Recycle: The Essential Guide

Recycle: The Essential Guide with an introduction by Lucy Siegle published in 2010 is a new version of the original 2006 publication. The book covers six areas of waste and also includes numerous case studies as well as directories.

The best place to start in reviewing this book is probably at the beginning and the contents page certainly makes a good start. The contents are detailed and clear making it easy to flick to a desired section or case study; especially useful if you are looking for some quick hints and tips. If you are starting to read the book in earnest, however, you would begin with the Foreword and Introduction, the latter written by Lucy Siegle. This is a long introduction but is interesting and informative enough to keep the reader’s attention and providing good background information on the whys and wherefores of recycling.

So, onto the main body of the book. I found this to be very well laid out with each material area (e.g. paper, metal, plastic) containing information on why it is important to recycle that particular waste, how that is done and, importantly, ‘What you can do’. All this information is interspersed with images and diagrams and some truly interesting case studies which help to bring the whole area into focus. In fact I think these are a very important feature of this book, turning a potentially dry topic into something tangible and offering something to which we can aspire in terms of living greener lives.

At the back of the book are some directories which contain not only useful links but also brief information on each of the companies, making it much more useful than a list of names.

Recycle: The Essential Guide is printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper and retails at £19.95. This is not cheap but you get a lot for your money with this book which, as well as providing an interesting read, also serves as an ongoing resource on recycling.

I did spot a few typos in the book, but this didn’t detract from all the positive aspects. I will certainly be keeping this one on my book shelf for future reference.

Thanks to Black Dog Publishing for sending us a sample of this product.