The confusion that surrounds recycling plastic (it´s exasperating to the say the least)

I recently had my little bubble burst after watching a series on Netflix called "Broken",

one of the episodes was all about recycling plastic and the disaster that we have all
helped to cause.  I did not realise that not all plastic can be recycled and am investigating what
can actually be recycled after the collection from the bins.

It came as a nasty shock to me about how little is actually truly recycled and not sold and shipped
off to another country for disposal there (whatever that means) or dumped in a landfill site.
It was a big eye opener and at the end I felt a bit disheartened about all the bloody years I have been recycling stuff thinking it was helping the environment.

But after I had calmed down I realised that I had been dealing with it all wrong, I have already drastically cut down on all the plastic waste I makebut will start to check the numbers
in the triangles on the product I may buy to see if it can actually be recycled. If not then I will buy a product that is.  

It´s a bit time consuming but I feel very strongly about this and want to do it.

I have noticed however that different countries seem to have different systems, so more to look into.

It has become glaringly obvious to me that the companies who sell products to us in plastic containers have shifted the responsibility of dealing with plastic waste onto us -the consumers!when in fact they are the ones who want us to buy the products so therefore they should bear most of the responsibility to ensure that the containers can be recycled.

I, as a consumer have the means to change this balance by boycotting companies who sell products in non-recyclable containers, reducing their profits and making them rethink.  

I am absolutely sick and tired of companies making loads of money and ignoring their part in the devastating ruination of our beautiful planet.

I will be looking into how the Spanish recycling system works (or doesn´t) especially here on Menorca, watch this space..

Not made to last!!

 

Helooooooo,

I spent yesterday afternoon turning my old vinyl records into MP3s to play in my car!  Talk about flashbacks, Free, ELO, some Al Stewart, Genesis, Pink Floyd and Queen to start off with! Its a bit time consuming but fun! I forgot that we had so many! Some of them are over 50 years old! They certainly made things to last in those days!

Not like todays throwaway culture.  Very depressing and annoying, funny how things like washing machines, ovens and other appliances used to last so much longer than the two years covered by the manufacturers guarantee.
 
I read somewhere that here in Spain over the next few years the government aims to somehow ensure that these goods last longer, maybe fining the companies.  It´s the disposal of these things that are the problem, especially here on a small island. There is nowhere to keep them.

Also some of the older brands quality has deteriorated, any clues as to why this is?  It seems they start off really good, middle of the range prices to hook us into staying loyal and then after so many years, bam crappy made, cheap and nasty and only last 2 minutes! 

We have recently bought Spanish brand appliances and we shall see how they fare! So far so good.  

That´s me for today, off to have a bit of grub.

 

 

 

Launch day

Welcome to the very first edition of The Cravat!

My name is Suuz and this blog is being sent from the Island of Menorca.

I have decided to write a blog to share some thoughts , occasionally let off a bit of steam and hopefully pass on a little bit of info about things that are important to me and maybe to other like-minded folks.

I love the environment, animals, most cakes and puddings, all things detective and many other things, if you continue to read you will find out!

Until the next time!