Recycling - Can you help?

[amylamontfitness]

Dulwich Park cafe sells take away teas and coffees in throw away cups, canned drinks and plastic bottles. Today was sunny and the park cafe was as usual absolutely packed with customers buying food and drink. There are 6 bins outside the cafe and none of these are recycling bins. I asked the cafe staff and was told that Southwark Council are responsible for the bins and not the cafe.

Currently a HUGE amount of recyclable waste is going to landfill. This problem is not exclusive to Dulwich Park and I think Southwark need to step up and put more recycling facilities into their parks in general. I am going to contact Southwark council and request recycling bins. I wanted to ask others to do the same as this is a shocking situation and one that would be easy to amend.

[uncleglen]

Easier still would be if people took their waste home and recycled it themselves- if they REALLY cared!

[ed26]

In an ideal world maybe, but sometimes it isn't practical to do so. Recycling bins is a much better idea - and more bins generally. Goose Green playground bins were overflowing the other day and litter was blowing all around the playground.

[beansprout]

Had them a couple of years ago by cafe area and near FP Building - was told not enough use at all so went.!! Real pity - would sign petition or whatever to get them installed but need more than just a couple in park.

[Sally Eva]

Unless they specifically marked recyclable, most take-away cups can't be recycled because they have a plasticised liner.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/disposable-coffee-cups-how-big-problem-environment-landfill-recycling-incinerate-export-rubbish-a8142381.html

If you buy take-away coffee or tea and the enormous amount going to waste bothers you then buy a keepcup (or similar, there are lots of different sorts). Quite a few eco-friendly cafes will give you a discount if you bring your own cup -- you are reducing their costs and (more importantly) the planet. The cafes often sell these cups too.

https://uk.keepcup.com/?country=United%20Kingdom#

[amylamontfitness]

I have got a reusable coffee cup and never buy take away cups. My point is that hundreds of cans and plastic bottles are heading straight for landfill. If they had recycling bins in the park then this would really help. If you care about recycling then you could help by contacting Southwark.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Isn't there a big recycling bin in the bin area just behind behind the cafe, next to the outside loos?

[daveybigpotatoes]

Very little waste goes to landfill these days. Recycle bins easier for the waste groups to manage but putting recyclables into general waste will likely be sorted into recycling, or used for energy production.

[amylamontfitness]

YEs there is a big recycling bin behind the cafe totally out of sight. I am suggesting that some recycling bins next to the other bins would help.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Agreed. If you do go to the bin area at the back, watch out for rats - it's crawling with them sometimes.

[FightingFit]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Agreed. If you do go to the bin area at the back,

> watch out for rats - it's crawling with them

> sometimes.

...they probably made their way from Goose Green

[natty01295]

Download a poster for them And Customers

[Sally Eva]

I don't think Southwark does consumer facing waste bins ie things that look like rubbish bins but say recycling only or similar. They used to some time ago but maybe gave up because (like all the other similar bins I've ever seen) they were filled by miscellaneous rubbish.

I think Veolia sort the park bin rubbish for recycling. You could check this with your local councillor. Disposable cups are a different problem (which you have solved personally with the keep-cup) because they are not re-cyclable at all (they are a mix of paper and plastic which can't be separated).

Some cafes use paper cups inside and out which seems terrible to me -- presumably it saves on the washing up. All you can do about that is not use them and tell your friends.

[Abe_froeman]

Those coffee cups can actually be recycled now. There is a company in Kent that does it, and even our own local waste management service provider seem to do it!

https://www.veolia.co.uk/services/coffee-cup-recycling

[Sally Eva]

That is good news. It seems to take more effort than most people put into waste disposal -- but being able to recycle them is the first step.

Disposable nappies too now https://www.thebalancesmb.com/knowaste-recycles-absorbent-hygiene-products-2877867

[ianr]

Wow. Where is your coffee shop?

[Angelina]

Rather petition the cafe not to use Single Use Plastic and only biodegradable cups. We have them at work.

People forget they hold the power as consumers.

[Nigello]

Or you could decide to reduce or even cut out your coffee consumption from shops and take a flask instead or even stop the habit altogether! You'd be less jittery, save money and be less impactful on the environment....

[Angelina]

Even better.