Heating: wood and its benefits

Wood is the oldest known fuel, and was the only source of heating for thousands of years. Replaced by fossil fuel  during the Industrial Revolution, it was not until the 1970s oil crisis that wood regained its popularity, albeit briefly. However, with the rise of solid fuels costs such as oil, gas and coal prices, as well as the increasing issue with global warming related to fossil fuel, wood has once again become a popular alternative for heating.

Fossil fuels are not renewable sources of energy, meaning that we will eventually run out of resources. Whilst alternatives such as solar panelling are available, this technology can be costly, which leaves wood fuel as the cheapest source of renewable energy out there.

But perhaps more importantly wood fuel is environmentally friendly and does not contribute to dangerous carbon dioxide emissions; wood releases carbon dioxide - the same as fossil fuels, however it is considered to be carbon neutral. When trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen, known as the carbon cycle. For this reason, wood is considered an environmentally friendly source for heating, whereas fossil fuels do not have a carbon cycle which has a negative impact on the greenhouse effect.

Many people associate wood fuel with logs, but there are now many more cost-effective alternatives out there such as wood pellets, wood briquettes and heat logs – all of which are made from compressed wood by-products which would usually be burnt or buried in landfill. Heat logs and wood briquettes are recycled into efficient fuel types that radiate more heat than coal or ordinary timber, and burn cleaner than any other wood products, leaving only a small ash deposit.

So why not switch your winter fuel options to a more recyclable alternative, and contribute to a reduction in the use of fossil fuels. Order heat logs and wood briquettes online now.

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Thinking of hiring a skip? Read our additional tips and sizes to suite your job

Solid fuel: coal and its benefits

Solid fuel has been used by us for years to create fire. Coal was the major fuel source which assisted the industrial revolution, producing energy and providing heat to fire up furnaces and run steam engines.

Coal is a burnable solid fuel found underground across the world made largely from carbonised plant matter, and now commonly used as fuel to heat homes.

The formation of coal is produced by layers of plant matter up to 400 million years old that has built up through the years, and then compressed by water and soil coverings. Due to the limited air to the layers, the full plant decomposition was halted, so the subsequent heat and pressure produced chemical changes throughout the plant layers, forcing all the oxygen out and leaving rich carbon deposits behind. This resulting solid material became coal, and was found within the seams of the earth; the carbon is generally considered to be important as it gives coal most of it energy.

The composition of coal means that it is an ideal solid fuel to burn due to its temperatures and qualities. Between the 1800s and 1950s coal was the primary energy source for industry and transportation. Nowadays, despite alternative energy sources becoming available such as gas, coal remains an important fuel providing heating and hot water to households across the world.

Household coal is ideal for open fires, multi-fuel stoves and closed appliances. For your coal requirements see our range of doubles, trebles and briquettes, and buy online.

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Leicester gets recycling right

Nearly a quarter of all rubbish thrown out from Leicester homes is now being recycled, following a recent initiative by the Leicester county council. The city council has confirmed that 23% of Leicester’s household waste is now being recycled instead of going to landfill sites.

This recent increase of 5% could well be down to the council’s revolutionary initiative of orange bag kerb side collection introduced three years ago, replacing the green recycling boxes. Last year, more than 16,000 tonnes of rubbish was collected in the orange bags. However it has been estimated that 2,100 tonnes of glass as well as 2,800 tonnes of recyclable cardboard are still being disposed of in general waste bins.

The introduction of the orange bag kerb side collection was designed to encourage people to recycle more. Following surveys that were carried out in the neighbourhood, people didn’t realise that cardboard could be included in the orange bag collection so Leicester council are constantly educating people on the importance of recycling.

Assistant city mayor for neighbourhood services, Councillor Sarah Russell, said: “The scheme is helping to revolutionise recycling in the city. The secret to its success is its simplicity. It’s so much more convenient being able to put all recyclable items in one bag.”

Leicester council stated that three quarters of the city’s waste is now being diverted from landfill and that much of what cannot be recycled is going on to be incinerated to create renewable energy, or being composted.

The orange bags are used to recycle glass bottles, mixed plastics including food containers, Tetra Pak, plastic film and carrier bags, all of which are not usually allowed in your average recycling bin. Tins, cans, empty aerosols, paper and cardboard can also be included in the orange bag collection.

For more information: www.leicester.gov.uk/orangebags

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The importance of recycling

Our environment needs as much as help as possible these days. Global warming is increasing which is having a knock on effect on our polar ice caps, one of the main regulators in our global climate. Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases that is building up in our atmosphere, which is causing deforestation all over the world. What’s more is that the level of waste we have is at an all-time high and we have to now do our bit for the environment.

What is recycling?

Recycling is a process that contributes towards the preservation of the environment and its future; it’s all about collecting materials that are considered as waste and reprocessing it. Here are some ways that recycling helps our environment:

Recycling saves energy

Manufacturing new products from scratch uses a huge amount of energy, way more energy than recycling materials. We can also cut back and preserve the resources that provide these new products by recycling. Take ink cartridges, instead of just creating ink cartridges each time, there are now companies out there that recycle the cartridges to use again.

Recycling reduces pollution

Reducing pollution goes a long way to preserving the environment; minimising energy used in manufacturing reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Gasoline, coal and diesel emit harmful greenhouse gases, so any reduction in the consumption of these result in the reduction of greenhouse gases.

Recycling preserves natural resources

Instead of cutting down trees to produce paper, recycling used paper will help preserve natural and limited resources.

Recycling saves space for waste disposal

Landfill sites are becoming full, but a major proportion of what’s in landfill can be recycled. Hazardous waste that is emptied into landfill can leak corrosive or toxic chemicals into the environment. Reducing waste that needs to be discarded in landfills benefits the environment.

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Recycling scrap metal

Recycling metal is a £5.6 billion industry within the UK, processing ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal into important secondary  raw materials to smelt into new metals. Worldwide, over 400 million tonnes of metal is recycled each year which helps to protect the environment and save energy. Using secondary raw materials means that we are using fewer natural resources which could be used to make new metal compounds.

Metal can be infinitely recycled, which makes it one of the most desirable scrap commodities today. Like any other industry, recycling tends to be based on market need. So whilst all metals can be recycled, only a few actually are; these include aluminium, tin, zinc, copper, iron, steel and lead. Those metals that can’t be recycled are contaminated with radiation and subsequently handled as hazardous waste instead.

Once metal is collected, it goes through a sorter to remove any contaminates such as non metal items. The metal is then washed and further separated by type. The sorted metals are then sent to various foundries for smelting and reuse.

Recycled metal contributes more than any other product to the UK’s targets for waste prevention through recovering ‘end of life’ products:

• Packaging: approximately two billion aluminium and steel cans are recycled each year
• Vehicles: over 75% of a car is metal, around half the material processed by metal recycling shredders come from vehicles
• Batteries: the metal recycling industry is recycling most lead acid vehicle and industrial batteries

LSPS recycle all grades of ferrous and non ferrous metals, in fact we recycle as much of the contents of our skips as possible, reducing the waste that gets put into landfill. Read our advice on skips to do your bit for the environment.

Thinking of hiring a skip? Read our additional tips and sizes to suite your job.

What is landfill?

Landfill still remains the main method of dealing with our waste in the UK. Although many of us have now got the message about the importance of recycling and doing our bit, around half of all refuse is still being dumped into a hole and covered over.

Every year we produce about 3% more waste than the year before. 

Landfill remains an important disposal method for waste that can’t be recycled or disposed of by other means. Landfill sites are designed and operated to strict standards in order to reduce environmental effects, and with strict landfill directives - the amount of waste, particularly hazardous waste, is being reduced.

We produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago

How does landfill work?

Waste is checked to make sure it is compliant with the landfill’s operating permit, the waste is then tipped into the site, compacted and covered. This is to minimise smells and pests.

Every day 80 million food and drink cans end up in landfill

Waste is then decomposed, resulting in gasses, particularly methane which has to be vented to safety. This methane venting process is the evolving of gasses that used to make landfill sites unsuitable for further development for some time.

Methane is around 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide

When the landfill site reaches eventually reaches capacity it is covered with clay and other soils to produce a ‘cap’ which will eventually allow the land to be reused for agriculture and other purposes.

An average of 40% of Britain’s methane emissions result come from landfill sites, however with the strict operations in place it means that increasing amounts of the UK’s electricity supply now comes from gasses recovered from landfill.

LSPS recycle as much of the contents of their skips as possible, reducing the waste that gets put into landfill. Read our advice on skips to do your bit for the environment.

Thinking of hiring a skip? Read our additional tips and sizes to suite your job.

Skips for DIY waste

DIY waste is classified as neither household nor garden waste according to the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In fact, DIY waste is classed as industrial waste, even if it generated from a home, which means that councils do not have a duty to provide free disposal for it. For this level of work it’s advisable to hire a skip and let us deal with the waste once the skip becomes full.

DIY waste, or construction and demolition waste, is generated through building or renovation work. Most of this waste is made up of hardcore or rubble – small stones and rocks used for building – or material left over following demolition of a driveway, wall or roof repairs, etc.

Examples of DIY waste are:

• hardcore/rubble/bricks
• paving slabs
• plasterboard
• roofing materials
• soil/turf
• bath, toilet or basin unit
• central heating system components
• tiles
• door, window or frame
• kitchen unit or wardrobe
• shed/fence panels
• laminate flooring
• timber, MDF, hardboard

If you don’t have the space for a skip on your property and it has to go on a public access area such as a road or pavement, then a skip permit from your local authority will be needed. However we can handle this application process for you, freeing up your time to concentrate on your DIY project.

Once your skip is filled, LSPS pick up and transport your DIY waste back to our onsite waste transfer station in order to recycle as much as possible, avoiding landfill where we can.

Thinking of hiring a skip? Read our additional tips and sizes to suite your job here.