This is a very important point, I think. Recycling means using something for the same purpose again - taking a milk bottle, crushing it down, melting it and making a new milk bottle is recycling.
Downcycling is something very different. Taking a yoghurt pot and making a fleece is downcycling. You couldn't use the material from the yoghurt pot to make another yoghurt pot of the same quality.
Generally something that was pure (aluminium, copper, plastic, whatever) that has been processed into something less pure (a drinks can coated in paint, for example) is unlikely to be truly recycled, due to the energy cost in doing so.
So even if you "recycle what you can" just bear in mind that it is unlikely to be true closed loop recycling. Perfectly closed systems are impossible (there is always entropy, or an increase in disorder in any system), but to call converting a tetra pak into toilet paper recycling is disingenuous at best.
Treehugger has a good piece on this!
Last night I played Trivial Pursuit for a number of hours - 1980s Trivial Pursuit. I had a great time, while being aware the group dynamics. One person there does seasonal tree planting work - on average he earned 6p per tree, and would plant about 2,000 a day - absolutely incredible.
I am seriously considering a "no packaging" trial for food, though I think I might wait until the spring when there will be more foragable food available. I have one mini mulched bed here at home, but as we'll all move out in May I don't suppose we'll see the benefit from it! That doesn't matter, though - if we can stealth-indoctrinate our landlord (who lives here over the summer), and leave something in place for the next group of students, that'd be energy well spent.
Today is to be a lazy day, I think. It's been raining since I've been awake! Time for another cup of tea :)
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