Why? Because otherwise it can all come undone
SHAMEFUL FACT
In 2018, UK councils had to dump 500,000 tonnes of contaminated recycling in landfill
Now that we’re all gemmed up on our recycling symbols (it’s here if you missed it last week), let’s not undo it all by unwittingly falling short on execution!
This isn’t exactly made clear to us on our recycling collection boxes (why, oh why, oh why?). Essentially, if we don’t follow some basic do’s and don’ts, it makes the whole recycling process less efficient, costing a ton more energy, not to mention public money. At worst, it ruins not just what’s in our own bins but the whole lorry load. And that inevitably means the dreaded L-Word… Landfill.
(Councils, seriously, we need to have a word.)
Ok, let’s do (and don’t) this
Here’s the drill:
Rinse food and drink containers and let them dry, they don’t need to be pristine!
Screw the caps/lids on the bottles you’re recycling, otherwise they can jam up the machine. Don’t worry if they’re not the same material (eg. plastic caps on cartons).
Squash your cartons, cans and plastic bottles. The less space they take up, the fewer trucks on the road. It helps them stay on the conveyor belts too.
Remove packaging tape, sellotape, etc. from any paper recycling. Scrunch up scraps of foil into as big a ball as possible - the bigger, the easier it is to recycle.
Check local recycling if you’re not sure, before flinging something in.
Leave residual food or liquid waste on your recycling items, it can contaminate the whole batch. Plus people need to sift through it all at the recycling plant and you can imagine what it would smell like. Can’t be fun, let’s help them out.
“Russian doll” your recycling, i.e. don’t put things inside each other. Confuses the machines and the whole lot might be rejected.
Put shredded paper in loose (check whether your local council accepts it, many don’t)
Throw in used paper towels or napkins, used tissues, cotton wool make-up pads etc, etc. Yes, we know you don’t but technically we had to say.
Fling something in if you’re not sure and can’t be bothered. If in doubt, leave it out.
What have we missed? Anything we should all know about? Post your tips in the comments below or on our socials. And when you’ve nailed this week’s challenge (a foil tray rinsed, a tape untacked), post it tag us and nominate a friend to do the same. Let’s get the world on board! #DoneAndDone.
AND especially…is there something you’re proud of, big or small? Email us, so we can feature you proudly on our Weekly Shout Out. Everyone loves it and it’s a real boost, don’t be shy!
Coming next week: Surprising things you can / can’t recycle
We…
Aimee: Ok, I’m coming clean, I love sweets. And sweets have wrappers. I know, I know! As a start, I’m splitting the inner foil from the plastic and making a ball the size of a tennis ball!! Hero?
Sonia: I never knew about keeping the lids screwed on! The machines I must have jammed, oh no, oh no.
“A momentary slip, a lifetime on the tip
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