12 April 2012
Q: Should I be eating cod and tuna?

A: 'Cod should really be treated as a luxury. Both cod and some species of tuna are in a vulnerable ecological state. However, if people were to stop consuming fish, the price would drop, forcing the industry to catch more to make a profit. Try to diversify the types of fish you eat. Ask questions about where it's from and how it was caught, and limit cod-eating to a once a month.' Sarah Jones, marine specialist, World Wildlife Fund (01483 426 444)

Q: How bad is air pollution in London compared to other European capitals?

A: 'London is as bad as it gets. Its air-quality standards are dropping because of road traffic, unlike Amsterdam and Stockholm, which are virtually traffic-free. Claims that London's standards are improving are based on comparisons with heavily polluted cities worldwide. Within Europe, London and Paris have the worst air quality.' Jim Storey, regional air-quality specialist at the Environment Agency (0845 933 3111)

Q: What are dioxins, and do I need to worry about them?

A: 'Dioxins are poisonous chemicals that get into our food and stay in our body fat for many years. They come from incineration and burning involving chemicals, plastics and other products containing chlorine. You should not worry, but you should do something. Demand products and processes that don't give rise to dioxins. Rubbish should be reduced or recycled - not burned.' Ann Link, co-ordinator at the Women's Environmental Network (020 7481 9004)

Q: Is it true that there's a green glass mountain?

A: Glassmakers are aware that 56 per cent of recycled glass is green (mostly imported wine bottles), yet 68 per cent of our glass manufacturing requirements in the UK are for clear glass - chiefly because we don't have a significant wine industry (which requires coloured glass to protect vintages from the effect of light). Some commentators are pressing for new uses for green glass. In Bexley, for instance, the hope is to use crushed green glass in roadbuilding. But Friends of the Earth states: 'This is one of those urban myths. I think it came about as an excuse not to recycle, a reason to be lazy and stop thinking about the environment. If you put glass into bottle banks - regardless of its colour - it gets recycled.' Paul da Silva at Friends of the Earth (020 7566 1678)

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in