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How can We Solve The Recycling Problem That London Faces?

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Presently, waste removal costs ratepayers about £2 billion yearly. Out of the 7 million tonnes of waste from London, only 52 per cent gets recycled yearly, with 37 per cent ending up in landfills or incineration centres. Almost a third of the entire waste is made up of plastic packaging and food wastes, including water bottles and coffee cups. Dry recyclables such as paper, plastics, metals, glass, and card make up about 60 per cent of the waste.

Additionally, about 50 per cent of residents in London lives in flats that don’t have enough storage space for recycling. With a diverse and transient population, it is difficult getting the message of recycling across, in addition to this, businesses have no requirement to provide recycling collection. Local authorities gathered about 3.7 million tonnes of waste in 2016 – large enough to fill up an Olympic size swimming pool. The level of recycling has dropped since 2010.

About 448 million tonnes of plastic was manufactured for the industrial, transportation, consumer, construction, and packaging companies in 2015. If this trend continues, the manufacture of new plastic materials in the next 35 years will require about 20 percent of petroleum production – a great increase from the 6 per cent required in 2014. In addition to that, about 80 per cent of the plastics produced end up sensitive locations. In fact, according to the United Nations, about 8 million tonnes of plastic wastes end up in water bodies yearly. By the time we get to 2050, the ocean will have more plastics than fish, by weight.

Solutions to the rubbish removal problems in London

Despite these challenges, it is important to implement measures that can drastically increase rubbish removal in London. Most people are aware of ways to recycle things such as aluminium cans and plastic milk jugs. However, how can we handle the other items that we just toss into the trash cans without a second thought? Below are some solutions to London’s recycling problems.

1. Light bulbs

Residents should never throw compact fluorescent light bulbs away because they contain some amount of mercury. There are lots of companies that make use of the drop off sites that responsibly recycles them. Companies such as Home Depot, Ikea and Lowes can get the job done efficiently.

2. Plastic wastes

The last thing that residents need to do with plastic bags is to throw them away because it can take thousands of years for them to be broken down in landfills. Rather, reuse them if possible. Even small plastic bags can be rinsed and reused. Since a lot of curbside recycling collection companies don’t accept them, you can take them to the grocery stores for recycling. A lot of grocery stores will accept most plastic bags, newspaper bags, cereal bags, and most types of plastic wraps. Ensure you check in with the store for further details.

3. Torn clothing

Most people at a point in their lives have given away boxes of good clothing to charitable or goodwill organizations. But what about tattered clothing or other items like bedding, towels or rags that are worn out and cannot be reused? Well, they can be taken to Goodwill also. But, the materials should not be contaminated with chemicals or be wet. Such clothing can be sorted and sold to other recycling companies, or used for sofa stuffing in furniture manufacturing companies.

4. Batteries

Because they contain heavy metals, batteries should never be disposed of in trash bins. When they end up in landfills, they can contaminate water and land. Rather, residents should responsibly recycle those materials. Only a few curbside recycling companies accept batteries. However, there are many full-service centres and retailers that will accept old batteries. Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation and Earth911.org provide online directories to help residents find recyclers of batteries in their locations.

5. Ink and printer cartridges

Every year, hundreds of millions of printer cartridges are used in London. Out of this number, about 70 per cent end up on landfills. Such cartridges are usually easy to refill and recycle. There are programs that even pay residents who turn in their old cartridges. Also, some online sources supply shipping for people who want to mail their old cartridges in exchange for some money.

The London Assembly Environment Committee examined how solutions to the problem of unsustainable waste management could be tackled by having a circular economy. According to the study, a circular model for waste in London could:

  • Lower its waste to 60 per cent by 2041
  • Make London carbon neutral
  • Create up to 12,000 new jobs by 2030

Reducing Stress Through Meditation Online with Glo

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It is a common misconception that the benefits of meditation can only be achieved if you travel to a physical location to meditate alongside fellow practitioners in the same space. This can actually make it more difficult for some people to meditate because they are distracted by the other people in the room and the new surroundings. Glo is an online meditation service that set out to make this practice more accessible to all people and remove some of the barriers that prevent people from meditating as much as they would like to.

What Meditation Online Course Offerings are Available from Glo?

Glo provides instant access to a variety of classes for meditation online. Each class focuses on a particular theme or element of practice. Some of the most popular online class offerings from Glo are listed below.

  • Finding peace
  • Cultivating self-love
  • Balance your heart and mind
  • Simply savasana
  • PMS meditation
  • Transmute negative emotions
  • Listen to learn
  • What’s your motivation?
  • Impermanence meditation
  • Inner space of bliss
  • Meditation for frustrated parents
  • Be with what is

What is wonderful about having such a wide range of meditation online classes from Glo to choose from is that you will never become bored with your personal practice. They all have varying lengths and instruction styles so that you can experiment with what works best with your needs. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced student, there is an online meditation class for all needs and backgrounds from Glo.

Customizing Your Online Meditation Practice with Glo

Students of meditation come away from their practice feeling more relaxed, focused and energized. They report decreased feelings of anxiety and stress and credit meditation with helping them achieve their professional, personal and health goals. Each student’s experience with meditation is unique to them, which is why Glo provides access to such a diverse range of instructors and class offerings.

The best way to know which meditation style suits you best is to check out the profiles of the skilled meditation teachers who are part of the Glo network. You can take classes from some of the most highly regarded petitioners throughout the world. These teachers have years of experience in helping students to achieve an inner peace that has helped them to stay healthy, push the limits at their careers and be more loving family members. The benefits that you may experience from online meditation classes are truly up to you and how committed you want to be to your practice. Starting with classes through Glo requires little commitment and allows you to cancel at any time.

More Information About Meditation Online with Glo

Glo was founded to help people of all ages, experiences and backgrounds achieve the inner peace and balance that comes from practicing meditation. Instead of requiring that students go to a physical studio, Glo brings all of the benefits of meditation classes directly to you through an online membership that can be accessed on your smartphone or your computer. You can now find a way to practice meditation when you have a break during the workday or even while you are traveling. All of the restrictions and challenges associated with making time for effective meditation have been eliminated thanks to this cutting-edge platform from Glo.

Can Hacking Actually Be a Good Thing?

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When any business owner hears the word hacking they would rightfully run to make sure that their security software is up to date, petrified at the details which may be discovered, or indeed lost. It is with good reason that a business owner would act this way, after all hacking has accounted for untold millions of dollars worth of losses over the years when businesses have been attacked, not to mention the untold damage which can be done thanks to a new lack of trust which clients have in a business post-hack. But what if we said that you’ve been thinking about hacking the wrong way? What if there is an ethical way to hack, bringing about positive solutions?

Pro-active

For as long as cybercrime has existed security has always been one step behind and has been playing catch-up in terms of creating solid defenses against attacks. This is a cycle which has not been able to continue because as quickly as software developers are coming up with ways to prevent Trojan Horse or DDOS attacks, the hackers and cybercriminals are on to a more advanced way of doing things. Software and security needed a shake-up and this is why we are beginning to witness the rise of ethical hackers.

What is an Ethical Hacker?

In Layman’s terms, there are two types of conduct online and these are called white hat and black hat. White hat techniques are ethical, morally just and legal, while black hat techniques can be either illegal, unethical or morally unjust, or they can also be all three. Ethical hacking or white hat hacking is basically hacking by computer developers and programmers who have been invited by a business or a software development company who are working on behalf of the business.

Why Would They Allow a Hack?

The reason for this white hat hacking is that company’s want to know where their weaknesses are in order to prevent themselves from being exposed. This isn’t a new technique by any stretch of the imagination, many businesses will pay ex-thieves to find out where the blind spots are in their store or how they would steal from them given the chance, in order to beef up their security and avoid being stolen from. This is a newer approach to online security and there are many businesses who are now offering hacking services to these companies and corporations. It stands to reason that recruiting some of the world’s best hackers and asking them to try and breach the framework and firewalls which are in place to protect data and business sensitive information is one of the best ways you can keep these information secure.

Risks?

Some people moot the idea of there being risks around this kind of practice. What if an ethical hacker purposely ignores backdoors into a system in order to exploit it later on? These questions become null and void because any system will be hacked by multiple people which greatly diminishes any chances of illegality, and ensures that maximum protection will be given to a business’ computer systems.

Hacking is changing, and those who are doing it have only good intentions.

5 Simple Daily Habits To Adopt To Prevent UTIs

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If you have ever experienced the disappointing cycle of recurrent urinary tract infections, you know how important it is to prevent UTIs. Each time a UTI returns, you are faced with the prospect of frequent and even painful urination, the possibility of missed work and the chore of scheduling a doctor’s appointment and heading to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription.

How much easier it would be to avoid the infection in the first place. The good news is that you can do this by making a few small changes to your routine.

  1. Take a Natural Remedy. Recurrent UTI prevention is easy when you take a proven natural remedy on a regular basis. The formula flushes out any disease-causing bacteria that have been introduced to your system.
  2. Stay Hydrated. This is simple and something you should be doing anyway to improve your health. The more you urinate the more likely you are to flush bad bacteria out of your system.
  3. Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet.A poor diet can increase the PH in your system, increasing the likelihood of the presence of harmful bacteria. Choose less-processed foods and avoid an excess of sugar and caffeine.
  4. Urinate After Sex.Sexual intercourse can introduce bad bacteria into your system. To prevent UTIs after sex it is important to urinate soon after the act. It’s always important to urinate whenever you have to go.
  5. Make Urinary Health a Priority. A daily shower is better than a daily bath for urinary health. Also, wearing cotton underwear, which is breathable, is better than synthetic underwear, which can trap in moisture.

Get Serious About Urinary Health

Paying attention to your urinary health is a smart thing to do, especially if you have had UTIs in the past. It’s not all that difficult to prevent UTIs. Natural remedies have come a long way in recent years, making it easy to stay on top of infections.

Fresh out of Driving School? Don’t Get Tempted into Making Any of These 6 Beginner Mistakes

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You finally have that license to drive freely in the country. Nonetheless, you are still new in driving and there are going to be circumstances which will require you to have the experience to maneuver. Instead of learning through mistakes, here are 6 beginner mistakes you need to avoid.

1. Speed

Ask anybody what is the common mistakes novice drivers make and the answer will always be over speeding.  Indeed, this is of the major mistakes new drivers make, but the issue is more than just the speed. The ability of a person to judge speed is usually something that develops with time and it can be difficult for beginners to accomplish this without the experience of being on the road. As more experience is gained, one will learn about the different ways to react during speeding situations. The steadier you approach it, the more likely you’ll survive any road incidents. As a beginner, take it slow and allow yourself to build the experience as time goes by.

2. Inability to Handle Emergencies

Driving experience makes it possible for one to handle emergencies appropriately. A classroom can only offer theoretical knowledge about driving, which leaves road maneuvers such as the correct application of brakes to the real world. Distracted driving and speeding make things more difficult because they compound the effects of inexperience by putting the learners at greater risks of encountering emergency situations. Avoid over-speeding and distractions so you can give yourself the time needed to learn how to maneuver successfully while on the road.

3. Braking Sharply

New drivers usually find it hard to judge how long they will take to stop after they hit the brakes. Braking sharply makes it impossible for the driver behind you to adjust their speed accordingly, and more often than not, this results in accidents. Braking gently will help avoid these situations from occurring. In case of an accident caused by you or the other driver, do not rush to apologize or admit fault. Call a car accident lawyer to help handle the case on your behalf.

4. Driving Tired

Tiredness suppresses your reflexes and places you at risk of falling asleep while on the road. This is another common mistake new drivers make. On average, you are required to make a correction after a few seconds of driving, so when you fall asleep for a couple of seconds, you could easily go off the road. Turning the air conditioning on or winding the car windows down will help to stave off the tiredness.

5. Tires and Maintenance

You might not have the experience when it comes to vehicle maintenance, but it’s imperative to ensure your tires are well maintained and replaced. Tires are usually the most crucial part of an automobile since they keep vehicles on the road. Make sure you check the tread depth and the tire pressure as well to ensure safe driving.

6. Failure to Indicate

New drivers usually forget to indicate when switching lanes or making turns. To avoid accidents, make sure you remember to signal during these situations.

Conclusion

Being a new driver, there is so much to learn about driving which you may never learn in the class. You can perfect your skills through real-world experience and by considering the pointers above.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!