I’ve been enjoying all of the online ranting about COP26. The most common point people make is that these world leaders are burning fuel to fly to Glasgow. Yes, it is hypocritical but that doesn’t disprove their point.

If someone stands in front of you chewing on broken glass while saying, “You really shouldn’t chew on broken glass,” their hypocrisy doesn’t mean their message is wrong.

We all understand that if you take a flight to a meeting that brings in a new rule that saves more carbon that one flight you’re in positive numbers, yet some people pretend it scrubs out the main point.

We have all been a little dispirited, in part because prime minister Boris Johnson said that recycling doesn’t work.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Steve Allen says after a few months of living with your partner you’re done with the hugging phaseSteve Allen says after a few months of living with your partner you’re done with the hugging phase (Image: Steve Allen)

I don’t think he’s wrong, I’m just annoyed that I have wasted my life washing out yoghurt pots. I always suspected someone was fishy. The sticky label on the outside of the pot was somehow going to be dealt with but the leftover yoghurt inside was the problem?

We have all heard stories about our recycling still ending up in landfill. Some areas have mixed recycling bins where plastic, cardboard and metal get sorted out in a plant somewhere. If that plant could also sort out household waste we could go back to having one bin collected once a week.

I don’t mind doing my bit as long as it actually has a useful impact. I’ll do what I can but to bring about real change we’re going to need industry to do more. I don’t eat that much yoghurt that I could compete with the manufacturing sector.

How do we get industry to do more? If only there was a summit people could waste some carbon flying to.