The Green A to Z

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Aluminium Cans - Aluminium cans can be recycled. There are local opportunties. They can be included in your kerb-side collection or any of the community recycling banks. Alternatively you can cash them in yourself and take the the money. £36 million worth of aluminium is landfilled every year! Roughly each can is worth 1p. Check they're aluminium by using a magnet (fridge magnet will do). If they're magnetic they're not aluminium. Crush them so you can fit more in a bag. Take them to a local scrap dealer and cash in to raise funds for yourself or charity. The local scrap metal company that The Green Centre use is a family run company called Argyle Metals Ltd. Their number is 01273 680559. Alternatively click here to find a local centre.

Aluminium Foil - to purchase - If You Care make 100% recyled aluminium foil. When producing recycled aluminum 95% less energy is used than when producing primary aluminum.

It is available from Greens on Blatchington Road in Hove. Their current price is £2.65 for 12 metres of 30cm wide foil and £3.25 for 7.01 metres of 40cm wide thicker, stronger foil.

Aluminium Foil - to recycle - Aluminium foil can be recycled. There are local opportunities. It cannot be included in your kerbside collection however you can make a collection yourself and take it to a scrap metal dealer. £36 million worth of aluminium is landfilled every year! Aluminium foil must be clean.Take your foil to a local scrap dealer and cash in to raise funds for yourself or charity. The local scrap metal company that The Green Centre uses are called Argyle Metals Ltd. Their number is 01273 680559. Alternatively click here to find a local centre.

Asbestos - Asbestos can be recycled. There is a local scheme. Please take to the council recycling site in Hove. Please see R for Recycling Sites for location and opening times.

Asthma Pumps - Asthma pumps cannot be re-used or recycled anywhere in the UK. It is estimated there are 2 million people suffering with asthma in the UK. If each person uses 5 pumps a year that is a massive 10 million plastic pumps heading for landfill. We are currently exploring the possibility of developing a scheme to re-use the plastic pumps. If you are interested in helping us with our research please contact mel@thegreencentre.co.uk

Audio Cassettes - Audio Cassettes can be re-used and recycled. They can be re-used locally. Charity shops and car boot sales are the most common place to re-use them. Keymood UK recycle audio cassettes, they are shredded and made into new products. Currently there is no local scheme to transport them to Keymood.

Batteries - (hearing aid) - We are currently researching this if you have any onformation which might help please let us know. We are waiting to hear from Battery Back, a recycling scheme which recycles ALL batteries.

Batteries - (watch) - Watch batteries can be recycled. There are local opportunities. Any Timpsons store will accept your watch batteries for recycling. There is a Timpsons at 15 North Street (Brighton), 66 George Street (Hove) and 127 Church Road (Brighton) Please contact us if you know of any more places which accept watch batteries.

Batteries (car) - Car Batteries can be recycled. There is a local scheme. They can be recycled at either the Brighton or Hove recycling site. See R for recycling site for location and opening times. Alternatively they can be traded in at a dealers where you will receive approximately 35p per battery. It is most often your local scrap dealer who will accept these.

Batteries (household)) -

Batteries can be recycled. There is a local scheme. They can be included in the Brighton and Hove kerb side collection. They need to be placed in a separate bag. They can be taken to either the Brighton or Hove recycling site. See R for Recycling sites for location and opening times.

For details of other schemes contact Specialist Waste Disposal or Envirogreen.

We throw away 25,000 - 30,000 tonnes of batteries every year, straight into landfill. We recycle only 1 tonne. In the first instance please consider using rechargeable batteries. They are a viable environmental alternative to disposable batteries as they can be recharged up to 1000 times and are much more powerful.

Click here to check out the USBCELL battery. This NiMH AA cell can be used in normal battery applications and can be recharged simply by plugging into a USB port.

Check out Uniross.

If you do use disposable batteries please recycle them.

Biodiesel - You can purchase bio-diesel at the following outlets in East Sussex, Bionic Fuels (01323 460983), Rye Bio-Fuels (01797 225552), Shabitat (01273 677577) and Viridine Ltd (01825 721437). If you have any further questions about using Biodiesel the please ask any of these suppliers.

Books - Books can be recycled locally. In the first instance consider ways of reducing your demand for books. If you can, borrow from the library, family, friends or colleagues or make a request for a specific book through FREECYCLE. If you need to own your books please consider charity shops and car boot sales. If you have books you no longer need there are several options; charity shop, car boot or how about Read it-Swap it, the online book recycling project.

Bottle Tops (Metal) - Currently researching this

Bottle Tops (Plastic) - Plastic bottle tops can be recycled. There is a local scheme. If the bottle tops are milk bottle tops then please see M for Milk Bottle Tops which will tell you all about our recycling scheme. Tops other than milk bottle tops can be included in our recycling scheme if they have the following details on the inside of the lid; the recycling logo and either the number 2 or 4 (this sometimes appears as 02 or 04). If these details do not appear then the lid must be disposed of in your general rubbish.

Brita Filters - Brita Filters can be recycled. There used to be a FREEPOST address. This is now no longer available. BRITA has launched a new in store recycling scheme. Recycling bins are now situated in a range of high street stores including Argos at 159/162 Western Road, Robert Dyas at 74 Western Road and 96 George Street. Other retailers which offer the service include Cargo, Comet, Sainsbury's, Homebase, Asda, and Makro. The BRITA branded bins will be located near to the existing water filter category in store. Customers can recycle any BRITA consumer product filter cartridge, including those for the new BRITA water filter taps. Click here to find recycle opportunities throughout the UK. Click here and read about how the filters are recycled.

BT Phones - BT phones can be recycled. This is a national scheme. Use freephone 0800 800 150 to order a padded jiffy bag to send it back.

Building Materials - Whether you have building materials to dispose of or building materials you would like to acquire, contact Tiger Enterprise Ltd who specialise in reclaiming and re-using building materials. Alternatively speak to Dan on 07766 568684 for more details.

Carbon - Carbon emissions can be reduced. The average annual carbon output per UK household is 12.5 tonnes and rising! Calculate your carbon footprint with BP , Carbon Footprint or My Carbon Footprint . One third of your carbon output is from heat and power in your home, one third is a by product from driving and flying and one third is from food miles. Despite a Government target to reduce our carbon emissions by 65% by 2050, the current trend is that the world carbon output is increasing. Experts at The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organsiation have produced statistics based on 30 years research; The world carbon output has doubled since 1990. It's going in the wrong direction! Please consider how you can reduce your personal carbon footprint. For help with this try Climate Care or Carbon Footprint . Looking at this can be quite overwhelming so try to take it one step at a time and remember, Rome wasn't built in one day and you won't reduce your carbon footprint in one day! Well done for making a start!

Carbon offsetting - Your carbon emissions can be offset by supporting a scheme which cuts emissions. According to Friends of the Earth carbon offsetting plays only a small role in the fight against climate change. Some of the offsetting schemes are seriously flawed.

Cardboard - Cardboard can be recycled. There are several local schemes. It can be included in your kerb side collection - alternatively please take it to either the Brighton or Hove recycling site. See R for Recycling Sites for location and opening times.

Carrier Bags - Carrier bags can be recyled. There is a local scheme. Tesco's and Morrison's operate a scheme and Magpie also operate a scheme - however there is a small cost involved. 42% of us fail to recycle carrier bags. Annually the UK wastes 6 billion carrier bags, last year that amounted to 40,000 tonnes. The most important action regarding carrier bags is to reduce or re-use them. This is easily done by using a "bag for life" which is available at all major supermarkets or by re-using your carrier bags. Try to adopt a new habit of taking a handful of carrier bags with you whenever you go shopping or leaving a handful in your car. Plastic is made from oil - world oil supplies are running out. Modbury in Devon have adopted a carrier bag free initiative and Brighton are following suit.

Cars - Cars contribute significantly to carbon emisssions. There are some simple measure you can take. Reduce how many journeys you make by ditching the car for short journeys. Good planning means you can get many jobs done during one journey. Car sharing is helpful. Check out the following Lift Share , Carplus , CityCarClub , Streetcar and WhizzGo.

CD's - CD's can be recycled. There is a local scheme. This scheme is only appropriate when the CD cannot be re-used. Take them to City Direct at Bartholomew House in Bartholomew Square, Brighton. They will gladly accept your unwanted CD's which are then transported to Beacon Press in Uckfield. The City Direct office is open on from 9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. It is best to re-use CD's where possible. Donate them to a charity shop, sell them at a car boot sale, alternatively some High St stores buy CDs.

Ceramics - Ceramics can be recycled. There is a local scheme. Please take them to either the Brighton or Hove recycling site. See R for Recycling Sites for location and opening times.

Chemicals - Chemicals can be recycled. There is a local scheme. Please take to the council recycling site in Hove. Please see R for Recycling Sites for location and opening times.

Coins - Coins can be re-used. There are local opportunities. To make best use of old English currency take it to a coin shop for valuation and advice on how best to dispose of the coins. There is a shop in Brighton called Valelink Ltd which can be found at 26 Queens Rd, Brighton. The telephone number is 01273 202906. There is a shop in Hove called The Hove Coin Shop which is at 3 Planet House, The Drive, Hove. Their telephone number is 01273 737537.

Commercial Waste - There are many companies who deal with commercial waste throughout the UK. Not all of them recycle the waste. Whoever you pay to remove your commercial waste it would be supportive to the environment if you choose a company which recycles. Local companies include: Brighton Waste (01273 410777) who recycle cardboard, hardcore, metal and paper, Green Acre Recycling (01273 309866) who recycle glass, hardcore, metal and wood, Magpie (01273 685628) who recycle all the commercial waste they collect and Team Waste (01342 711941) who recycle cardboard and glass. Companies who offer their services throughout the UK include: Biffa (01273 564064) who recycle paper and cardboard, PHS (O1273 446152) who try to recycle as much as they can but can’t guarantee this, Sita (01342 716388) who recycle cardboard, glass, paper, plastic, tin and wood and Veolia (02392 666999) who currently recycle nothing. Since October 2007 there are new directives in relation to commercial waste. Click here for further information about this.

Compost - Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into valuable food for your garden. By composting at home you can reduce the amount of rubbish you put out for collection and return important nutrients & minerals to your soil. You can compost coffee & tea, flowers & plants, grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves (small amount), sawdust & bark, fruit & vegetables, cardboard & paper. Click here for more or call 0845 600 0323. If you would like to compost meat, fish, cooked food and dairy products it is recommended that you use a Green Cone or a Green Johanna (call 0800 731 2572). For composting with worms, contact Wiggly Wigglers on 0800 216990. If you don't have a garden, Brighton & Hove Community Compost scheme will gladly accept your waste food for composting. This scheme operates from Stanmer Park.

Computer Monitors - Computer Monitors can be recycled. There is a local scheme. Please take them to either the Brighton or Hove recycling site. See R for Recycling Sites for location and opening times.

Computers - Computers can be recycled. There is a local scheme. Magpie Recycling will collect all your unwanted PC equipment for a small fee. Click here for more details. We urge you to think seriously about all your computer purchases. Do you really need to update? Are you falling for all the marketing hype? What do you actually do on your computer? When you are updating use Freecycle to dispose of any machine which is actually working and all those leads and other paraphernalia! There are other schemes which allow you to dispose of your IT equipment. Try Computer Aid or Computers for Charities

Confetti - Charles Hudson has created confetti from delphinium, rose and wildflower petals which biodegrades naturally. Its available from The Real Flower Petal Confetti Company

Console Games - The SUN Donate-A-Disc Appeal for Starlight is raising money to grant wishes to seriously and terminally ill children across the UK by recycling and reselling your old DVDs and console games. Simply take them to your nearest Block Busters. They will accept games for the Xbox, XB360, PSP, PS2, PS3 Gamecube, Gameboy Advance, DS and Wii. Donations will be accepted up to 31 Dec 2007. Click here for more about this scheme.

Construction - Whether it’s a demolition job, unwanted materials arising throughout a project or end of project site clearance – DON’T SKIP IT – contact Tiger Enterprise Ltd who will come and collect your waste for free and then recycle and re-use as much as much of your construction waste and excess as possible. They collect from a 10 mile radius of Newhaven which covers Brighton, Lewes, Newhaven, and Eastbourne. Click here for more details alternatively contact Dan on 07766 568684.

Cooking Oil -

Cooking Oil can be recycled. There are several local schemes. Please take your old oil to either the Brighton or Hove recycling site. See R for Recycling Sites for location and opening times. Alternatively the Brighton "Slick School" scheme operated by Magpie will accept the following waste vegetable oils; maize, olive, palm, rapeseed, soya, sunflower, safflower, sesame, almond, coconut, groundnut / peanut and walnut oil. Do not worry about small particles or other food matter in the oil - this will be sieved out. The scheme does not accept oil contaminated with animal fat. Please save your oil in a screw top plastic bottle no larger than 2 litres. No glass bottles or flip top lids.

Dorothy Stringer School, Stinger Way, Withdean, Brighton have their slick bin open to the public throughout the term. Call 01273 852222 for more details.

Hertford Infant School, Hertford Rd, Hollingdean, Brighton, open their Slick Bin for just a couple of hours every half-term. Call 01273 552931 for more details.

Benfield Junior School, Old Shoreham Rd, Portslade have not confirmed their Slick Bin opening times so please call 01273 294950 for details.

Somerhill School, Somerhill Rd, Hove , have not confirmed their Slick Bin opening times so please call 01273 739659 for details.

Copper (General) - Copper can be recycled. There are local opportunities. Copper piping, copper boilers, etc can be taken to a scrap dealer. Copper has a very good scrap value. The local scrap metal company that The Green Centre use is a family run company called Argyle Metals Ltd. Their number is 01273 680559. Their address is Argyle Hall, Campbell Rd, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4RA.

Copper (Wire) - Copper wire can be recycled. There are local opportunities. Copper wire can be taken to a scrap dealer. You can take it with or without the plastic coating still on. You will receive more money if the plastic coating is removed. The local scrap metal company that The Green Centre use is a family run company called Argyle Metals Ltd. Their number is 01273 680559. Their address is Argyle Hall, Campbell Rd, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4RA.

Corks - There are no cork recycling schemes in the UK. All cork products purchased in the UK are manufactured in Portugal therefore it is not a viable option to ship them back across the waters. The good thing is that they are biodegradable. They can also be reused. The Alchemist Scrap Store in Worthing will accept corks which are used in schools for Art and Science projects. They can be used to make cork noticeboards and they are excellent as part of a behaviour reward scheme at home or in school. It is a particularly good for groups. Research has shown that it is better to reward children for their good behaviour than punish them for their bad behaviour. That does not mean there can't be consequences for behaviour you consider inappropriate! Quite simply place a cork in the jar to reward behaviours you wish to encourage. When the jar is full the child / group receives a reward. It is best to discuss the reward with the child / group before you start; what may seem like a reward to you may not feel like a reward to the child / group. Super Nanny, Jo Frost uses a similar scheme using stickers and a chart.

Disabilities - Please note that for those with physical disabilities, vision impaired or mental health issues, reduce - reuse - recycle can be a challenge. Disposing of larger items may be difficult, remembering what can be recycled and when to recycle can be difficult. If you can offer assistance, please do, however please be gentle and be repsectful of people's feelings of independence.

DVD's - The best policy is to reduce! To avoid buying you can borrow or hire. Charity shops and boot sales are the best place for selling. Some High St stores also buy DVDs. The SUN Donate-A-Disc Appeal for Starlight is raising money to grant wishes to seriously and terminally ill children across the UK by recycling and reselling your old DVDs and console games. Take your unwanted DVD's and console games along to Block Busters - before 31.12.07. Click here for more about this scheme. Some DVD's will never be resold so when The Green Centre opens we will operate a recycling point for obsolete DVDs. We will take them to Beacon Press in Uckfield and they will kindly do the rest.

Electrical Goods - The best way forward is to reduce our demand for these items. If you can borrow from family, friends or colleagues do so. This is not always appropriate so please consider buying 2nd hand. Use Freecycle where items are available for free, otherwise there are car boot sales and 2nd hand electrical shops. The disposal of electrical goods is a growing problem. Where possible if the item is not broken please find a way of re-using it either by giving it to someone or selling it. If the item is broken be sure to dispose of it properely. The disposal of electical items is ever changing and there are new schemes popping up all the time. Check with your local council for the most up to date information. Hove YMCA on Blatching ton Road will accept your unwanted working appliances including cookers, fridges, microwaves, audio/HiFi, videos, computers, televisions, toasters, hairdryers and percolators. Phone 01273 777212 for more details.

Energy - According to Friends of the Earth, switching to a green electricity tariff is one of the best ways of making a difference for the environment. Try Ecotricity, or Good Energy or Green Energy. Price comparison services such as uSwitch will allow you to specifically request green tariffs when searching for a new electricity deal. Low energy light bulbs and similar efficient lighting systems could have a dramatic impact on global warming. According to the International Energy Agency, if we all switched we could prevent 16 billion tons of carbon being added to the world’s atmosphere and save £1,300bn. Switch now. For low energy light bulbs try Energy Savers Direct, or Simply Switch or The Green Shop.

Energy Saving Lightbulbs - Energy Saving Lightbulbs (unbroken) can be recycled. There is a local scheme. They are accepted at both recycling sites in Brighton and Hove. See R for recycling sites for location and opening times. Please ask a member of staff when you arrive and they will place the bulbs in the correct container. Should you break a bulb it is recommended that, as a precaution, ensure the room is well ventilated for 15 minutes. Then sweep up the broken material using a damp cloth. Place in a sealed plastic bag and take to either site for disposal.

Fabric Conditioner - Bio-D Fabric Conditioner is available from Greens on Blatchington Road in Hove. Currently their price is £2.53 a litre. Bio-D is a British Company.They describe themselves as an independent, family-owned, ethically motivated company, dedicated to promoting the use of hypoallergenic, environmentally responsible detergents that have a minimum impact on the ecosystem both in their use and in their manufacturing process. Where possible, all raw materials are plant-derived and are obtained from renewable sources.

Flowers - The way forward has to be to reduce our demand for flowers. The average bunch of flowers may have travelled as much as 27,000 miles to reach you for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day! Roses from Chile - 7,000 miles. Tulips & Leucadendron, from Holland - 200 miles. Cape Greens & Protea from South Africa - 6,000 miles. Lisianthus from Israel - 2,000 miles. Alstroemeria from Kenya - 4,000 miles. Some of the conditions for the people who grow these vast quantities of flowers ar