Scavenging plastic waste

[mr dazzler]

I was just wondering, is it lawful to pick plastic waste off beaches and other locations or are you likely to get some inane enviroment agency jobsworth demanding to see your permit to do so?

 

[crosslandkelly]

I reckon you'll be okay. Good on you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-41181065/my-7000m-coastal-litter-mission

 

[Bishop]

If you recover wreck material within UK territorial waters, or bring wreck material into UK territorial waters, you must report it to the Receiver of Wreck. HM.gov

So yes, sort of, not always and no, depends on what you call waste plastic.
If you find yourself saying who do we know with a big van or we can flog it on Ebay then the RoW will probably want to know.

For example this plastic washed ashore in Brighton 2008



Stuff like this then I doubt any agency will gripe

 

[Mesquite]

Stuff like this then I doubt any agency will gripe
View attachment 46368

Bishop's right on that score that no agency would complain about that sort of waste being collected. However (and there's always a however ) you need to make sure you can dispose of it.

There's been many cases where good natured have done environmental cleanups alongside roads, local parks and the beaches have collected dozens of bags of rubbish and taken it down to their local civic amenity site only to be told they can't get rid of it there because it wasn't domestic waste quantities.

I recall one case where the charity was threatened with prosecution because they left all the filled bags by a council rubbish bin and it was treated as fly-tipping because they just assumed it would be ok to do that. It was only after the press got involved did the council back down and blame it on a 'lack of understanding and communications'.

So speak to your local council first if you think you're going to be collecting a lot but a bag every so often put in a rubbish bin should be ok.

 

[mr dazzler]

Thank you for your replies and helpful advice. I should clarify, I am not being entirely altruistic, I am looking for (in particular) HDPE 2 plastic. I figured I could remove some that was washed up, and obtain a useful free material to re-melt and mould, AND do my bit to reduce sea pollution (even if just by a misiscule amount)
Thanks again, Jonathan

 

[daveO]

So speak to your local council first if you think you're going to be collecting a lot but a bag every so often put in a rubbish bin should be ok.

My local council run a 'litter champion' scheme and will provide you with bags, gloves and a picking tool if you sign up. You get a visit from the litter officer and they give you a contact number to have bags picked up from anywhere you care to leave them.

 

[crosslandkelly]

My local council run a 'litter champion' scheme and will provide you with bags, gloves and a picking tool if you sign up. You get a visit from the litter officer and they give you a contact number to have bags picked up from anywhere you care to leave them.

Great idea.

 

[Jared]

Reminded of this total safe method of chipping plastic for remelting... :yikes:

[video=youtube;Us1NIza0V3k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us1NIza0V3k&list=PL4nj CTv7IRbwKmdnHLuZp5iL62fSvAS51& index=3[/video]

 

[Toddy]

There's a wonderful invention, it's called tongs

Could one of the heavy duty shredders that chew up credit cards too not be used ?

M

 

[Jared]

There's a wonderful invention, it's called tongs

Could one of the heavy duty shredders that chew up credit cards too not be used ?

M

Was being slightly alarmist for humour, as even he admits that it someones grabs the plastic and you have to keep your wits about you. He does intend to make a hopper and push block type feeder thing.

Apparently credit card shredders are not made for serious continuous use, so die pretty quickly. There's a whole youtube playlist of him going through ideas.

 

[Toddy]

I grew up in workshops, I'm still of the opinion that men who don't have workshops are a little weird (no offence intended to anyone, just my own personal world view )

But, there's fun and there's 'someone's going to lose a finger', kind of stuff that folks make, even as prototypes.

I wondered about the card shredders, but how about a grater and just slither it edge on, or clamp loads of layers of the plastic and shred it with a coarse surf form ?

M

 

[Jared]

If cut/shave it too fine, it has a greater tendency to burn rather than melt, apparently.

 

[Toddy]

Ah, I didn't know that. Could not one of the cross shredders for cardboard be beefed up a bit ?

M