Frustrating and annoying as it is, we have learnt that when it comes it the environment you can’t use self-reference criteria. In other words, not everyone thinks and acts like us!

People who don’t currently recycle are not likely to be swayed by environmental arguments. If these people pay exactly the same as their neighbours regardless of whether or not they recycle then they simply won’t bother. No amount of education or persuasion will work. Period.

That’s why we were pleased to hear that people who recycle household waste could get up to £130 a year in shopping vouchers under plans outlined by the shadow chancellor. The Conservatives have been piloting the American-style scheme in Berkshire and say they would help roll it out to councils across Britain. In a speech George Osborne said the Tories would pay people to recycle, not “punish them” with “bin taxes”.

Whilst this may be no more than a political gimmick, these murmurings are a step in the right direction because they signal a greater willingness to tackle the appalling lack of recycling in the UK.

The focus of previous attempts to encourage people to recycle have typically revolved around punitive methods, such as the threat of fines and even putting spy cameras inside bins. These approaches can lead to resentment and claims of Big Brother snooping, prompting calls for a different approach based on reward not punishment.

Differential pricing on Council Tax bills is one possible solution. In the same way a household qualifies for a discount for a single person, a discount could be applied to households who recycle waste in different bins. This could be funded by proportionately increasing the Council Tax bills of those who choose not to recycle. It’s also fairer because it recognises each household’s impact on the environment, the amount of waste they send to landfill sites and the cost to the local authority. Those who choose not to recycle are not forced to do so through punitive measures, but instead pay more in recognition of the extra cost to the local authority of processing their waste.

Yes, this would add some complexity to billing but it would lead to a more equitable charging system which more closely aligned financial contribution with environmental impact.

Clearly, differential pricing on Council Tax bills is just one possible solution amongst many different incentives that could be considered but the general principle remains the same. That is, those who recycle must be given a financial benefit over their non-recycling neighbours if we are to have a credible and workable system of recycling in the UK.

One way you can recycle your computer is to ask where you had bought your computer and see if they have a recycling program and sometimes they may only take your old computer when you buy a new computer from them.

Next see if a company like Dell or HP has a free recycling program or see if you can recycle your computer with them when you buy a new computer. Also I know Apple has a recycling program when you buy a new computer from them and you can recycle your old computer and when you buy a new ipod you can recycle all of your old ipods and cell phones for free.

Next you can try going to your local recycling center and ask if they have a recycling program for computers and or other electronics most of the time they should have a recycling program but it varies in different towns or see if there is a recycling program in a nearby city that would take it.

If the first few didn’t work or if your computer is still usable you can do one of these two. You can advertise your computer/electronics in the buy and sell/newspaper. Or you can donate it to a local school, shelter, organization and you will know your computer will be used for a good cause and a lot of the time you may even get a tax deduction for donating your computer.

There may be many other ways to recycle your computer but when you do recycle your computer you may have to pay a small free or sometimes it may cost you nothing.

Afterall it has a Woodland Trust badge on it and everything – it must be OK? Surely…

Well, sadly the reality is far more murky. Nouvelle is produced by Georgia Pacific and according to the WWF Report on how companies source fibres for tissue paper they don’t fair so well. For example “Land rights conflicts, forest destruction, irresponsible plantations management and illegal harvesting of timber are key issues associated with many of these forest regions”.

To learn more about the specifics of the tissue industry reports go to the WWF website, the information there is much more in-depth than I want to go into in this post and makes for an enlightening read.

But there is more to this story.

Georgia Pacific is owned by Koch industries and those of you out there that already know Koch industries will understand why this information might lead you to change brands. Surprisingly a lot of consumers have probably never heard of Koch even though they are the largest privately owned company in the world – no, really.

Dig a little deeper.

As ever, the Internet is your friend and you can find out a lot of information on your own – here are a couple of interesting links – both of which are from the U.S Department of Justice:

Koch Industries Indicted For Environmental Crimes At Refinery

Koch Industries To Pay Record Fine For Oil Spills In Six States

Wow! and we are just getting warmed up, these guys have been busy for sure. I don’t think I need to go much further – you get what I’m getting at.

The alternatives.
Getting back to toilet paper then, there are alternatives that do come from managed sources. According to the WWF report, looking for the FSC logo on packaging will help as this is the only standard they recognise as assurance that “If virgin fibres are used they need to come from forests managed to the highest environmental and social standards”.

SCA Tissue produce the Naturalle brand in the UK which is 100% recycled and available to UK consumers.

More information on recycled brands here.

Hopefully the WWF will have a new report soon and we will see if anything has changed in the world of tissue and toilet paper. As we effectively flush or trash 270,000 trees per day this is no place for toilet humour.