Plastic Free July

As 2020 rolls on, frightening facts continue to emerge about our waste output, such as that 75% of rubbish is the result of drinking on the go. Shocking statistics such as these are enough to teach us that the plastic problem persists and that it needs to be addressed. Clearabee have always been proactive in our environmentally-friendly endeavours and in a continuation of this, we are pleased to support Plastic Free July. But what is that exactly?

An Australian initiative, but now a global response of 250 million participants in 177 countries, Plastic Free July does exactly what it says on the tin. Whilst all about saving the planet, Plastic Free July modestly aims at making little changes which then add up to result in an enormous and impactful change.

Practical Plastic Usage

There are practical changes with our plastic use that everyone can make easily and the Plastic Free July website highlights those simple things that you might not otherwise think about changing. For example, using biodegradable bags for pet poop and nappies is a simple product switch which makes a negligible difference to your day-to-day life, but a massive difference to the planet.

Similarly, reusable coffee cups are not a new invention by any stretch of the imagination, but the amount of people who don’t use them (this writer included) is alarming. There is an enormous range of stylish, carriable and novelty reusable coffee cups out there and some coffee chains even offer a discount for using them. Save the planet while saving some money? How can we say no to that?

Even smaller still though, is the change of reducing our cling film and plastic wrap usage. Lunchboxes are airtight so they’ll stop your sandwiches from going stale and whilst still plastic, they’re completely reusable. Cling film takes two years to biodegrade and is often unrecyclable due to being contaminated with food waste. As for leftovers, these can easily be stored in their original containers, where possible. Again, they’re airtight and it makes sense to get a second use out of them.

These tips all come from the Pesky Plastics Quiz on the Plastic Free July website. If you opt in, the quiz helps to form a national picture of plastic usage, as well as providing comparable results when we come to the end of July and the beginning of August. It’s a great little tool to make you more aware of the plastic problem and how easy it would be to help fix it.

Clearabee will be getting involved with the Plastic Free movement in July (and beyond). If you’re getting on board too, the official website has got plenty of resources for a whole host of ways that you can get involved with Plastic Free July, whether that’s at work, in your neighborhood or at (home)school.

What are Clearabee doing for the environment?

Since 2018, Clearabee have planted 19,674 trees and created two new UK forests in the process. This has been part of an increased effort to not only reduce our carbon emissions, but to offset them completely. These forests not only act as a wildlife preserve and mitigate flooding, but have already offset 1,886 tonnes of CO2.

Our industry-leading rubbish removal services use ultra-light EURO 6 vehicles, which operate from over 100 locations across the UK. This means that the driving distances between waste collection jobs are significantly reduced. Our carbon emissions are further reduced as our vehicles are tracked with real-time driver behavior monitoring so we can unsure eco-friendly driving.

Recycling-wise, Clearabee use over 600 recycling locations across the UK to ensure that journeys are reduced and that recycling is kept local. We identify the recycling centres which offer the most efficient recycling rates, which might include an anaerobic digestion plant for food wastage, a composting centre for garden waste or a materials recovery facility for bulky waste.

We are particularly proud of our recycling and landfill diversion rates. These currently sit at a rate of over 95% of all the rubbish and waste we collect. If Plastic Free July gives you the bug for being a bit more eco-conscious, why not give our 5-Star, environmentally-friendly rubbish removal services a try?

Removing rubbish (and protecting the planet). It’s what we do.

About Clearabee

Clearabee operates nationwide on-demand rubbish clearance and waste removal services, with over 120 vehicles and 300 directly employed staff. Our core services include our industry-leading rubbish clearance service as well as our skip bag, skip hire and sofa removal services.

Clearabee has been ranked as the fastest-growing waste management company in Europe for 3 years running and featured on The Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track for the last two years.