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Top Tips
Rethink recycling: what’s in your bin
Over 60 percent of household rubbish can be recycled in one way or another and it needn’t be a mammoth task. Many supermarkets such host banks for bottles, paper, cans and sometimes clothing, so in most cases you can simply make recycling a part of your weekly shop, rather than making a special trip. To make the best use of your ‘empties’ take a look at our home recycling checklist:
Glass
Bottle banks are found in many council areas as well as supermarket car parks, so you won’t need to travel far. It is often overlooked that bottlebanks also take jars – so you can keep your marmalade jars and pasta sauce jars and recycle them at the same time!
Find out more about glass recycling at www.recyclingglass.co.uk
Paper
Almost any household paper can be recycled, including newspapers, magazines, cardboard packaging, stationery, direct mail, and greetings cards. However, you may find there are different banks for different papers, so it’s important not to mix them up. Paper milk and juice cartons are made from a mixture of materials, so don’t be tempted to simply bung these in or you’ll contaminate the load.
Food and drink cans
Can banks are on the increase for steel and aluminium cans. Food cans can be recycled as well as drink cans, so make sure you wash, squash and recycle these here too.
There is plenty of information and fun for kids about steel can recycling at www.scrib.org.
It’s worth remembering that empty aluminium drink cans are worth money to collectors, so why not save them and cash them in with your local aluminium can recycling centre? Much of the money raised in this way goes to help charities and schools.
Interested? see www.alupro.org.uk
Plastic
Although Plastic recycling isn't as common as other materials, it is on the increase. There are now 210 plastic bottle collection schemes in the UK, and 3.6 million people are fortunate enough to have collections by their council on their doorstep. If your council does not provide plastic recycling facilities, look out for them as they may be coming soon, in the meantime check to see if you can buy your product in paper or glass instead which can easily be recycled.
www.recoup.org has more details including products made from plastic bottles - ranging from fleece jackets to houseware such as beds and bedding!
“Every plastic bag buried in landfill takes 500 years to decay. And we use 500 million of these each week!”
Graham Norton, patron, Rethink Rubbish Campaign.
So use a bag for life from your local supermarket and come along to the roadshow and collect a free canvas shopping bag!
Organic rubbish
Organic household waste - in other words kitchen and garden rubbish - might seem harmless enough, but this makes up the biggest percentage of our household dustbin contents. Organic waste produces greenhouse gases as it rots, and contributes to global warming. In Britain, we are required by law to drastically reduce the amount of organic waste that is sent to landfill sites over the next few years. The best use for organic waste is to convert it into compost. You can make a compost heap really easy, or alternatively all DIY stores and garden centres sell composter bins. Look out for composter sales from your local council, you may be able to pick up a bargain. - www.compost.org.uk/dsp_home.cfm has more in-depth information about composting. If you are interested – we will be updating this site with Tips for the Garden very soon… so take a look our ‘Tips for the Garden’ section to find out how.
Textiles
Charity shops provide a good home for unwanted clothing, but even the shabbiest garments can have their uses. Damaged clothing can be turned into wiping cloths, shredded for use in furniture padding, or even re-woven into new fabric, so look out for charity clothing banks alongside your usual bottle banks, or fill the charity bags which come through your letterbox. And if you give away shoes, tie them together as they have a habit of losing their partners!
Furniture
Television DIY shows such as ‘Changing Rooms’ have shown us how yesterday’s junk can be turned into today’s showpiece, so think about how you can adapt that table, chaise longue or Welsh dresser before it hits the scrap heap. And as recycled furniture requires few new materials, it’s easy on the wallet too!
If you really want to get rid of something, , it may be able to go to a good home. All council’s must provide a bulky rubbish collection service, and in many areas of the country this is linked to furniture recycling charities. Your old chest of drawers or cooker will be given some tender loving care before being redistributed to charities and other good causes. You will be able to find details of furniture recyclers in the phone book or from your recycling officer at the council.
Oils
Old engine oil can prove both messy and hazardous if not disposed of properly. Oil poured down the drain or sink is a major cause of water pollution. However used engine oil can be recycled. Solve these problems and save resources at the same time. There are more than 1,500 oil recycling banks throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. To find your nearest, call 0800 336633 or visit www.oilbankline.org.uk
Paint
Most of us will have the odd half-full pot of paint kicking around our garage and the likelihood is we’ll never use it again, so why not give it to someone who will. Community Re>Paint is an award-winning network which collects unwanted, leftover paint and re-distributes it for use by charities, voluntary groups and community organisations. For more information and to find your nearest Community Re>Paint scheme, visit www.communityrepaint.org.uk
Household Hazardous Waste
Paint and oil are just two forms of ‘household hazardous waste’ – rubbish which can cause pollution if disposed of incorrectly, Click on to www.nhhwf.org.uk/inter_house.htm and take a tour of the virtual house to get more advice on how to deal with messy or hazardous rubbish which you may have hoarded in your garage or under the kitchen sink.
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You can do more than you think to help and it will make a huge difference - around 60% of your rubbish can be recycled
Alistair McGowan
Patron, Rethink Rubbish campaign
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