When it comes to re-cycling, Gedling Borough Council rates a poor 260th out of 350 English local authorities. Gedling re-cycles only 36.7% of its domestic waste compared to the national average of 45.2%. Gedling’s announcement that it intends to be a ‘Plastic Clever Council’ is welcome but has to be seen in the context of its recent closure of 6 local ‘bring’ recycling sites and the earlier cancellation of its commercial recycling collection service.

There are millions upon millions of nonrefillable plastic pens which cannot be recycled as they have metal components thrown away every day which is adding to the plastic wasteland and polluting the environment.

An estimated 5 million pots are wasted each year. They are expensive to recycle and inevitably end up outside of conventional routes of waste management, therefore adding to plastic residues in water courses and oceans. It's a problem that shouldn't exist. Biodegradable alternatives are already easily available and at low costs, made from materials such as bamboo, rice husks, cardboard, coconut and straw. Plastic pots are designed as single use packaging so even if they are re-used they have a very short lifespan and are ultimately un-recyclable.

Palm oil plantations are responsible for the destruction of rain forests and is threatening the orangutang with extinction. This is also causing negative climate change in a big way.

These images are plastered all over the tube, buses, bus shelters, newspapers, magazines etc. Subliminally de-sensitising young minds that this is ok and the norm. Young minds and easily manipulated minds that see the hero carries a gun or knife. There has been 11 fatal shootings already this year in London, and endless knife attacks resulting in fatalities not to mention acid attacks. Though this may not be considered an important change we need to change the influence culture has. We can't change the films and games themselves but we can change the way they are sold to us, glorifying killing. And these small changes will contribute to the change in society. I have started an instagram page documenting what I see called. https://www.instagram.com/gunsonthetube

If we don't act soon with the plastic problem then its only going to get harder. we need to sort this out now and fast.

In London most single and double decker buses are able to accomodate disabled passengers by lowering the step or deploying a ramp for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. It has been noticed that a large number of cities and towns outside of London do not seem to have a similar service for the disabled passengers in their communities. For example: in the Greater Manchester area, where some buses do have a step that can be lowered for disabled passengers, they either do not work or only do so intermittantly, therefore causing disabled passengers with crutches a lot of distress when entering the bus and where wheelchairs and mobility scooters are concerned, where the step cannot be lowered, those disabled persons are unable to travel. The picture above shows one of the latest buses to be put into service in Germany. If you examine it closely you can see that the set of doors in the middle has a sign for wheelchair and buggy access. This includes a deployable ramp. This design should be a standard requirement on public transport that use roads.

No animal deserves to die a slow and agonising death with very unnecessary suffering. Glue traps are also indescriminate - they can trap loved pets and wildlife that was not under target.

I live in Leeds and only the plastics marked 1, 2 and 4 are recycled. I and many others want to recycle all plastics as around 50% of our grey bins are filled with plastics that the council will not accept. This is unsustainable and needs to be stopped.

Chewing gum is made from plastic. Think how much chewing gum you've put in your mouth believing it was a natural substance. Think of how much you've thrown away thinking it will compost naturally over time. Originally, chewing gum was made from natural "chicle" gum, which biodegrades in under a month. However, modern chewing gum uses a gum base made from polymers which are synthetic plastics. This is not organic waste that composts, it is a hidden plastic in our food, it will not break down naturally, and adds to all the other plastic humanity continues to produce, purchase and discarded. I am calling on the manufacturers of all chewing gum to revert back to a natural gum base and ensure the product is 100% free from plastic. Sign the petition if you want to reduce plastic usage and agree with this proposal.

I was told today by one soft drinks company, (who I contacted for information about their products’ jackets), that they didn’t have that information to hand. They then phoned me back, to say, “it’s entirely recyclable”. Well, if it is, surely that info should be added to the jackets. I was also told, by the same person, that, just as I wouldn’t recycle a baked beans tin without washing it first, their drinks’ jackets should be removed BEFORE recycling their plastic bottles. What? A simple line of text on the jacket about its material would suffice. Lucozade Rubens Suntory LTD, Britvic and others need to be more transparent. It’s vital for consumers to not only be aware of their drink’s contents, but also what the entire packaging is made of, for recycling purposes and to make an informed choice. Companies should declare precisely which material the jackets are made from, giving consumers the information needed when selecting a drink. In this age of environmental awareness and increased environment responsibility, consumers require to be better informed. We have a moral and ethical right to know if the jackets are entirely safe to recycle, (and, conversely, if they are potentially damaging to the environment and wildlife). And ... if we’re supposed to peel off the jackets and recycle the bottle and jacket separately, then this needs to be stated on the jacket. It certainly should not be a matter of guess work, assuming because the plastic bottle is recyclable, then the jacket must be too!

Single-use plastic water bottles are polluting our environment as they are non-biodegradable. Studies have also shown that traces of plastic are found in the liquids they hold, which has the potential to be damaging to human health. Reusable bottles and cups can last a lifetime and save people money in the long-run. There are many alternative materials to plastic packaging that are biodegradable and just as effective.