Recycling? Bring on Captain Cardboard!

Smarties tubes, tissue boxes, Shredded Wheat cartons, the boxes that sachets of Whiskas cat food come in, those stiff envelopes that amazon send you CDs in, old birthday cards, old post cards, packaging for a thousand different products . . . it's all cardboard.

You know what I'm talking about; the stuff that the council no longer picks up from your home as part of its recycling service.
As I read last week of angry environmental campaigners having a go at Shropshire Council over this matter, I was reminded of a Jason Falkner song in which there is a heartfelt plea to the garbage man – 'Why don't you leave my street?' he asks, wondering why the garbage man seems to be around all the time. Falkner sings: How can this street possibly excrete this much trash seven days a week?
And I have no doubt that we've all asked ourselves that about our own streets from time to time, especially as we roll out the wheelie bin packed to overflowing. Where does it all come from?
But at least we feel a little bit better knowing that our glass, our tins and cans, and our paper, will be recycled.
Not so long ago we felt even better because we knew that our cardboard was also going to a better place.
But then things changed and, all of a sudden, the council was no longer taking our cardboard away.
Now, we have two options. Take our cardboard ourselves to a recycling facility or just dump it in the wheelie bin with the non-recyclable rubbish.
Human nature being what it is, I think we always knew how this was going to pan out.

Frank Oldaker, from Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth, said the authority should 'hang its head in shame' following the decision not to reinstate collections - as well as its other decision to cut the opening hours at Shropshire's five recycling centres.
Funny. It sometimes seems an awfully long time ago now, but it was actually only November 2011 (so not that long ago) when Shropshire Council axed kerbside cardboard 
collections, forcing thousands of residents to drop off their cardboard at one of the recycling centres or else, as I say, simply dump it in their wheelie bin.
As always of course, there are two sides to any story.
To be fair to council chiefs, they had been looking at ways of bringing back the kerbside collections, but it was revealed earlier this month that a variety of alternative methods had been ruled out as either too expensive or simply unworkable.
To top it all, though, it was further announced that the opening hours at the county's five recycling centres will be cut from March in a bid to save £50,000 a year.
Yeah. It all comes down to money in the end.
Economies have to be made. Belts have to be tightened.
Mr Oldacre said he was furious at the decisions and added: “When other councils do collect and there is obvious enthusiasm by residents and a market, why not try harder?”
Shropshire Council's cabinet member for waste management, Mike Owen, said: “We understand people's disappointment that, due to a change in national regulations, we can't currently collect cardboard from the kerbside.”
I've no doubt they do understand. Just a heck of a pity they cannot do anything about it.
It will surprise no-one that cardboard recycling rates have taken a tumble in Shropshire since those kerbside collections were axed.
In fact, recycling rates have dropped by almost 60 per cent. That's an awful lot of Smartie tubes and Shredded Wheat cartons.
Last year, 1,676 tonnes of cardboard was dropped off at household recycling centres and cardboard banks across the county. But according to previous figures from Shropshire Council and its waste contractor Veolia, a whopping 4,000 tonnes was collected from kerbsides each year before the service was axed. That's quite a difference.
Councillors and their officers really need to take another look at this at the earliest opportunity because this is serious stuff. This is about carbon footprints and energy-saving and looking after our immediate environment as well as our wider environment.

Over in the States, meanwhile, climate expert Dr Eugene Cordero thinks a whole range of issues such as the disposal of rubbish and its relationship to climate change needs a superhero. He has come up with a character to inspire youngsters to take better care of their environment.

Enter the Green Ninja, the not-very-talkative martial arts master who whips up all sorts mayhem to teach young minds about the aforementioned carbon footprints and energy-saving strategies as well as gas-guzzling leaf blowers.

You know what?

Perhaps Shropshire also needs a super hero, and (however unsexy it may sound) his or her first job could be to re-introduce kerbside collections of cardboard.

Bring on Captain Cardboard!