A recent report making the news in most of Sussex and Kent's local newspapers has highlighted the growing problem of fly-tipping. The story is prompted by recently released figures from DEFRA (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) claiming that around one million flytipping incidents were dealt with by councils across England from 2016 to 2017.
Locally in Eastbourne, there were 473 cases of fly-tipping which amounted to a total cost of over £19,000. Lewes fared slightly better with 147 cases costing about £11,000 and Mid Sussex figures came in at 324 cases, costing £35,000. The estimated overall cost to taxpayers in the UK was a whopping £58million.
If you're a Sussex resident then the buck stops with Southern Water for the supply of water and removal of sewage in your local town. The company is on a PR drive at the moment that's designed to make you aware of.... "The Unflushables".
As the quirky name suggests, these are the items that Southern Water wants you to stop either flushing down your toilet or pouring down your sink. Essentially, it's a short list of the most common thing that cause blocked pipes which can lead to a deluge of raw sewage flooding your home.
Roy Galley, Cabinet member for waste management at Wealden District Council has recently said that the council intends to start charging local residents to dispose of their garden waste. He said it was a regrettable decision but the tough choice needed to be made due to a sharp dip in the price of organic waste on international markets in recent years. He said that he was proud of Wealden's recycling rate of over 50% and it was a decision that the council didn't take lightly.
The proposed charges are likely to come into effect around the summer of 2019 and it's hoped that recycling rates will at the very least remain the same, and will hopefully even increase as a result of the new charging scheme.
It may not be a story that's going to make the headlines of your favourite tabloid newspaper, but as we're inextricably linked with the world of recycling, we think it's an important statistic that's noteworthy of a brief blog post today.
According to European Aluminium, the recycling rate for aluminium drinks cans has seen a modest increase in the overall percentage recycled in 2014 to 72.9%. This increase makes the compulsory target of 75% by 2025, which has been set by the EU, a realistic goal.
When you consider that the number represents almost 3 in 4 cans being recycled, it gives cause for some optimism about the future of recycling for our weary planet; not just with metals, but all other materials that are capable of being turned into something new.
Everyone likes something for free, especially when it comes to sources of clean, renewable energy. Enter the Gravity Lamp - It's a story that pops up from time to time on Facebook, Twitter etc. about a device that can produce free, renewable energy in the form of light, and all it requires is a bit of muscle power - and crucially, no batteries. But is it a hoax or is it real? - Is it just another one of those internet scam stories with no basis in scientific reality or does the device really exist AND deliver the goods?
Expert Skip Hire provides a comprehensive range of waste management solutions. Although we hire out large RoRo (Roll on/off) containers and provide a convenient caged lorry rubbish clearance service, our most popular service by far is the hiring of skips to Sussex residents.
Here's a brief overview about why hiring a skip could save you time and money and also prove to be easiest and most environmentally ethical way to clear all your household rubbish, garden waste and building rubble... all in one go.
Proctor and Gamble, the makers of Fairy Liquid, have announced that they will be making a limited edition bottle in 2018 that is made from 100% recycled plastic. 90% will come from plastic destined for landfill and the remaining 10% will come from plastic that has been floating around in our oceans.
An oft-quoted prediction on the internet suggests that by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will weigh more than the number of fish - A scary statistic if it comes true.
British Airways are leading the way with an innovative scheme to turn household waste into jet fuel. According to the company's recent press release, it has joined forces with Velocys, a company that specialises in renewable energy, in an attempt to develop long-term, sustainable fuel options for its fleet of aircraft.
Now we're firmly into September, the summer festival season has pretty much been wrapped up for another year. Today, we take a look at the rubbish and general waste left by partygoers to this year's Glastonbury Festival.
We stumbled upon this interesting video posted by Bristol based company Coveya, which shows how a part of the clean-up process is speeded up with the use of their conveyor belts. The video contains a few interesting stats about what happens once all the party goers have left the festival to return to their daily lives.
Here at Expert Skip Hire, we're always interested in new and innovative ideas, particularly when it involves waste management solutions.
The Bin E
Dubbed as "The world's first intelligent smart bin" by its Polish creators, the 'Bin E' automatically sorts general household waste into separate compartments for recycling.
Smart design
Aside from looking more stylish than a typical plastic bin you can pick up for a few pounds at your local supermarket, the Bin E is also a pretty clever contraption.
It essentially has four main compartments - Mixed waste, glass, plastic and paper. When the user puts an item into the bin, it is scanned to determine what it's made from. It then attempts to compress the material and drop it into the relevant compartment.
Without a doubt Brighton’s most famous and loved attraction, the Brighton Palace Pier is visited by millions of sightseers, day trippers and holiday-makers every year and has been since it was first opened, nearly 120 years ago.
In August 2015, VisitEngland released figures showing that Brighton Palace Pier was the 5th most visited free attraction in the UK, having had 4.5 million visitors the previous year. While in early 2017 National Express named it as the 4th most popular free attraction in the country after the results of a survey it carried out.
The Brighton Zip Wire has finally opened for a few test runs and also for a few lucky friends of the owners of the attraction. The official launch is due to take place on 1st August 2017, with the new zip ride being open to those who have already booked in advance. At the moment, staff are familiarising themselves with the ride, which should be in full swing once the summer holiday season is underway.
How much does the zip line ride cost?
If you're prepared to clamber up the 90 steps to reach the launching platform, you'll have to cough up £16 if you're on your own, or £30 for a dual ride (the ride consists of two parallel lines). If you're looking for a cheaper option, the ride also has a second attraction called the Drop Zone. If you want to experience both the Zip Wire ride and the Drop Zone, you can buy both for £22.
Drop Zone
The Drop Zone allows to you plunge straight down from the upper platform, which will give the feeling of weightlessness for around a second. This freefall experience will set you back £8.50
A 140 cover restaurant which was also part of the project will now be built over the winter months and is expected to open some time in 2018.
How can I book?
If you're seeking the thrill of riding this new attraction, you can book your space by visiting the ride's official booking page.
We're going a bit geeky with today's article and talking about sciency stuff happening soon in Brighton...
Coming this September 2017 is a chance to discover the historic and beautiful city of Brighton and at the same time explore our universe and our own consciousness.
British Science Week
This year’s British Science Festival will be taking place in Brighton. Taking place over 5 days, from 5th September to the 9th of September and organised by The British Science Association (BSA) the festival will be co-hosted by The University of Brighton and The University of Sussex.
There will be over 100 events open to the public covering the entire spectrum of scientific research, theory and achievement. Covering engineering, technology and the social sciences.
This is the latest beauty added to our fleet for 2017. As you can see, it's lovely and shiny now and we wish it would stay looking this pristine forever.
However, the reality is that this DAF RoRo (or hooklift) truck is already out on the Sussex roads earning its keep and is doing the job it's intended for. Bumps and bruises are par for the course but we hope it won't pick up too many of those in the coming months and years.
A pretty penny
Investing in new vehicles like the one you see in the picture is always a difficult decision to make. The cost of putting a brand new DAF HGV on the road isn't cheap but a critical part of our business is being able to offer a responsive and reliable service to all of our clients, all of the time.
We thought we'd share this fabulous video again this summer as it's an interesting trip down memory lane from the 1960s titled "Hastings Rocks Mods" talking about how around 5000 Mods and Rockers planned to invade the town and create a second 'Battle of Hastings'.
It's a fascinating snapshot of one 1964 summer Bank Holiday weekend in Hastings, mirroring the same story of several south coast seaside resorts in the '60s.
Apparently, Sussex Police had organised to fly in a plane full of London 'Bobbies' from RAF Northolt to keep the Mods and Rockers apart.
A brilliant, yet simple invention is keeping the harbour in Baltimore USA cleaner than ever before by slowly hoovering up any trash that strays into its path.
The inventors of the solar and water powered device, Daniel Chase and John Kellett, say their aim is to eventually put themselves out of business. Daniel says:
"Ultimately though, our aim is to put the water wheel out of business, We know that it's an end-of-pipe solution, it's great because it's immediate and innovative but the real solution is that people need to change their behaviour".
Have you seen a critter like the one in the picture above? If so, university researchers want to hear from you.
The wall lizard (Latin name - Podarcis muralis) is a type of lizard that's already common in Europe and parts of North America.
For better or worse, the population has now begun to increase in the south of the UK as well. The wall lizard is easy to spot as it can grow up to about 20cm in length and, as the name suggests, can often be seen basking on walls and rocks during sunny, summer days in Sussex.
As technology marches on, it's important to stay up to date with the latest tools the internet can offer us. To this end, we're rolling out a couple of apps to make it even easier and more convenient to use our skip and RoRo hire service. We now have an app for both Apple and Android users.
The apps allow you to book a skip and also provide information about how much it will cost for each size of skip from our smallest 2 yarders right up to our 16 yard skips.
You'll also be able to read our FAQs, get more information about skip permits or enquire about our caged lorry rubbish clearance service.
Julian Lennon creates children’s book highlighting ecological issues around the world.
Julian Lennon, the son of legendary Beatles band member John Lennon, has co-written and released the first of a planned trilogy of children’s books highlighting the damage that pollution is causing to our planet.
Julian is a keen environmentalist, a talented musician, a writer and a photographer and his new book creates an entertaining, interactive and easy way of approaching environmental issues affecting people all around the world.
As anyone who shares time with children will know, this combination is a great way for them to learn.
Touch the Earth is a beautifully illustrated book, bringing together an interactive story of the problems facing the planet due to pollution, and most importantly shows children solutions to those problems.
As Eastbourne is one the areas where we provide our skip hire and rubbish clearance service, we thought we'd mention a recent bit of local news about the iconic Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. The well known local landmark has popped back on the radar again by managing to make it into a poll of the top 20 most stunning views in the UK.
As you'd imagine, the cliffs share their prestigious rating with some of Britain's (and indeed the world's) most well know landmarks such as Stonehenge, Loch Ness and Snowdonia.
Although we missed reporting this story when it broke last year, it's still worth a mention today due to its implications for the future of the world's energy consumption.
Despite 40% of the country's electricity being generated by burning fossil fuels, Germany hit the headlines back in 2016 when it emerged that, for a short time, some consumers were actually PAID to use electricity.
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