Recycling 101

More is arriving on our doorsteps wrapped in plastic and cardboard than ever before whether the contents be the weekly food shop, Amazon parcels or a pizza delivery.

Recycling a single plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a lightbulb for three hours! However, 80% still go to landfill.

Do you actually know what can and cannot be widely recycled?

Can be recycled:

• Juice and milk cartons with the recycling symbol on the packaging
• Washed out tin cans
• Clear plastic including drinks, toiletries and cleaning products – must be washed out
• Cardboard
• Paper, newspapers and magazines
• Empty aerosols
• Phone books and directories
• Clean kitchen foil

Cannot be recycled:

• Paper receipts
• Books
• Crisp Packets
• Salad bags
• Cling film
• Cotton wool and makeup remover pads
• Cups with a wax or plastic lining
• Bagged recycling
• Coloured plastic including carrier bags, clothing hangers and straws
• Bubble wrap
• Polystyrene
• Garden Waste
• Disposable nappies
• Takeaway coffee cups
• Takeaway containers including greasy pizza boxes
• Straws

That might be a whole lot more waste than you thought you created!

There are a few hacks to reducing your waste in the first place. With the #zerowaste movement growing, there’s an endless supply of tricks to reduce the amount of waste we produce. Here are three easy ones you can start today:

1. Have a no-new-carrier-bag rule, they cannot be recycled but can definitely be re-used. Keep them in your car, in your bags, pockets or switch to cotton bags.

2. Buy second hand rather than new. A whole lot less packaging, carbon emissions produced and un-recyclable receipts. Depop and eBay are great for clothes while Schpock and Facebook marketplace are ideal for furniture.

3. Try to repurpose what you can like glass jars to store leftovers in.

Got any ideas or queries? Get in touch!

Even more lifehacks are available on the Earth Rewards App!