Regarding our environment, I do wonder about re-cycling in our brave new caring world.
Our local county Council (read "State" only a bit smaller) has implemented a fairly major recycing policy - foodstuffs, glass, zinc, foil, paper and card, and plastic - interestingly, the worse pollutant quantity-wise, but they can only recycle bottles, without tops, and no packets, trays,bags, etc....
Technalogically advanced trucks of varying sizes, specifications and uses were bought at huge cost, bins commissioned, "fact-finding" jollies undertaken by various Council employees and representatives, and research commissioned.
A major survey, and pilot schemes, were done at great expense, after which we were all given 5 receptacles (plastic!) and told to sort ourselves out.
However, nowhere can I find any investigations into whether householders cleaning habits would perhaps not help matters.
My neighbour, for example, cleans her tins, bottles, zinc/foil to within an inch of their lives - very hot water rinse, washing up liquid, more very hot water - because a] she's worried cats and rats would be attracted , and b] it wouldn't be nice for the binmen to handle dirty stuff. [ Even I rinse them out well - I don't like cats or rats either! They still pop round, mind you....]
Oh, and if you pay extra for garden waste, that must all be a certain size and amount, so it can be made into compost easier and sold back to us,otherwise it's back to the bonfire in the garden............
All this means electricity, gas, chemicals, time and labour, all invested heavily, just to clean something that gets cleaned again anyway !
Quite confusing really.
