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Book Review: Recycle – The Essential Guide

Recycle – The Essential Guide contains anything and everything that you need to know about recycling, how and why it is done, how to do it, its success-rates and covers a number of fascinating case studies of how recycling is working all over the world.

As an introduction to the book, Lucy Siegle puts forward the case for recycling, explaining the philisophy and logic of recycling, and then plunges into the facts and figures, showing how we just aren’t doing enough yet.

The materials covered are paper, glass, metal, plastic, household waste and compost, going into the processes of recycling the specific material, showing what you can do and giving you instructions on how to make your own wormery to compost your kitchen waste.

Case studies look at the environmental policies of the world’s super-powers, the successes of Zurich’s Green Dot programme, the nappy debate, and composting in Hackney, as well as many more inspiring stories. If these guys can do it, why can’t we?

Finally, the directory section at the back of the book contains details of eco-directories (including Eco Street), green designers and clothing manufacturers, sustainable furniture makers and household product suppliers, as well as a recycling directory of governmental organisations, and an international directory of NGOs.

This book has taught me a fair few things, and I thought that I knew quite a bit about recycling. I’d recommend it to those who barely know anything about recycling, as well as those who’ve been around the block, for the wealth of information it contains and its value as an inspirational tool.

Published by Black Dog Publishing.