I was contacted by an eco-friendly company this week, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing their products. I'm not going to tell you who they are as I've said yes and want to keep my powder dry until I write the post, but it got me thinking about eco-friendliness and the apparant complete lack of recycling facilities here in Moscow.
Everything goes into the same bin. Everything. No separation of card, glass, plastics, batteries; nothing. I'm told by a new friend here, who has made it her mission to try and educate people about the advantages of recycling, that this is a direct result of the communist era when everyone was forced to recycle. Now, they don't have to - so they don't. Recycling is something Russians now see themselves as being lucky not to have to do. And let's face it, with a country as vast as this one, I suppose it's not too hard to find remote spots to dump the trash in vast landfills where nobody is immediately affected. Out of sight, out of mind.
I wish my new friend the best of luck - I think she's going to need it.
So I suppose it should be no surprise that with this issue top of mind for me, I'm recommending as British Blogging Mummy of the Week another crusader for recycling. Almost Mrs Average at The Rubbish Diet writes that:
'The Rubbish Diet is written by Karen Cannard, a housewife and now freelance writer, based in Bury St Edmunds, where she lives with her husband and two young children. The blog was only intended to last for just 8 weeks, to chart Karen's attempts at slimming down her bin for Zero Waste Week in March 2008. However, having realised the importance of the issue it has since been impossible to shut the woman up.'
Karen writes in an interesting, knowledgeable and entertaining way about the challenges of 'slimming down your bin' in our consumer society. And in my book, anyone who says: 'So think about it, if the bathroom can last one more day, then leave it and go and do something more interesting instead' in Week 4 of their New Year Rubbish Diet Challenge has got to be worth a look...
For the British Mummy Bloggers Ning, click here. (Note: It's called 'Mummy', but Dads can be members too).
I'm a bit worried that having had to unlearn all our recycling habits here (and it is too odd to put a tin in the bin but where else does it go when there isn't any recycling?) we are going to relearn the whole blue/green recycling thing. I'll feel better about it though.
ReplyDeleteGreat blogger pick - she is fab. x
Great choice of blogger for the week - I was reading her latest post and realised her passion.
ReplyDeleteRecycling is made quite hard here because of the lack of bins, even though we have a blue recycling bin, it sometimes doesn't get emptied which means it overflows. I do my best but over it has been very hard. I don't drive at the moment so am unable to take my recycling away which means we rely on the bin man.
CJ xx
I have so much more to learn and do with recycling. I'm the classic sort of use the recycle bin bags but that's about it. When we move I am turning over a new leaf, so will read your reviews with interest!
ReplyDeleteWill go and have a look! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting - I'll be over to read her blog. My impression is that Americans are getting the hang of recycling, but still only provide one measly small bin for a whole week's worth (whereas normal rubbish collection is three times a week). There is also a distinct lack of bottle bins/recycle bins around in public areas. I have to say it does make the UK look good in contrast, if not quite as good as Scandinavia/Germany etc.
ReplyDeleteWe have been recycling our rubbish for so many years that I can't imagine not doing it. Where we live now our recycling bin is about twice the size of the normal bin. We also have to option to drive to the local 'tip' to deposit anything that won't fit in the bin although this attracts a small charge once the annual quota of free drops have been used.
ReplyDeleteI think the frustrating thing about recycling is that there is no consistency to it across a country, let alone the planet. My sister won a national award in Washington DC for her efforts at getting Dallas businesses to recycle in the 1990s, my parents were taking cans, bottle and newspapers to the recycling 'bank' in the 1970s in Minnesota, and yet in other parts of the States I know it is just starting to catch on!
ReplyDeleteI live in Essex and the council next to me (about 2 miles away) has very intense recycling, providing three large bins for recycling and fines people for not recycling properly. My council, on the other hand, is far more relaxed.
I love being able to recycle because it feels good (!) but also because we have a large family and dividing up the rubbish means we have more space in the bin. The idea of slimming the bin is fantastic--I know I need to make a greater effort to do just this. I hadn't heard of this blogger, I shall check her out!
Hi PM - thank you, thank you, thank you. What a lovely surprise. I read your email on my phone yesterday, but couldn't get online to comment until now. Thank you for all the great comments and support from other BMBs too. It's interesting what you say about recycling in Russia and how people are more lax about doing it because they no longer have to adhere to strict rules. Maybe I should get The Rubbish Diet translated into Russian LOL...interestingly I don't get many visitors from Russia. I now know why :-)
ReplyDeleteBTW Michelloui, I totally get what you say about recycling consistencies across the country and even within the same counties too. If everyone had access to the same standards of facilities we would be far further forward than we are now.
Anyway thanks again PM. It really is a privilege... and everyone's talking rubbish on your blog. That's great! :-D x
That sounds just like when we moved to the UK seventeen (is it that long already???) years ago - we were appalled that glass and everything had to go in the same bin. I suppose you're catching up to us mainlanders then...
ReplyDelete