This National Recycling Week we’re making every effort to reduce the amount of ‘good’ waste – the things that could be recycled and given a second life – from ending up in landfills. In saying that, it’s not just a matter of throwing every piece of plastic, paper, glass or metal object you come across into your domestic recycling bin. It’s important to understand exactly what can be recycled and what can’t, so that we’re not contaminating the process. Here are some things that not everyone knows about recycling.
Fact #1
Not all plastics are recyclable via kerbside recycling.
The triangle symbols with numbers 1-7 represent the type of plastic the item is made from and while technically every plastic type is recyclable, it’s important to get to know the plastics that your council accepts as not all are accepted in kerbside recycling. Polystyrene is technically recyclable but is rejected from kerbside recycling due to its density: 95% of a polystyrene item is air so make sure it goes in the general waste. Soft plastics (things you can scrunch in your hand like plastic bags and food wrappers) are recyclable but can not be recycled in your kerbside mixed recycling and should be recycled via soft plastic recycling streams, such as the Redcycle bins you can find in most major supermarkets
Properly recycled plastics like plastic bottles, can be transformed into innovations such as recycled polyester fabric which is now regularly used in apparel and swimwear.
Fact #2
Some contaminants prevent products from being recycled.
Before recycling anything, items need to be scraped or washed clean from contaminants such as food. In the case that the contamination can’t be removed, such as very oily pizza boxes or paper bags, best practice is to recycle only the clean part of the item, and to place the rest in general waste.
The good news is that small contaminants, like stickers or labels on jars, clear windows and staples on paper, won’t impact recyclability.
Fact #3
Anything smaller than your fist can't be recycled.
These small items, like tiny foil wrappers, bottle tops and shredded paper, fall between the recycling conveyor belts and jam recycling machinery.
To prevent this from happening, consider collecting a fist-sized ball of foil before recycling, placing bottle tops within larger metal containers and offering shredded paper to local animal shelters instead.
Our top recycling tips:
- Never place recycling into the bin in a plastic bag
- Flatten plastic bottles with the lid inside, or completely remove lids before placing in recycling bins
- Always separate mixed materials, such as metal lids or corks from glass
And of course, where possible try to avoid single-use products.
