It’s a pretty broad question, isn’t it? What can you recycle? Well, the truth is, there are thousands of products that are recyclable, ones you wouldn’t have even thought about. But does this mean you can recycle them all at home? That’s the question we should all really be asking. What can you recycle at home? Because the answers to both of those questions look very different. No matter where you go in the UK you will be able to recycle different items depending on your council’s capabilities. So, let’s look at what you can recycle and where you can recycle it.
Recycle Me! The labels to look for
Last week we discussed the importance of knowing your labels and the Recycle Me! Label is the one to look out for. (pictured right)
It means the product is recycled by 75% or more of the local authorities in the UK and you can pop it in your recycling bin at home. In terms of individual products, it’s difficult to know which local authorities don’t recycle the products with this label on, which is why it’s always important to check using the recycling locator on your Greenredeem account.
The most important piece of advice you will ever have for recycling
Your recycling is not dictated by the product, it’s dictated by your local recycling facility. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what it says on the product or packaging. If your local facility can recycle it, they will, if they can’t it will only contaminate your bin. So that’s what we all need to be learning.
This is why we’re always encouraging our members to brush up on their recycling knowledge. We want Greenredeem members to be the leaders on recycling. Knowing exactly what they can put in their bin. Leaving no question as to whether something can go in the recycling or not.
Don’t look to products and packaging to tell you what you can do with them, because they’re not made with your recycling facility in mind.
Recycling away from home
Once you know what you can recycle at home, and become a pro at recycling, you can look further afield. All those products that say they’re recyclable, but not in your recycling bin at home, pop them in a pile. You might find a place to recycle them.
Here are just a few of the products that you can recycle out of the home if your council cannot at your kerbside:
- Batteries
- Clothes
- Soft plastics
- Glass bottles
- Electricals
- Paint
- Metals
You’ll be amazed at the number of items you can recycle at a household recycling centre or soft plastics location. The truth is very little should end up in your rubbish bin at home. Most items have a recycling home to go to. Will you be the one to make sure they get there?
Now you know you can recycle most items somewhere nearby. The challenge is on. Master the recycling that can happen at home. Then branch out to recycling in your community. 55% of Brits put rubbish into their bin which could be recycled instead. Let’s spread the word and reduce this so that we’re all recycling towards the same goal.
