'Global Recycling Day', March 18

🌍 GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY – March 18

Global Recycling Day is a reminder that waste isn’t just rubbish — it’s a resource. Every bottle, can, and scrap of paper we recycle helps reduce landfill, save energy, and protect the planet for future generations.

From households to industries, recycling plays a vital role in tackling climate change and conserving natural materials. It’s a day to think about what we throw away — and how small actions can make a big difference.

♻️ Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Repeat.

🎵 CST SONG OF THE DAY"My Old Man’s a Dustman" – Lonnie Donegan

A true British classic with a dose of humour and nostalgia, this 1960 hit celebrates the everyday hero of the streets — the dustman. With its catchy skiffle rhythm and cheeky lyrics, it’s a light-hearted tribute to a job that keeps our communities clean.

Perfectly fitting for Global Recycling Day, it reminds us that behind every bin and bottle is someone doing the important work of keeping waste under control.

🗑️ “Oh, my old man’s a dustman, he wears a dustman’s hat…”

Think about some deliveries & collections we used to have at home in the 1970s & Discuss how things have changed and what it's like today?

Paper Boy - Not many of use still have a newspaper delivered. Many of us catch up with out newspaper articles on our tablets. Think of the trees that have been saved.

Coal Man - The coal industry has virtually disappeared and we rely much more on nuclear and renewable power. Our CO2 footprint is greatly reduced because of this.

Pop Man - Who used to have 'Corona' pop bottles delivered? What flavours were there? This was perhaps one of the first recycling schemes, as you'd keep your bottles for a refund.

Chimney Sweep - This career disappeared with the mines. Who remembers having their chimey swept and the mess it would make?

Window Cleaner - With all that soot in the air, window cleaning was essential. Who still has one?

Milk Man - Milk floats were one of the first rechargeable electric vehicles. Of course, glass milk bottles were also reused, not like the pastic ones today. Who remembers the blue tits pecking the tin foil lids and getting the cream?

Post Man - We used to have so much mail delivered that there were often two deliveries a day. Email and text messaging has greatly reduced the need to write letters and cards. When is the last time you wrote and posted a letter or postcard?

Ice Cream Van - Who remembers running into the street when hearing the music play? What was your favourite ice cream?

Rag & Bone Man - These were pretty much the first recyclers, putting all that metal to good use by selling on for melting down and reuse.

Who remembers the TV sitcom 'Steptoe & Son'? Can you think of the theme music before playing the clip below. What was the name of their horse? What was their address? What were the character's actor's names?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDKRaiiT3ZnJw&v=KRaiiT3ZnJw

Answers: Hercules; 26a Oil Drum Lane, Shepherd's Bush; Alfred (Wilfred Brambell) & Harold (Harry. H. Corbett)

Can you think of some other songs associated with these "lost" professions?