ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

Do you have a burning environmental question that you would like the answer to? Or perhaps you can answer a question that has already come in and baffled the experts?Μύ If so, then please fill out the form below and we will do our very best to get it answered by some of Cornwall's top experts.

Here are some of the answers to questions that have come in so far...

Is there anywhere where I can dispose of plastic guttering and other plastic items such as curtain tracks environmentally? - Brian in Troon

Guy Doncaster the Co-ordinator for Cornwall Waste Action says......When dealing with waste, we need to remind ourselves of the waste hierarchy, which ranks re-use before recycling, because it has less of an environmental impact. The re-use of unwanted products or materials that would otherwise become waste can in many cases still provide someone else with fit for purpose usage or alternative use.

The community waste sector has pioneered many services that promote re-use such asΜύ furniture and white goods, in Cornwall GOFA, SOFA and Re:source are community projects providing new homes for many unwanted goods, whilst there are also many re-use activities carried out by charity shops.

However, for the unwanted guttering and curtain rails I would recommend the online auction and exchange website Freecycle,Μύ it's an international grassroots and non-profit movement of people who are offering and receiving goods and materials for free in their own community. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer and membership is free.

To sign up go to:

In Cornwall there are local Freecycle groups in Bude, Falmouth, Hayle & St Ives, Newquay, Penzance, Saltash, St. Austell, Truro and Wadebridge.
I'm sure Brian will be able to access the Falmouth orΜύ the Hayle and St Ives group, alternatively he may want to look at setting up a new Freecycle group for Camborne & Redruth."

Where can batteries, i.e. the types used in torches etc be taken to be recycled?"

Phil Rudin, Operations Manager, SITA Cornwall says......."There are very few places that recycle household batteries in the whole country and unfortunately no recycling centres accept them in Cornwall. The best thing for the environment and for the waste stream is to buy re-chargable batteries which work out cheaper in the long run or to see if the appliance can be run by other means. All recycling centres across Cornwall accept car batteries."

When an item such as a plastic container carries the recycling symbol, why is it not the duty of the district council to accept it (even if they then choose to dispose of it in landfill)?ΜύThe current situation and differences between districts only leads to confusion and puts people off recycling - Martyn in Calenick

Esther O'Bearagh the Waste Projects and Awareness Officer for Cornwall County Council says......"District Councils will only collect items that they know that they can sell, not necessarily for profit, but to a reliable market where it can be guaranteed that the material will be recycled. While all plastic is technically recyclable, there are many types in the waste stream. The two main types of plastic that bottles are made from have stable long term markets in the UK and in Europe. Other plastics including yoghurt pots, food trays, margarine tubs, to not have those stable markets and are more difficult to deal with as they are more likely to be contaminated with food residues. This type of mixed plastic is often exported to the Far East where it is often recycled in conditions that have less respect for the environment or the health and safety conditions of the employees than European Companies, if they are recycled at all as the reprocessors tend to β€œCherry pick” out the materials that they want and landfill the rest. To collect materials for recycling then not recycle them would be totally contrary to excellent quality standard of recycling that we currently have in the County and the positive message that we give to our residents. At present all of the material that is collect is recycled. To collect a lot of plastic that can not be recycled, sorting it out and then land filling the non recyclable would be expensive and unproductive."

I have recently bought a couple of energy saving bulbs to try them out, but a bit confused as I have now read that these bulbs use 10 times more carbon than ordinary bulbs in their manufacture and also emit more radiation than mobile phones. Is this true?Μύ- Margaret , Launceston

Will Wason from Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership says...."It is true that more Carbon is emitted during the production of energy efficient bulbs than standard bulbs. However, during use, the energy efficient light bulbs produce only a fifth of the carbon used to power standard bulbs. Also, during the lifetime of an energy efficient bulb, a standard bulb would need to be replaced around 15 times. (Therefore carbon emitted each time a new one needs to be produced). In total, energy efficient bulbs are by far the lowest carbon way to light your home.

In terms of radiation, it is true that energy efficient bulbs produce radiation, in the form of radio waves. Radio waves are completely harmless. The comparison with a mobile phone is misleading, as the form of radiation used in mobile communications is microwaves which in high doses can be damaging to human health. This is not the case with radio waves.

You have already answered my question on low energy light bulbs, but I read with interest in my local newspaper an article by a reader on this subject. He wanted to know how we should dispose of these bulbs as they contain nasty things such as Mercury and recently there was a fuss about not being able to have barometers repaired because of the dangers involved. Please enlighten us on this subject.

Will Wason from Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership says...."The answer is yes - they do contain mercury, but as they last around 10 years there shouldn't be a problem just yet. At present they have to be disposed of in the same way as strip lights - i.e. at municipal tips - like St Erth. The fact is, the government announced in it's energy review white paper that it is going to phase out normal bulbs by 2011 (like Australia has done). So they will have to think of ways to deal with this. (for instance - stick it into the recycle box.)

Is it OK to put plastic lemonade bottles in with the milk bottle recycling? - Mark in Budock

Stephanie Crocker from Carrick Recycling says....."If you are in the Carrick area and use the kerbside recycling service then yes you can put it in with the plastic bottles as we will collect any type and colour.Μύ However, if you use the plastic bottle banks or the Kerrier collection service then no, it is only milk bottles that are collected."

Where can you recycle items like yogurt pots, meat and vegetable trays and general plastic packaging? - Anne in Redruth

Stephanie at Carrick says....who's in charge of recycling at Carrick District Council says…."Unfortunately, there is nowhere in Cornwall where you can recycle these items. They are made from several different types of polymers, unlike plastic bottles, and therefore there are not many reprocessing plants that wish to recycle them."

I have loads of rubber bands but I don't want to throw them away. Can I recycle them anywhere? - Chris in Truro

Stephanie at Carrick says...."Unfortunately they cannot be recycled. However, there are many charity shops etc that would like to have them for re-use."

Is there a facility to recyle crisp packets? - Maureen in Truro

Stephanie at Carrick replied.... "No. They have to be placed within the normal refuse bin."

Can you recycle tetra cartons? - Eric in Redruth

Stephanie at Carrick says.... "Tetra cartons can be recycled but at present there is nowhere in Cornwall to take them for recycling. At present there are not many reprocessing plants that recycle in the whole of the United Kingdom and therefore it is not the easiest material to get rid. In addition to this there has to be a balance of environmental benefit with costs and resources available."

Can you recycle telephone directories? -Jack in Saltash

Stephanie at Carrick says.... "Yes. It will depend on which District you live in as to whether they will be picked up on the recycling kerbside service or if you have to put them in the local yellow pages bring banks."

Can you get energy efficient strip lighting for kitchens? - Stephan in St Austell

Alec Rice from Community Energy Plus says..... "All fluorescent lighting is more efficient than filament lighting but some fluorescents are more efficient than others. Older fluorescent light fittings have start-up controls that are driven by a fairly inefficient transformer and capacitor system and the tubes themselves do not emit as much light as newer tubes. If you have old 35mm (1Β½ inch) diameter T12 fluorescent tubes, replacing them with 26mm (1 inch) T8 tubes will reduce electricity use by 10%. Replacing the light fitting with new mains-frequency controlled fittings will save a further 10%.

The ideal replacement would be T8 or T5 triphosphor tubes with high-frequency controlled light-fittings. This form of lighting is around 50% more efficient than the old T12 tubes and fittings. It also has the added advantage of allowing dimmer controls to be fitted. This is particularly useful in commercial buildings that have lights near windows as the lights can be linked to sensors that automatically dim the lighting when daylight is bright. High-frequency lighting also has the advantage of having no visible lamp flicker and smoother, faster start-up times."

Is there anywhere to recycle old hard back books? - Francis in Mylor Bridge

ANSWER: Stephanie Crocker from Carrick Council says..... "There are book banks within Cornwall where people can take their books to be recycled. If they live within the Carrick area they can be recycled on their kerbside recycling service, provided the hard backs have been removed."

Can you recycle milk bottle tops? - Karen near Truro

ANSWER: Stephanie writes..... "No. There are no reprocessing plants that wish to recycle them."

Roger from Redruth say's "In reply to your earlier question about recycling milk bottle tops we do Kerrier collect them in the Blue Box."

Can you recycle polystyrene? - Roger in Heamoor

ANSWER: Stephanie says.... "No, there are no reprocessing plants that recycles this material."