly but steadily unfolding disaster is covered by the media makes us think that even though it’s really sad to watch the world die, there’s not much we can do. Right?
WRONG!
There’s plenty of things we can start doing straight away to minimise our impact on the environment and lower our carbon footprint. As informed consumers, through simple activities and everyday decisions we can increase products’ lifespan, reduce waste and put pressure on businesses to push sustainability up their agenda.
But first things first – what is this carbon footprint? In simple terms, carbon footprint is a way of measuring greenhouse gases' pollution. It is not the only kind of pollution, but has the most severe impact on climate change. It can be attributed to a country, an industry, a person or even a single product or service. Calculating carbon footprint can be pretty complicated and requires some accounting skills and knowledge of environmental sciences. However, there’s plenty of publications that estimate environmental impact of different industries, products and services.
[Source: BBC]
But what about you? Have you ever wondered about your own impact on the environment? There are tools which allow you to assess environmental sustainability of your lifestyle. For instance, the WWF Footprint Calculator is a good starting point. It will give you an idea about where your carbon footprint is coming from and some basic tips on what you could do to reduce it.
[Source: WWF]
We, however, want to bring the game to the next level. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be posting a series of articles focusing on practical advice on how we can all make more sustainable decisions as users and consumers, so that we don’t end up living on a dumpster planet. We will cover topics such as:
These are some of the topics (but not all, of course) that we plan to cover to help you live more sustainably and feel better about yourself and the planet.
]]>Retromixer has done some homework and compiled a list of the A-(environmenta)listers doing good for the planet, and the big names who are not quite as heated up about global warming. Starting with the stars of sustainability:
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
As possibly one of the most vocal celebrity environmentalists, its no secret that the Great Gatsby star offers a great gambit in favour of saving the planet. His foundation, aptly-named the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, has a titanic amount of projects focusing on environmental, animal protection and social injustice activism. The projects support small solar companies in developing countries, accelerate the transition to clean, renewable energy and have even defended Our Children’s Trust after the US government endangered them by creating hazardous climate conditions. Throughout all this, Leo, himself, has departed from $30 million to donate to his foundation. Additionally, he's a frequenter at climate change-focused events including the Davos Economic Forum and the People’s Climate Change March in New York City and was even spotted having private chats with the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, during the Paris climate negotiations.
2. Mark Ruffalo
The biggest Avenger is not only green onscreen. He's shining a spotlight on protecting the environment, a lot of times through written form. His protesting points are often posted on his social media page and, offline, the Foxcatcher star wrote a letter to Colorado Governor Hickenlooper expressing his views against fracking, as well as penning an op-ed in the Denver Post with similar sentiments. Additionally, Ruffalo is the Founder of Water Defense- an organisation dedicated to banning hydraulic fracturing in New York who’s mission is “to use technology and public engagement to keep our waterways and drinking water sources free from contamination and industrial degradation.” With his efforts towards a clean environment, it seems that Mark wants this world to feel just like heaven.
3. Yoko Ono
Ruffalo's not the only one who's tough on fracking. Veteran celebrity Yoko Ono has committed to the grand fight towards activism for the cause. As well as battling for peace, feminism and gun control, all of which amounting to her Observer Ethical Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, she founded the Artists Against Fracking foundation. Her organisation features a roster of celebrities in her corner including Robert de Niro, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, the list goes on. Seems like an awesome party, if you don't mind being lectured every now and again.
And then those who have emphasised Earth's emissions:
1. Madonna
Yes, she performed at the Live Earth Benefit concert in 2007. Despite that, according to Huffington Post, the singer has invested millions of dollars into some of the globe’s greatest corporate polluters, including BP, causing her to have a large emissions contribution. Her music may create a great atmosphere, but her actions certainly don't.
2. David Koch
The co-owner of Koch Industries has also impacted the environment with green dollars rather than green solutions. On top of expressing his skepticism about climate change, the billionaire donated millions of dollars to climate change denial groups, says Huffington Post. And in New York Magazine, he portrayed his opinion that global warming is a good thing because a larger area of land will provide more space to produce food and ultimately support a lot more people.
3. The List of A-List "Hypocrites"
A boat-load of celebrities are guilty of excessive, exclusive travelling in gas-guzzling machines, and MRCTV has shown a number of environmentalists have acknowledged the hypocrisy of supposed activists doing exactly this. Take James Cameron, who allegedly owns motorcycles, cars, dirt bikes, a yacht, a helicopter, a FLEET of submarines (who needs submarines!?) and a Humvee fire truck. Or frequent flier, John Travolta, with a total of 5 private jets at his disposal greased lightening up the sky with emissions. And then there's our environmental saviour Leo DiCaprio, stacking up private air miles, and making use of both a personal party yacht and another rented yacht (for business I guess). Looks like it may be better to practice what they preach, rather than what they do, when it comes to green living.
So there it is. Our list of blue planet battlers and sustainability slumps.
If you'd like to increase YOUR sustainable-living, find out more about how Retromixer can help you reduce both your emissions and average water-use here.
]]>Every year, the 22nd March is dedicated to taking action towards achieving safe, drinkable water for everyone around the globe. Its a day to stop what you’re doing and make difference to the world’s current clean water condition. Charity, Water Aid joins forces with regular people from all over the world to organise events, sponsorships and even social media posts with the aim to raise funds to bring clean water to communities for the very first time.
Good question! Imagine living without everyday access to clean water. You may take your fresh, endless supply for granted but if you reflect on how often you’ve used clean water even today you’ll realise how much you rely on it. Think about it- sipping from that glass of water you left beside your bed, showering, brewing that essential pre-work coffee- and thats even before you left the house! This is far from the case in some developing countries. In fact, according to Life Water, there are a staggering 844 million people who live without access to clean water, which roughly translates to 1 in 9 over the world. Its not just a concern about hygiene, its a matter of life and death. More people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war. Additionally, water-borne diseases kill more children under the age of five that malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS combined. To help their families, women and girls in these areas must spend up to 6 hours everyday walking to fetch safe water. But not for long, World Water Day is putting a stop to it!
The public are fighting unclean water in their own individual ways to raise money and awareness for the cause. Some are setting up fun-filled fundraising events including dance nights and karaoke parties (what water-themed song would you sing?), others are taking part in Water Aid’s #Blue4Water by going about their daily duties wearing blue, and others are doing their part for the cause by simply donating what they can through the charity’s website. And, of course, one can spread the message, whether or not they’re actively participating, by using the hashtags #Blue4Water and #WorldWaterDay and tagging @WaterAidUK in their social media posts.
Has this information influenced you to put an end to your ample H2O use? Change your ways and save your waves this World Water Day UK with some easy, everyday life hacks!
And, of course, you can save up to 43% of your water usage with a simple RETROMIXER easily applied to your separate taps, which is two life hacks in one as it also saves you from the inconvenience of the extreme hot and cold temperatures of this sink system! Available here.
So there it is! Now you know why we celebrate World Water Day UK and what can be done to help! For more information about the occasion and how to take part, please visit wateraid.org or worldwaterday.org.
]]>This is bad enough within the comfort of home, but imagine facing it when you’re out on foreign turf. We already know how strange it is when you’re on holiday and you just keep getting caught out by cultural differences, you're a British plug trying to fit into international sockets. Imagine having those little issues sprinkled on top of your uni woes everyday!
It’s the same here in the UK. We’re no stranger to doing things in our own fabulously Blighty fashion, leaving our visitors confused and frustrated.
With that in mind, here are 4 of the weirdest things about living in the UK according to international students.
We proudly serve a few distinctly British dishes. It's no secret. Visitors curiously crunch Yorkshire puddings, venture down toad in the holes, and the classic question of “what actually is haggis” is met with an answer that’s hard to swallow. Our poll shows that over 53% of international students expressed either negative or impartial feelings towards British meals. However, almost 37% claimed it’s better than what others say! So our melting pot of meals is met with mixed feelings.
Of course! The crème de la crème of British characteristics! It’s a stereotype that becomes even more embarrassing when natural causes lead us to live up to it. This result isn’t going to make a splash but we’re here to confirm international students dislike our climate with heights of 68% coming down on it harder than a good day in June.
Researching for our tap-mixer, we’ve found an overwhelming flow of revulsion towards separate tap sinks. Although considered the norm by many Brits, we have a weird water system and international sinks are more commonly equipped with just one tap with hot and cold options at either side, providing a mixed temperature flow. Two separate streams of temperature have international students heated up as just under 80% of participants had a negative response to them. Luckily, we’re working on just the device to solve this issue and make life that little bit easier for international students.
There’s our roster of Formula One drivers, Mini’s with Union Jacks and a slew of 007 cars, but the car characteristic contributing most to our global image is our road placement. We’re not sole left-side drivers, Australia and India are among the others, however this is likely due to them formally being British colonies. Two thirds of the world drive on the right-hand side and students used to this are tired of our irregular road rituals- over 36% have a negative response to it. Although more than 20% of participants are joyfully onboard!
What other British culture quirks get to you?
]]>We are thrilled to introduce you to our new team members Tadeusz - also known as Ted, and Sophie! Ted, who is an exchange student from Sciences Po will be responsible for our ‘Digital Marketing’ with the help of Sophie, a product design graduate from The University of Edinburgh. Sophie will predominantly be working to constantly improve our ‘Customer Experience’ and ‘Design Development’.
We are super excited by Retromixers success so far. Both Ted and Sophie already have some startup experience so Artur and I felt they would be perfect additions to the Retromixer team!
Our product is now available at the EUSA shop at the King's Buildings campus. If you happen to be in the area, pop in and have a look at their demonstrator sink.
Right now you can buy the Retromixer at the early bird price of just £12!
So hurry up and get your Retromixer!
Detailed location: KB Centre Shop, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JF
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