Could we be doing more to aid recycling?

That was the question asked by Douglas councillors after a meeting of the environmental services committee.

The committee was asked to consider replacing the recycling boxes currently in use, however, it was resolved that with around 1,000 currently in stock there was no immediate need to replace them.

Despite this, questions were raised in the council by Councillors Betty Quirk and Carol Malarkey.

Councillor Quirk asked whether the boxes could be fitted with ’proper plastic lids rather than the current netting and plastic cover they currently have, which with wear and tear either no longer fit or become detached’.

Councillor Malarkey believed the current lids were suitable but wondered if it were possible for boxes were that were easier to monoeuvre.

When approached for further comment, she said: ’My concerns are mainly for people who have mobility problems or for those who struggle to lift the boxes.

’For those who do struggle it may be wise to have a more manoeuvrable box (for example wheels at the base of the box).’

The chairman of the committee, Councillor Ritchie McNicholl, replied that boxes were ’provided with cover to keep the paper dry which is important for recycling it and the nets were used to contain anything placed in that box’.

He later told the Manx Independent:: ’They were chosen over the solid lid as the lid means the box is filled to capacity quicker than using the net.

’A plastic lid is not attached to the box so has a tendency to blow away and becomes brittle over time as it isn’t made as strong as the box itself.

’The recycling boxes with wheels were trialled by various authorities in the UK and were not successful for one reason or another, but we still offer an assisted service where, if we are asked, will assist bin or recycling movements.’

Elsewhere, Manx businesses are also stepping up in an effort to increase recycling.

A spokesman for Robinson’s Fresh Foods said: ’Currently we send for recycling two tons of cardboard weekly, quarter of a ton of plastic along with using returnable crates for shop deliveries.’

Robinson’s also said its produce could be bought in loose form and where possible customers coule use cardboard trays and offer ’bags for life’.

The company also said plastic bags would soon be made from biodegradable materials, however it says it is up to consumers to ensure they act responsibly in dealing with their rubbish.

Also seeking to move towards eco-friendly materials is MannVend which recently announced the launch of its plastic-free catering disposables, purchasing coffee cups and lids, cutlery, straws, food boxes, soup bowls and plates from Edinburgh based company Vegware.

Vegware founder Joe Frankel said: ’We are delighted to see responsible businesses like MannVend promoting environmental choices.’

Rock Food Concepts, which runs Douglas’s 14 North and Little Fish restaurants and the Bath and Bottle bar, is banning straws in its outlets.

When the company announced the measure: ’The average straw is used for just 20 minutes but can take up to 500 years to break down. A tiny fraction of plastic straws are ever recycled with the majority ending up in landfill or rivers, from where they eventually end up in the sea.

’In America alone 500 million straws are used daily. That’s enough straws to wrap around the circumfrence of the earth two and a half times!

’It’s heartbreaking to see the effects of single use plastics in our seas and at Rock Food Concepts we are pledging to commit to switching to more sustainable alternatives.

’With immediate effect we will be removing straws entirely from the large proportion of our drinks at all of our venues. The straws that we now stock are wheat based and fully biodegradable.’

It adds: ’We live in a UNESCO biosphere region and surely must accept some responsibility for looking after our planet.’