I have been following your ethical journal with interest. I think it's great that someone within the media is doing this; the more people living 'ethically' the easier it is for others to start (as they don't have to figure everything out for themselves).
You mentioned something about the tax on plastic bags in supermarkets which made me want to write a quick message. I live in Vienna and recycling is considerably more advanced here than in the UK, but a lot of it is so simple that I don't understand why it doesn't exist in Britain. Here, for example, you have to pay for paper or plastic bags in the supermarkets (the fact that there are paper bags is good in itself). There are public bins for recycling glass (coloured or clear), paper, plastic, and metals (tins, cans, etc) within walking distance of basically every household.
But the main thing that I wanted to mention is that certain bottles, be they plastic of glass, have a value in themselves, called 'Pfand'. This means that when you have finished your six pack of beer, or the bottle of mineral water, you can take them back to the supermarket (any supermarket) and they will print out a receipt for you. You then take the receipt with you to the checkout and the amount is subtracted from your bill. So basically, when you buy bottled items you pay a deposit which you get back if you return the empty bottles to the supermarket. It's not much, but the incentive is there. Why doesn't this kind of scheme exist in the UK?!
Keep up the good work.