The Wheelie Bin Lives On

Wheelie bins have a relatively short lifespan, typically just 5 hard years and they are ready for retirement. But what happens to them after we cast them aside, have you ever wondered or even care?

Because wheelie bins have such a hard life and quality does vary between manufacturers UK/EU bins will be certified and tested to EN840. In addition quality wheelie bins are treated with ultra violet protection which is needed to extend the lifespan and resist damage as without this the wheelie bins exposed to sunlight will become brittle much quicker and tend to split very easily.

The number of plastic rubbish bins that are replaced each year from damage and wear is considerable, 100’s of thousands of plastic bins are replaced and rather than sending these bins to landfill they are collected by local authority’s and then passed to a specialist plastic recycling company.

Once the worn out wheelie bins have been collected by the plastic recycling company they need to go through a few steps prior to being recycled,

Step 1:

Power washing, all the dried on muck and rubbish inside and outside needs to be removed, along with any stickers, as stickers will be stuck on with adhesive this will need to be removed prior to any recycling taking place.

Step 2:

Removal of all the non plastic components such as rubber wheels and metal axles, all that a plastic recycler is interested in is the parts made out of plastic, metal and rubber components would be isolated and passed to other specialist recyclers.

Step 3:

This is where the body and lid of the wheelie bin get dropped in to large shredders and gets transformed in to small regrind pieces of plastic, this regrind plastic is then tested as to its composition. Regrind plastic is often re-used as is by adding small percentages to a mix with virgin plastic in the production run of a new plastic manufacturing process.

Step 4:

This is the final stage in the recycling of plastic wheelie bin, here the plastic granules are processed in to a fully recycled compound by melting and extruding in the form of pellets. These pellets are then used to manufacture new products, some of these could be more plastic wheelie bins but equally likely is your cars bumper could have been your old wheelie bin in a past life.

Now there’s a thought for next time you are cleaning your car.

Age Exclusive Properties in Cambridgeshire

To meet the demand by people over 55 in the Cambridge region Larkfleet Homes an award winning new house builder has created an age exclusive development of properties all aimed at the over 55’s The Bourne-based house builder and development company has already sold fifty per cent of properties on its new 'age exclusive' Spinney House development in Yaxley, near Peterborough. Many of the properties on the site have been purchased 'off plan' as the development is not due for completion until later this year, demonstrating just how popular this type of housing is in the local area. The Spinney House development is located within an existing residential part of the Cambridgeshire village and consists of 14 apartments that are all marketed for people over 55 years of age. The site has been so popular that there is currently only one duplex two-bedroom apartment left for sale, as well as several one-bedroom apartments. The development includes lift access to all two-bedroom apartments on site. Spinney House is located in quiet, attractive grounds complete with outside patio and seating areas. The site also includes plenty of existing mature trees and Larkfleet will provide allotments and cycle storage with each apartment within the grounds of Spinney House for residents. The apartments are being sold through estate agent Sharman Quinney with prices starting at only £119,995 for a one-bedroom apartment. Yaxley is in the perfect location for those who prefer rural living but enjoy easy access to city amenities. Yaxley is located close the A1, providing excellent transport links. It is also only a short drive or bus ride away from Peterborough that boasts a large shopping centre, cathedral, cinemas, theatres and many restaurants.

Storage Services

If you are looking to store your property or goods possibly for short or long term storage then look for a storage company that will supply you with purpose made crates made from wood,  these are designed for safer long term storage and are often delivered to your property by the storage company. You can then fill the storage crates at your own pace and then taken to your local secure storage depots, these storage premises often allow access either during set hours.

Flexible Storage Solutions

If you need a flexible storage solution then self-store may be the answer, self-store facilities come in a variety of forms and room sizes, from a cupboard to an entire room were you could store a car, add to this the ability to access your stored items as and when you wish making self-store storage an ideal solution for storing your property. Typical access to self-store facilities is via a swipe card and peace of mind comes with on-site security and CCTV monitoring. 

Custom Clearing Storage Facilities

If you are considering moving to the UK then look for storage locations that double up as custom clearing houses. There are a selection of approved by HM Customs storage facilities in the UK that can hold your shipment under “Bond” until customs have cleared the goods. The benefit here is the elimination of inspection at the port and no third party broker involvement, saving you time and money.

Document Storage

As businesses have moved more closer to paperless systems for day to day running the legacy hard copy company documents and records can take up much needed space and ever increasing costs of office space the requirement to utilise every square metre for productivity rather than storing company records and historic files becomes more important.

Remote document storage solves the problem of knowing what to do with these old company files, professional document storage companies tailor the storage to your needs by creating a bespoke solutions based on your current filling systems, on-going requirements for access are taken care of by means of bar coding the storage containers and logging these to a computerised database of contents. Document storage centres will be purpose built to high standards offering total peace of mind security and temperature control is crucial.

Containerised storage

A common problem  arises when having extension work done on your home, what to do with the furniture, yes you could keep this covered over with dust sheets but they will only prevent larger particles of dust and rubble from getting to your furniture or fabrics, small dust particles always find a way through no matter how much sheeting and tape is used, major extension work at home can really damage your furniture, especially if something drops and workmen place tools on your best dining room table.

The best and easiest solution to this is containerised storage, these purpose built wooden containers are larger enough to hold almost any item of furniture or lots of smaller items, simply have these containers brought to your house prior to the work starting, they then will be placed in a storage facility safe and sound awaiting the completion of all the building work, you can rest assured they will be returned exactly the same as the day they left.

Safety Of Old Houses

One thing that is sometimes over looked when comparing new houses against older ones is not just about structural or energy efficiency it’s about the reliability and safety of the electrical and gas systems throughout the house. For example would you budget for a new central heating boiler, how old is the one fitted to the house your considering, any guarantees with it. On a more important note is that of the electrical wiring, buying an old house can bring some expensive remedial work, years ago houses and regulations on electrics wasn’t as strict as today, and given we are more reliant on electrical equipment toady the strain on the circuits is greater yet older houses often have poor earthing and years of add on wiring by DIY home owners.

Modern Living

Lifestyles have changed over the years and we have all come to expect a higher standard of living, 30 years ago only very large one off build houses had en-suite bathrooms, today we have come to expect them as standard within the family home, strange that families are generally smaller today than they used to be.
Utility rooms, again another area of a house that was once only seen in very expensive and large houses, todays modern living families often use their kitchens as focal points of the home and also use them as entertaining or relaxing areas so washing machines and clothes ect are preferred out of sight, new build houses are incorporating utility rooms in to the design when possible and even if space is short the appliances are being built in to hide them.

Why Buy a New Central Heating System

Naturally a new, modern boiler is going to be more energy efficient than an old one, will cost less to run and develop more heat per unit of fuel consumed, modern radiators throw out much more heat than old radiators, hot water tanks will keep the water hotter for longer thus saving you from re heating the same water over and over again.

Energy Efficiency of Houses

New houses are built with energy efficiency in mind, the cavities between the outside walls are wider to allow more insulation to packed in to the space which keeps the cold out and warmth in, in real terms this means your house will stay warmer so you are not paying for the heat to simply escape through the walls and your new house once heated will stay warmer for longer.

Older houses typically have these cavities so heat will escape through the walls and to keep the internal temperature up the heating will be on for much longer periods because the house will cool very quickly once the heating is turned off.

First Time Buyers Shared Equity Schemes Lincolnshire

This home buyer scheme is designed to help first time buyers and people looking to move up the property ladder to accommodate for a growing family move in to a brand new home even if they don’t yet have the funds to pay for the full selling price, the lend a hand scheme allows home buyers to own their own home now but only pay for part of it today.

Larkfleet Homes will pay 15% of the property value leaving the home buyer to find the remaining 85% thus lowering the amount of deposit and mortgage home owners require, you would then have 10 years to pay back this 15% which as an added bonus is free from any interest. This shared equity house buying scheme is available at several developments across Lincolnshire and is proving to be very popular with local first time buyers looking to get on the property ladder this year.
If you are still yet to decide on buying your new home or would like to take advantage of a selection of schemes to help you buy your first home or you are looking to move up the property ladder then Larkfleet Homes who have several developments in and around Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Rutland have a wide range of award winning new homes.

Affordable & Energy Efficient Housing for First Time Buyers in Lincolnshire

Larkfleet homes, the award winning new house builder with multiple housing developments throughout Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Nottinghamshire have recently started work building fifteen brand new affordable houses at their development in Billingborough, Lincolnshire.

This affordable housing development is being built in conjunction with Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) and has been designed to assist local people find affordable housing who would not normally be in a position to buy a new house.
The development on Birthorpe Road Billingborough comprises of two, three and four bedroom new houses and a selection of two bedroom bungalows that will be available for rent or shared ownership scheme through the NCHA.

Energy Saving New Homes
The fact that these homes are affordable hasn’t meant Larkfleet homes has skimped on quality, quite the opposite in fact, these affordable properties in Billingborough, Lincolnshire meet level 3 of the code for sustainable housing which is some 25% above the standard building regulations for energy performance specification. The fact that the housing development is of high specification but still affordable reflects Larkfleet Homes and NCHA commitment to creating affordable new homes for local people in Lincolnshire villages such as Billingborough. The energy efficiencies designed and built in to these houses will mean long term savings on heating bills.

Why Weekly Wheelie Bin Collection is Not Good

Whilst at first glance the UK’s government apparent U-turn on the going back to weekly wheelie bin collections would seem like a poor decision, yes there are many benefits, not just the obvious one’s either, like no longer struggling to fit two week’s worth of rubbish in to your bin, thus reducing the number of bags you have to carry down the drive and place at the side of your wheelie bin in the hope the refuse collectors take it with them.
The government has said the cost to local councils will be too high to provide a weekly bin collection service to all their residents, and you have to agree the cost whilst I have no idea how much that would be nationally, I can see that a whole new refuse teams and refuse lorries would be needed, great in theory, job creation nationwide but this would all need to be paid for by someone, rate payers perhaps?
Another relevant point that has not been highlighted much is the cost of changing all our wheelie bins, these would all be swopped for smaller ones, we won’t get such large wheelie bins with weekly collections so all the old ones would have to be collected from every house and new ones delivered in their place, again job creation but lots of lorries and fuel required.
Given that the majority of UK wheelie bins are produced in Germany some 600 odd miles away all these new bins would carry a fair size carbon footprint during their travels over land on the back of lorries burning high amounts of fossil fuels, not to mention the wear and tear on the lorries and their consumables such as tyres, brakes engine oil.
Ignoring for one minute the cost of wages and new refuse Lorries that need to be paid for and focus just on the environmental impact of the UK going back to weekly refuse collections the true cost to the planet adds up to quite an alarming amount, take the amount of oil used in manufacturing a plastic wheelie bin, add to this the oil being burnt in the factories producing the bins and then the oil burned by the lorries delivering the raw plastic material and then later the finished wheelie bins right from a factory overseas to your driveway in the UK.
Rinse and Repeat
The life span of your average wheelie bin isn’t as long as you might think, on average a wheelie bin has reached the end of its useful life after just 5 years, it then needs to be swapped for a new one, the old one collected and taken to a plastic recycling company who process the old broken wheelie bins back in to pellet form to start the whole process again, maybe even the recycled plastic is re-used in the next lot of bins.
My final point is to ask yourself a question, given that most of us in the UK either have two or sometimes 3 different wheelie bins at home would you really want to have to put the bins out on the bottom of your drive or on the pavement 3 times a week, once for each one?

The Wheelie Bin Travels

Wheelie bins travel a fair few miles in their lifetime, bear in mind that the life of a wheelie bin is a hard one, they get knocked about, kicked, lids get slammed and the then twice a month a lorry comes along and shakes it about trying to empty it of loads of rubbish.
So have you ever stopped to think how far a wheelie bin travels in its lifetime, well read on to find out more. The vast majority of wheelie bins in use today throughout the UK are made in Germany so roughly speaking that’s around 600 miles (Berlin to London). Once the wheelie bin arrives at the distribution depot they are then transported out typically to the local authorities or their respective agents, the distance here will vary dependent on where you live within the UK, for purposes of this article let’s say that’s another 200 miles to get your wheelie bin dropped off at your local council depot, the final part of this first stage in the life of your wheelie bin is the last few miles to your house, lets add another 30 miles to the tally and hey presto your new bin sits proudly round the side of your house having been loaded and unloaded several times and driven around 830 miles to get here.
Okay so the first part of a wheelie bins travels were pretty easy for it, what follows is where the wheelie bin has to withstand the punishment of twice monthly collections and all round general abuse we all through at our wheelie bins without a care or thought about respect for them.
A typical wheelie bin will have a lifecycle of around 5 years and based on an average twice monthly collection service will equate to be emptied around 130 times before your wheelie bin will reach the end of its useful life. Taking an average home and working out the distance from side of house to the road side typically could be 30 yards there and back roughly works out at an additional 4000 yards over its 5 year working life, which adds about 2 ¼ more miles to the running total of the distance your wheelie bin has travelled.

Life After Death For Your Wheelie Bin

Wheelie bins are made from plastic using a process known as injection moulding, the two main elements which are the head and body will be formed separately, and additional parts such as wheels, axle and hinges will of course be added to make a fully functional wheelie bin.
Because wheelie bins don’t exactly have an easy life and quality does vary between manufacturers UK/EU bins will be certified and tested to EN840 and an additional feature of quality wheelie bins is ultra violet protection which is highly beneficial as without this the wheelie bins exposed to sunlight go brittle much quicker and tend to split very easily as do the lower quality wheelie bins which often originate from China.
The number of bins that are replaced each year from damage and wear is considerable, 100’s of thousands of wheelie bins are replaced and rather than sending these bins to landfill they are collected by local authority’s and then passed to specialist plastic recycling companies.
Once the old or damaged wheelie bins have been collected by the plastic recycling specialists they need to go through a few steps prior to being recycled,
Step 1:
Washing, all the years of crud inside and outside needs to be removed, along with any stickers such as house numbers, all these stickers have adhesive behind them that needs to be removed prior to any recycling taking place.
Step 2:
Removal of the wheels, axles and hinges, basically all that a plastic recycler is interested in is the parts made from plastic, metal and rubber components would be stored separately and these would be collected by their respective recyclers.
Step 3:
At this stage the body and lid of the wheelie bin get dropped in to large shredders and comes out the other side as small regrind pieces of plastic, this regrind plastic is then tested and graded as to its composition. Regrind plastic is often re-used as is by adding a quantity to a mix with virgin plastic in the production run of a new plastic product, any that is not used will go on to the next stage in the recycling of plastic process.
Step 4:
This is the final stage in the recycling of plastic wheelie bins, here the cleaned granulated plastic is processed in to a recycled compound by melting and extruding in the form of pellets. These plastic pellets can then be used to manufacture a wide range of products, some of which could be more wheelie bins but equally likely is your new cars bumper could have been your tired old wheelie bin in a previous life.

The Ebenezer Scrooge Guide to Energy Saving

Without trying to sound like the stingy character in the Charles Dickens novel most people can relate to the need to reduce our energy costs, especially those with teenagers addicted to the latest gadgets and being born without the ability to switch a light off when leaving a room.

With the almost constant rise in energy prices the vast majority of us in the UK are starting to question even switching on an electric light until it’s really dark, either that or we spend our entire day following the kids around the house switching things off all the time trying not to say “Bah Humbug”

Quick Ways to Save on Energy Bills
Remove all the bulbs from the light fittings and use the candles that are at the bottom of the kitchen draw left over from a birthday cake 10 years earlier. Okay maybe a little extreme and I’m not sure I could sleep very well knowing the kids are walking around the house with lit candles.

A safer option If you’ve not already done so is to swap all your light bulbs for the low energy counterparts, low energy light bulbs when they first came on the market where a little pricey but today even the spot light type GU10 and similar have come down to an acceptable price, shop around though as prices vary wildly. If you really want to cut down further then consider the light fittings themselves, do you need 5 bulbs in your living room, even though they all might only be 5 watts individually the total adds up to 25 watts, this could be reduced if you only had one 5 watt bulb, so either change the light fitting or remove a couple of bulbs from the lamp.

If you have an open fire then burning your kitchen packaging waste rather than buying logs or coal is a thought, the amount of heat may not be much though and many people either don’t have open fires or if they do they live in an area restricting the smoke output.

Put an extra layer of clothing on, this could be a jumper or a base layer, ladies can put tights on whilst the men could do the same a set of thermals might be seen as slightly more manly, but who’s going to know, your secret is safe with us!
Keeping doors and windows shut helps a great deal, costs nothing (Scrooge would approve) once a room is warm the last thing you want to do is let the heat escape through an open window, doors on the other hand are a little more tricky as teenagers do struggle with these, closing doors seems to be beyond comprehension, even after spending time training your teenagers they still cannot soak in the complexities of closing a door, what do they teach at school these days?

Is there a Solution to Cheap Energy Bills?
Yes and no, wrap up warm and eat cold food, remove all electrical gadgets from your house, these are all choices that could be made, doubtful as they may sound, for some people they are already heading this way. There is an alternative solution for long term low energy bills in the way of solar energy, here in the UK the government has pledged to buy back any energy you produce for the next 25 years at the current rate of 41.3p per Kw. Whilst initial setup costs of installing Solar energy systems for your home are never going to be cheap this government backed “Feed in Tariff” really does make it a long term investment worth considering.

Cheap Electricity for Next 25 Years

Here in the UK there is a government backed scheme known as the Feed In tariff that guarantees you an income from solar energy for the next 25 years.

By having solar panels installed on your roof the energy produced means you will receive 41.3p per Kw of energy produced, plus produce any surplus and receive an extra 3p per kw when you export this back to the national grid. This means any electricity you use that’s been generated via your solar panels will not only cost you nothing but you will get paid for it as well.

A typical 4KW solar power system on your home should earn you around £1500 a year, and this is guaranteed for the next 25 years!

Solar energy produced by the light from the sun is clean and efficient, solar power is produced by taking the light from the sun via solar photovoltaic panels and converting it to electricity. We already know that solar energy is environmentally friendly and now that the government has pledged to buy back the energy produced for the next 25 years installation can make financial sense.

What if you move house
Upfront costs of installing a solar power system to your home isn’t cheap but once you look at the potential returns solar power seems like a no-brainer. So let’ assume you might move house in a few years’ time, ok so you’ve enjoyed the benefits and potentially free electricity for years but can you imagine what a potential buyer of your house is going to think, the way energy prices seem to be rising buying a house with access not just to free electricity for personal use but a guaranteed income from the electricity as well. In the future we will see houses coming on to the market that already have solar panels fitted.

Technology Constantly Advancing
If we look at how fast technology has moved in recent years, take the internal combustion engine, 25 years ago engines were unreliable, in efficient and usually worn out by 100k miles, todays car engines can go for many miles between servicing and 100k miles is easy achievable and took much less fuel to cover them. You cannot talk about technology advancements in over the last 25 years without mentioning the personal computer, I used one to write this and you are using one to read it,
but look back to the days before windows existed, Amstrad and BBC Basic are museum pieces now days.

The point here is solar power will go the same way, efficiencies in the amount of electricity produced are improving all the time, build quality of the panels are so good that many are guaranteed for 20 years or more, in fact there have been solar panels in space for over 50 years and going from -160 to +200 degrees C every 90 minutes.

Solar power is here to stay, and rest assured they can produce energy even on cloudy days which is just as well if you live in the UK.

Forward Thinking Poole Council

Resident of Whatleigh Close maisonettes in the heart of Poole town centre now have 55 solar panels on the roof of their building, which now power the communal lighting for the block.
Next steps for the Poole housing partnership who are responsible for the management of all council properties within the borough of Poole is the installation of solar panels on more than 1000 council house rooftops.
Poole housing partnership is now being paid for every unit of electricity it generates under the feed in tariff scheme backed by the UK government.
If you are interested in hearing how you could get paid for every kw of power you generate then contact Manor Solar today for your free solar survey and quotation today.

Solar Powered Railway Tunnel Opens

A first in railway history, a stretch of tunnel just over 2 miles in length between Paris and Amsterdam which passes through the Belgian city of Antwerp which was built to avoid felling trees 9n a nearby forest produces enough electricity to power all of Belgium’s trains for one day per year. The energy produced is also being used to help power Antwerp station

Why We Need To Feed Wild Birds During Breeding Season

Spring this year being warmer than normal you would expect that the high insect levels would be enough to satisfy even the hungriest of breading wild birds. But slim pickings of wild bird food off the land mean breeding birds need all the help we can give if their young hatchlings are to survive.

Modern farming techniques coupled with increased use of pesticides has significantly reduced the insect levels here in the UK. It is our demand for the quantity and perfect looking fruit and vegetables that has contributed to this increase in pesticides and crop spraying.

Hotter weather, most of us welcome it, but these dry spells really do harden the ground making it difficult for the breeding wild birds such as tits and chaffinches to source food such as worms and grubs for their young.

Feeding Wild Birds is Rewarding.
A great deal of fun can be had from feeding wild birds at any time of the year, feeding wild birds during breeding season is also important. Warmer weather does mean you will need to keep on top of the hygiene, ensure the feeder and the bird table are cleaned regularly as the wild bird food will go off and whilst insects may be good for the birds not many people would want them infesting their gardens.
Not only is live bird food one of the best sources of protein for the hatchlings and mothers, choosing a live bird food makes for entertaining viewing, watching the food wriggle around and see the birds trying to pick it up, just remember to use a live bird food feeder or your bird food will wriggle away before the birds get a look in. Live foods such as mealworms are the popular choice of live bird food, made up of over 48% protein and 40% fat and have a high percentage of moisture which is vital for hatchlings and nestlings.

If you wish to help the wild birds in your area during breeding time but don’t fancy the idea of handling live mealworms, fear not modern technology comes to the rescue in the form of dried mealworms, these freeze dried mealworms offer the same levels of protein and fats but in a less messy package. A tip when using dried mealworms during breeding season would be to soak them in a little water to help the hatchlings digest them easier.

The Wheelie Bin Lifecycle

Wheelie bins first started to appear on our streets in the early 80’s their introduction came about due to health and safety legislation updates to protect refuse collectors from carrying the old heavy metal dustbins and to also improve exposure to the actual household waste we throw away.

The standard two wheeled rubbish bins we use at home here in the UK do vary in size and colour dependent on which local authority you live under, however the simple design remains the same.

Wheelie bins are manufactured out of plastic using a process known as injection moulding, the body and head will be formed using separate moulds, the axle will be made of metal and rubber wheels attached to either end, lastly some form of hinge will be required to fasten the lid to the body and allow opening.

Not all wheelie bins are the same, UK and European made wheelie bins are usually higher quality that of those manufactured in China, UK/EU bins will be certified and tested to EN840 standards to ensure safety and quality, another longevity feature that quality wheelie bins have is ultraviolet protection which will help protect the plastic from going brittle.

Old or Broken Wheelie Bins
Ever wondered what happens to your old worn out or damaged wheelie bin, you haven’t? Okay well read on if you would like to know.

Most old or damaged wheelie bins find themselves at local council depots or waste management companies were they are stripped of their wheels and stacked awaiting collection by the plastic recycling companies.

Once the wheelie bins have been collected by the plastic recycling companies they are thoroughly cleaned and all traces of rubbish removed from the inside, they are then loaded into large hoppers which feed into the plastic shredders, from here the regrind plastic is laboratory tested, graded and approved.

Regrind plastic is often supplied and used as part of a production run mix with new plastic or further processed into a recycled compound by melting the clean granulated plastic and extruding in the form of pellets ready to be used to manufacture another batch of wheelie bins

Affordable Housing in Peterborough

Larkfleet Group and L&H Homes provide much needed affordable housing in Peterborough
Larkfleet Group, in partnership with Longhurst & Havelok Homes, has finished work on 42 new affordable homes in the centre of Peterborough.
The affordable development includes sixteen two-bedroom houses, eight three-bedroom houses and two blocks of nine two-bedroom flats.

Thirty-three of the properties are now available at affordable rent and nine of the homes are available as Rent to Homebuy from L&H Homes.

The completion of the development, located on land behind South View Road and Lincoln Road, is good news for many local people who will be able to rent a high quality property at an affordable price.

Despite meeting a need for affordable housing, recent public expenditure cuts have meant the number of developments like this is diminishing, making the amount of affordable housing available fall far short of the demand.

Mel Baker, project manager on behalf of L&H Homes, commented: "I am delighted that the development is complete. I would like to thank all partners involved, especially Peterborough City Council for their support in a long protracted fundings build process. The properties are of a good build standard and L&H Homes will now be able to offer a range of energy efficient and innovative homes to meet affordable housing needs in the area."

Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Group, commented: "This development makes effective use of the land available and will provide much needed affordable housing for local people. The environmentally friendly design will be a great asset to the properties and will save occupiers money on fuel bills.

"Unfortunately, affordable developments like this may not be available in the future due to public spending cuts. There is simply not the capital to provide as many affordable properties and those in need of affordable housing will not be able to benefit in the same way as residents of this development.

"Central and local government must urgently consider how we can avoid creating a situation where many people will simply not be able to have a decent home."

All properties are built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The high environmental standards highlight the commitments of L&H Homes and Larkfleet Group creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.

The timber frame construction method that was used on the development is an efficient way of building that allows for quicker construction times. Timber frames for the homes were supplied and erected by Kestrel Timber Frame (www.kestreltimberframe.co.uk), based in nearby Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.

If you are still yet to decide on buying your new home or would like to take advantage of a selection of schemes to help you buy your first home or you are looking to move up the property ladder then Larkfleet Homes who have several developments in and around Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Rutland have a wide range of award winning new homes

Why Use Recycled Plastic in Manufacturing

Many plastic manufacturers have already recognised the cost savings that can be made by adding a % of recycled or regrind plastic to their mix, be this injection or extrusion manufacturing processes the cost savings can be huge especially when a volume run is planned. Considering the cost based on similar grade a regrind plastic will come in at less than half the price of new plastic, even fully recycled plastic whilst slightly more expensive than regrind will still be substantially cheaper than new plastic material. Savings made will naturally vary based on the type of plastic you are using and to what degree you are able to mix.

Of course there are the added benefits to the environment which all manufactures can promote, and any reduction in consumption of new raw materials can only be good for the environment but as an added benefit to a manufacturer who uses recycled plastic will be the marketing message this sends out to their customers, surely this will only help boost sales and profits even further.

Sending out the right message, by using recycled plastics or any other recycled product for that matter shows that the manufacturer has a forward thinking and positive attitude to not only the environment but also to their local community, again all positive votes for your business and brand which will all lead to long term business growth. So what you waiting for, start making savings and do your part to reduce the drain on natural resources today.

Regrind or Recycled?
Reground plastic is much cheaper than recycled plastic in pellet form, due to the lower amount of work involved, basically the old plastic type would need to be identified either by using the a Plastic Identification Codes – or PIC code or by sampling and testing in a laboratory identify it’s type and flow rates before washing to remove debris and labels then finally feeding into a large hopper and running through a shredding or grinding machine, once this is all complete the regrind plastic is bagged and weighed.

Recycled plastic has to undergo further processes to be ready for use in manufacturing, such as melting the clean reground plastic and extruding in to the form of pellets.

To sum up, if you are involved in plastic manufacturing and are considering using recycled material then the benefits are three fold,

• Cheaper
• More Profit
• Environmental Friendly

CK Polymers offer a selection of plastic recycling services and distribute a wide range of rGrade plastic raw materials to compounding and moulding companies across the globe. We are always looking for new

Wild Bird Feeding This Springtime

With this spring being milder than usual you might assume that the high insect levels would be enough to satisfy most wild birds appetites, but the hotter weather also hardens the ground and many wild birds who normally feed of worms such as tits and chaffinches will struggle to find food.

Springtime is also breeding time for wild birds so extra food will always help and can really make a difference to the survival rate of the young, just be mindful that hygiene is important, clean feeders and tables and that certain foods will not last long in the hot weather.

Foods to avoid feeding to wild birds during this time of year include such things as whole peanuts, due to the risks of choking young birds, an exception to this could be through the use of a caged feeder that won’t allow larger chunks of nut through the gaps in the mesh. Other foods to avoid should include bread as this could prove harmful if the older birds feed them to their young.

What can I feed Wild Birds Then?
Some adult wild birds will come and feed from your garden to satisfy their own needs whilst other parents will take the food you have put out back to their young so a plentiful supply of protein rich foods are much needed. Fat products are ideal as these provide the high energy proteins breeding birds require such as fat balls, suet blocks and suet pellets. Fat products also appeal to a wide variety of wild birds so putting these types of foods out in the garden should increase the diversity of wild birds visiting. New production techniques now unable a less messy option in what’s known as Less Mess Suet Blocks, these are ideal as they don’t melt or get sticky in the hotter weather but are still as tasty and appeal to the wild birds.

Live foods such as insects are one of the best sources of protein for wild birds that are breeding, live foods such as mealworms are possibly the most popular live bird food.

Many species go mad for mealworms including robins, blackbirds, sparrows and tits. Mealworms are ideal for feeding in gardens and are made up of over 48% protein and 40% fat and have a high percentage of moisture which is vital for nestlings. Just remember to use special live bird food feeders otherwise your bird food will wriggle away before the birds get chance to eat them.

Don’t like the idea of handling live mealworms but still want to help the wild birds during the springtime then consider using dried mealworms, freeze dried but still containing all the same levels of proteins and fats but much easier to deal with, although during breeding season it would be better to soak in a little water to aid with digestion of nestling birds.

First Home DIY Advice

Moving into your first home give you the opportunity to show off your great design skills, this means that unless you’re a lotto winner you will be doing some if not all the diy jobs around your new home.
Learning new DIY skills takes time so it’s worth being realistic when tackling your first few jobs, if you have a parent or friend who’s knowledgeable then consider cooking them a meal one evening while they show you how to change plastic light switches for chrome ones. Plus it gives you chance to show off your culinary skills, beans on toast anyone?
Buyers of brand new homes will have a much easier time with a lot less time being devoted to repairing cracked plaster or stripping old wallpaper. Having nice smooth wall to start with really speeds up the transformation from a house to a home.
What can appear an easy diy job isn’t always the case, take hanging pictures on the walls, simple enough you would think choose the location and hammer a nail in to the wall, job done! and 99 out of 100 times you will be fine, but be aware of hidden pipes and cables within the wall, experience will help but even tradesmen get it wrong sometimes, a wiser person might invest in one of the many low cost electronic detectors available in all the leading diy stores, place one of these against the wall were you intend to put the nail or drill and it will show if something is beneath the plaster surface.
Carpets and flooring are expensive items, our advice is to try and buy the best you can afford. If you fancy cutting corners ( no pun intended ) on cost it’s far better to do a couple of rooms at a time with good quality rather than having the whole house fitted in cheap stuff or worse still buying remnants and fitting them yourself. Many new home builders offer deals that include carpets throughout the whole house, at first glance this probably doesn’t sound that great, it will when you go down your local carpet shop and get some estimates.
If you are still yet to decide on buying your new home or would like to take advantage of a selection of schemes to help in buying your first home or you are looking to move up the property ladder then Larkfleet Homes have several developments in and around Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Rutland. Larkfleet Homes are a company with an enviable reputation for producing high quality sustainable developments using innovative technology and construction methods, delivered to exceed customer expectations.

First Home Energy Saving Tips

Moving in to your first home is a fantastic feeling, it’s all yours (well let’s forget for a moment about the mortgage) your very own first home.
No doubt you will have loads of ideas and plans to make it unique and reflect your personality and tastes, that’s great can’t wait to get started on the diy?
Before you start slapping red paint on the walls to match your yellow carpet spare a thought for a few energy saving tips, were not trying to sound like your dad here but sometimes they make sense ( though not always!)

Those of you who have bought a brand new first home will always have the upper hand when it comes to lower energy costs, quality built new homes are so well insulated that once they are heated up they retain their heat all day and enable you to either turn the heating off or significantly reduce the thermostat temperature.
Light fittings in your first house will probably be one of the first things you will want to change, not many people like the plastic dangly things that the builders fit, although they are better than taking down something your granny would have had fitted if your first home isn’t a new one.

So before you go out and buy those chrome effect or black down lighters check what bulbs they accept, having six 60 watt bulbs on in your living room at night will cost much more than six x 7.5 watt low energy bulbs over the course of a year and the new LED spot light bulbs can use as little as 1.5 watts each, although the brightness is sometimes less than that of the full power bulbs. After all the savings will pay for plenty of pizza deliveries for all the parties you are planning.

Loft insulation, again new home buyers can forget about this as your loft space will have been well insulated by your builder, if your first home isn’t a new one then the loft is best insulated to a 200mm depth if possible and get this done well before the colder weather sets in and it’s advisable to avoid very warm days. Either call a reputable company in or have a go yourself, insulating your loft isn’t difficult but it’s not a pleasant DIY job as the fibres do irritate the skin, so have a quick measure up and head down the DIY store.

If you are still yet to decide on buying your new home or would like to take advantage of a selection of schemes to help you buy your first home or you are looking to move up the property ladder then Larkfleet Homes who have several developments in and around Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Rutland have a wide range of award winning new homes

How are Plastics Recycled

Ever wondered what happens after your waste plastic bottles and packaging gets collected or you drop it off at your local plastic recycling collection point.
Prior to plastic recycling the plastic products have to be sorted in to there various types, this is due to part of the recycling plastics process involving melting the plastic and not all plastics melt at the same temperature, differences mixing here can lead to a brittle recycled plastic product, think of how oil and water don’t mix well.
Once the waste plastic has been identified and separated the recycling process can begin, recycling plastic is much more involved than say for glass or metals, usually starting with shredding and washing to remove paper labels, adhesives and other impurities, this is followed by melting the clean plastic and extruding in to the form of pellets which then go on to manufacture the next lot of plastic products.
Recycled scrap plastic is more often than not recycled in to something completely different to what it started out as, plastic bottles could easily become your garden furniture, a point worth noting is that it is not always possible to recycle it over and over again and here in the UK we still don’t have recycling facilities for all types of plastics, typically the likes of yoghurt pots and butter containers either go to landfill sites or are shipped to overseas plants for recycling.
Due to the continual growth in dependencies of plastic manufactured products, something like 20 times more than 50 years ago our need to recycle rather than continuing to create from new plastic grows ever more important, often it is all too easy for us to forget the knock on effects such as conserving non-renewable fossil fuels and minimising the amount of rubbish that goes to landfill sites.
All plastic products have a Plastic Identification Codes – or PIC for short imprinted on to them somewhere, this is a plastic recycling symbols, made up of a circulating arrow in a triangle shape with a number between 1 & 7 in the centre. The PIC was implemented by the Society of the Plastic industry in 1988.
Type 1 is polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) - Fizzy Drink Bottles / Oven Ready Meals
Type 2 is high-density polyethylene (HDPE) – Milk and Washing up Bottles
Type 3 is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) = Shampoo, Squash Bottles, Cling Film
Type 4 is low-density polyethylene (LDPE) – Carrier Bags & Bin Liners
Type 5 is polypropylene (PP) – Micro Meals & Margarine Tubs
Type 6 is polystyrene (PS) – Yoghurt Pots, Toys, Electronic Goods
Type 7 is other (usually PC or ABS) – Headlight Lenses, Safety Glasses, Melamine

So next time you put your waste plastic in the bin, see if you can spot the plastic identification code, currently there is no legal requirement for plastic manufacturers to label their products but the majority do so, possibly ahead of future legislation that may come in to force.

Choosing Good Removal Company

Moving house as we all know is one of the most stressful events most of us undertake, the thought of packing up all our worldly goods into boxes then putting these boxes onto the back of a van sends a chill down your back. Why not let someone else take the strain, besides you will have enough other things happening on removal day to keep you busy.
Be careful of using one of the many “man and a van” type removal services that have sprung up of recent years, the old saying of you get what you pay for applies to removal services. Ask yourself what happens if something gets damaged, who is liable? The odd job man with a van is unlikely to be insured for breakages.
Always get several free quotes for removals, whilst some may offer a quick online estimate for removals the more professional removal companies will have an experienced estimator visit your house or business premises to assess the location and confirm any special requests that could cause difficulties on the day, examples could be very large heavy items of furniture, garden statues or tropical fish. You may have to consider removing a window to get something out or you on the top floor of a flat and there are parking restrictions in place, all good removal companies can overcome these problems, and deal with any permits that need obtaining. Another point to note is providing your removal company with as much detail regarding access at the new address, better to say whilst at the quotation stage that your new home is on the 20th floor or down a muddy farm track.
So it makes sense then to choose a good removal company , one that will look after your possessions and handle them with the same care as you would. You would be right to think this was a given, well not all removal companies are the same. Luckily there are some industry bodies that regulate the removal industry, here in the UK we have the British Association of Removers or BAR for short. BAR is recognised by the department of trade and has a code of conduct the all members have to adhere to. So a quick check should ensure they are members of the British Association of Removers.
Recommendations are always the best way, to judge how good a removal company are, ask friends and neighbours who they used. Failing that you will have to decide based on the interactions with the removal companies staff that you have, where they professional, courteous and on time when they gave you the estimate.
A final thought to bear in mind is accepting the quotation, always try to plan early and book your removal company in plenty of time, this is especially true at certain times of the year such as a move just before Christmas as all the reputable removal companies will get booked up well in advance.

Young Drivers Thank Brussels

Finally something good has come out of an EU ruling, well for young male drivers at least, it would seem that in their wisdom the EU has ruled that young men paying more for their car insurance is sex discrimination, never mind the statistics around claims such as men under 22 are ten times more likely to have a serious crash, 25 times more likely to commit a driving offence and twice as likely to make an insurance claim.

But, and there’s always one, from 21st December this year young male car insurance premiums won’t drop by huge amounts, indications from The Association of British Insurers estimates that men under 26 will see a 10 per cent drop in rates, and within the same age group women drivers face a 25 per cent rise in car insurance rates.

Moving forward insurers cannot use gender as a factor in deciding car insurance premiums, hence why women will see the price rises come renewal time next year.

We did a quick quote as an example on a Ford KA 1.3 10 year old as a first car for an 18 year old girl; quotes came back at around £1100 for first year after passing driving test. Next we did the same details exactly, car, address, usage, SDP, TPFT, etc, only thing we swopped was gender and first name. Cheapest car insurance quote we got back was £4000.

Now that's a heck of a difference in price but even if you add 25% ( Brussels forecast increase for ladies) to the girls price and deduct 10% from the guys they are still miles apart.

As both get older the risk difference closes as a typical woman’s car insurance under the age of 22 pays around £1,682 in car insurance while a young man is charged an average of £2,750.

Compare Quotes

One thing that won’t change when young drivers are looking for car insurance and that’s shop around, never take the renewal from your existing insurance company as the best price, use this as your starting price and compare car insurance quotes from as many places as possible.

Short Term Car Insurance

Short term car insurance policies are popular with all sorts of people but could prove beneficial for young drivers to, take out cover as and when you need it, maybe get car insurance cover for a few weeks during University or college breaks, build up some driving history and get older!

CarInsurance-Choices.com for 100% impartial car insurance quotes for young drivers, women drivers, car and commercial insurance quotes. All the leading car insurance brokers and companies are able to return quotes for cheaper car insurance, all totally impartial.

Source CarInsurance-Choices.com