Recycling has become a by word for environmental concern. A word that can have negative connotations as well but it's something that we all can do with little effort and thought.

Having said that many people are only too willing to throw out good useable "stuff" just because they want a newer or improved version.  This was never more evident than when a neighbour was getting a new TV delivered. 

In talking to her I asked if there was a fault with her new tv, the one she bought 5 weeks ago. "No " came the reply, this one is bigger and so better. The first one was only 37" wide apparently...

I, on the other hand used to be known as skimpy because of my inane zeal of looking in skips to see what was chucked out. Even now my neighbours will knock on my door and tell me of their plans in case I can "recycle" anything and thus, in the case of building work it can save them as much as a whole skip charge.....

What we will be doing is encouraging the likes of skip diving and recycling of which we have become masters.

We have a greenhouse made from recycled materials but this is not a small thing made out of a few window frames but a 4m x 3m greenhouse and all it's cost is around £50 for some sand, cement and silicone. I have had to part with two boxes of fresh fruit and veg as a barter for two days labour for a gent who knocked on the front door asking if we wanted any trees chopping down. We didn't but he did do the concreting and brickwork.  From looking at the finished job it's clear he was not a builder but it does what it is meant to. Other people have helped whilst best of all I made the tea and supervised...

We have enough wood from one garage knock down to make a bed frame. A neighbour was getting new windows so we got all the glass and most of it went into this new greenhouse. A couple of panes broke and will be recycled at the tip. Another neighbour was removing soil from his garden for a car space so it was barrowed into my deep beds by the team working and it saved 3 skips being ordered at £110 each. More importantly it saved the soil going to the landfill.

Now, if neighbours are getting work done they knock on my door before ordering skips to see if I" need" anything. Question; what do you do if you see a large pile of pallets? Get the builders to deliver them into the garden before the wife comes home !!