We are now living in a throw-away society where consumerism is at an all-time high, but sadly having a throw-away mentality is wreaking havoc for our planet.
In the UK the average household produces around a tonne of rubbish each year, and with the ever-growing population this amount is only likely to grow. As a nation we need to wake up and realise that there really is no such thing as ‘away’ when we throw something away, it has to go somewhere, and we simply cannot continue to burn or landfill rubbish forever. Too many of us are taking an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach when it comes to waste and to devastating effect, with an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic winding up in our oceans each and every year.
We need to recycle now, more than ever, before it’s too late. There are so many benefits to recycling and utilising waste in a positive and constructive way. Recycling reduces the volume of waste which we put into landfill and helps to conserve our quickly diminishing natural resources, which are exploited in the production of items such as plastic and glass bottles, cans and rubber tyres that can so easily be recycled. The recycling of some items can in fact offer cash benefits, for example metals such as copper and brass can be scrapped for reuse in exchange for money. Our environment can be better protected from damage by recycling wherever possible, not forgetting that recycling significantly lessens deforestation and reduces water pollution and soil erosion preventing loss of biodiversity.
So many everyday items can now be recycled from paper and plastics to household batteries and light bulbs. By making small changes in the present we can make a huge difference to the future of our country and ultimately our planet. Making little changes such as using a reusable lunchbox for a sandwich as opposed to wrapping it in foil or clingfilm or choosing food items when shopping, which have little or no packaging such as loose fruit and vegetables instead of those wrapped in plastic or ones that come in plastic boxes. One thing that we always like to do as a company is use scrap paper, instead of a new piece of paper, for making notes when we are at our desks and busy working – you can encourage staff and colleagues to do the same by giving each person or department a scrap paper box.
There has certainly been progress within the last few years with the plastic carrier bag levy coming into effect in October 2015, and more recently this year there has been talk of Her Majesty’s Treasury looking into possible new levies and taxation changes to manage plastic wastage. We have even seen Starbucks taking it upon themselves to implement a 3-month trial of adding a 5p charge on their single-use cups throughout its central London locations.
Here at Tiny Box Company we are proud to offer recycled and recyclable products and do our bit in a bid to wage a war against the plastic waste epidemic plaguing the UK and rest of the world.
We offer a huge range of recycled boxes and bags and tissue paper, which are also recyclable themselves - even our Grey Mailing Bags are manufactured from recycled polythene and are fully recyclable. Plus, our imported products are shipped via sea freight as opposed to air freight in order to reduce our carbon footprint.
Are you interested in using more sustainable packaging? If so, take a look at our product range here.