You say that you are concerned about the environment SH, so what is the first action that you would like your new government to do to improve matters?
After freedom day at the end of the month I would like our new government to take a firm line on food packaging. Within 3 years I would like all food packaging sold in the UK to be recyclable. I would also insist on all UK recycle plants use the same criteria, the current system of 'check with the local plant' clearly isn't working. There is no reason the UK cannot seek to have much higher standards than in the rest of Europe. The PM's current partner has a huge interest in the environment, this will undoubtedly encourage him to be the most environmental friendly PM the UK has ever had.
I am pleased that you have come up with the one on packaging as on my recent trip to the UK I couldn't believe just how far you were behind France on this one. We have very little now that cannot be recycled, but it has come with a cost, both in what we pay in the shops, and the cost of updating all of the recycling plants. Rather too much waste from the UK has been sent to Europe to recycle, but a number of countries are now saying that they will not accept it in future. I noticed in the Watford Observer that the Watford residents are now going to have their waste collections halved, and to dispose of garden waste there will now be a charge due to further cuts in central funding. Have you had the offer of free compost bins so that you reduce your waste. I have, and now have received the offer of another one. All good stuff, but it doesn't cost nothing, someone pays in one form or another. The reason that you have a lot of catching up to do is what exactly?
The problem is that if any party really brought in the measures that we really need then they would be punished at the following election Frenchie. This is the weakness of our democratic systems - no party in a democracy could have brought in a law like the Chinese did restricting the numbers of children people could have. As long as parties are tied to the dictates of the ballot box then very little can happen. We need a sovereign body on this with absolute powers, which stands above the party system. In the absence of such a thing then it comes down to the individual, or to the commune itself to act independently of government. At the end of the day every individual is responsible for their own Co2 footprint - and then the community around you.
Recycling in France is way behind the European average. Wales is in the top 5 in the world and Scotland is in the top 15. France and the UK are fairly similar. You only see what you want to see. Try to do some proper research in future before making silly statements.
Interactive Recycling Map - The Top 25 Countries for Recyclinghttps://www.willshees.co.uk › interactive-recycling-map "France has a lot of catching up to do compared to its European counterparts when it comes to recycling. One of the biggest issues in France is how their waste is sorted."
As the UK is practically ensured to keep the same government for the next 10, probably 20 years, it is ideally placed to bring in strict environmental targets. A huge parliamentary majority enables a government to withstand periods of unpopularity if the public cannot immediately see the long term benefits of cutting down on all forms of pollution.
You are being rather disingenuous here SH. Two potatoes on a tray covered with plastic film. What is wrong with picking out two from a box and putting them in a paper bag? As your article states England is now worse than it was when the current government came to power. We have had a massive boost to recycling over the past couple of years, with all twelve of our centres being enlarged to accommodate better separation of materials taken there. This has cost approximately €70,000 each, but it is working. Last year 78% of all rubbish collected from homes was recycled here, whereas in the UK it was 45%. Our new enlarged facility that takes in our recycling waste can now deal with all plastics bar a couple of odd ones. How many facilities do you have that are similar in the UK? None, it is sent to countries all around the world. You should look at the heap of metal on the dockside at Newhaven that is waiting to be taken abroad. If other countries can make use of it, why not the UK? As stated above the government has made it a very low priority over the last ten years, and what is to say that they will suddenly be converted? On their past record you would have to be very trusting to believe that anything will change.
The new PM has already stated environmental issues will be at the forefront of future government policies. France remains well below the European average, you should be looking to Germany for ideas. Having government employees still on strike, for over a month, does not help France.
You can actually plan for a wobbly tenure of office which may enjoy an initial honeymoon until people wake up and realize that your so called 'freedom day' means nothing and that you will wake up on February 1st still tied to all the laws of the EU. After a possible hard Brexit at the end of 2020 people will realize that the so called land of milk and honey on the other side wasn't so rosy after all. So don't go planning for long term periods SH. Is your government going to bring in a kerosene tax for frequent flyers ? Or ban inland flights ? Or make life hard for SUV drivers ? Or prevent sub standard American goods from invading the UK ? I would doubt any of those, and a lot more.
Recycling is only one issue of many SH. France performs better on Co2 emissions per head than the UK does.
There can be little doubt the present UK government will be in place until 2030 at least, especially after the boundary changes. I pay more than enough tax on my large SUV and will vote against any increase on tax on flights. I look forward to a good trade deal with the US and increased tariffs for EU countries exporting to the US.
Of course it is only one issue, and the UK is so far behind simply because of lack of government investment. As I relayed recently all of the small towns have now installed free charging points for electric cars. Yes I know your views on electric cars cologne, but this is the current technology. The UK government relies on private companies to see an opportunity to make money for itself and the shareholders rather than say that such measures will not only encourage more people to buy them, but improve air quality for all. This is why in part more recycling is not done in the UK. it doesn't give a large enough return.
It's not just a case of government investment Frenchie - being an environmentalist doesn't cost anything. The consumer has to start realizing the power that he/she has and, unfortunately, the British are way behind on this.
I agree in part, but not totally. Government can continue to produce power by using fossil fuels or renewables. This is beyond the individual to decide.
I agree and many of the large cities here are doing just that. What is clear is that the roads in the UK are making matters worse. I used 50% more fuel crawling round the towns and motorways than I do here. Just because a car is old doesn't make it worse than some much newer ones. A two year old one here just failed its MOT on emissions, but it had done 200,000 kms, whereas my wifes car that is very old passed with 0% CO2 emissions, but has only done 80,000 kms since new.
But you can decide on how much of that power you use Frenchie - you also have the power to choose your energy provider in many cases. I still say there is nothing technical about this - just consume less, share more and enjoy life doing so.
