Though every year British people throw away 11.3 million mobile phones, only a third of these people have ever recycled one. There is a huge potential for recycling and reuse here: while British mobile phone users replace their handsets on average every 18 months, the working life of a phone is as much as eight years. Like other electrical devices, the majority of unwanted mobile phones simply...

A study from the Local Government Association (LGA) claims that recycling rates are 30% higher where councils have opted for fortnightly rubbish collections over weekly ones. Under the alternate weekly system, general non-recyclable rubbish is collected one week and rubbish that can be recycled the next. Over a third of counc...

Throwaway culture is having a serious effect on UK beaches according to research published by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). Their annual Beachwatch litter survey reveals that litter on UK beaches has increased by a staggering 90.3% since 1994, now averaging around two items of litter for every metre stretch of beach. Over 4,000 volunteers swept 187km of coastline, recording th...

News that a man has lost his appeal against a fine for mixing up his recycling has stirred up confusion and anger amongst householders in the UK. In October 2006, journalist Michael Reeves was ordered to pay a £100 fee and £100 costs for putting paper in a bag containing cans and bottles for recycling. He must now pay an extra £350 in prosecution costs after his appeal at Swansea Crown Court w...

Recyclers across Britain have been shocked by recent media reports showing that many of their carefully recycled goods end up causing environmental havoc in China. Figures show that in 2006, 1.9 billion tonnes of rubbish (mainly paper, card and metal) was sent 5,000 miles from Britain to China, where it ended up in unregulated recycling plants. Rubbish is transported in empty container...