The Recycling Mistakes you’re probably making….

AD – This is a collaborative post

Why is the UK so bad at recycling? No really. Why?

Over the Christmas period I saw something that made me feel completely and utterly ashamed to be British. I have friends that live in Sweden where there is just 1% of waste going to landfill, and then I see this….

The weekend after Christmas, and not only is this a vulgar visual representation of just how much waste was produced over the festive period, but it highlighted just how many people clearly a) haven’t got a clue when it comes to recycling or b) just simply just don’t give a damn when it comes to looking after our environment. This isn’t recycling – this is fly tipping and it’s completely embarrassing.

Whether or not the people who left that rubbish knew that they were behaving inappropriately isn’t clear, but chances are even those of us who *think* we are recycling positively are probably making some rookie recycling mistakes. Here’s my low down on some of the recycling mistakes you might be making (and trust me when I say I’ve made them too!). It’s only over the last 12 months that I’ve really started paying more attention to what waste our family produces, and I’m ashamed to say I’ve probably made all of these recycling mistakes at one point or another!

1. Not rinsing your plastic – As easy as it may be to shove your ready meal packaging straight into the recycling pile, items covered in food waste are likely to be rejected. The same applies to a greasy pizza box – whilst the odd mark is not an issue, a wet and dripping box wont make it through. For ready meals and clear plastic food trays – give them a rinse / wash in the sink before you add to recycling.
2. Not declining the receipt – In most cases, with low value purchases or the purchase of perishable items – what do you actually do with your receipt? Throw it in the bin? Screw it up into a ball in the bottom of your handbag? Pop it in the recycling bin? Did you know that many receipts aren’t recyclable? Many receipts are printed on shiny paper or coated in Bisphonol A or S. Opt for e-receipts if you really need one, or decline one altogether. (That said, some of my local supermarkets still print them and discard them even when you say no which kind of defeats the object!)
3. If in doubt leave it out – adding a non recyclable item or dirty greasy items to a batch of recycling can actually cause the whole batch to be declined or sent to landfill. Unless your sure, hold it back until you are!
4. Choose your stationery wisely – those of you who know me well will know that i am a bit of a stationery addict, but its not as simple as popping it in the recycling when your done. Sticky notes for example, as much as they can be helpful for keeping on track of your to do lists, aren’t recyclable unless you remove the sticky strip. Biros and plastic pens can’t go in the normal recycling (TerraCycle collection points will take them) and neither can envelopes with windows (unless you peel away the window and recycle the paper.).
5. Crisp packets and baby food pouches can’t be recycled by most Council service collections, mostly due to the metalised or coated plastic which makes it hard to separate – again TerraCycle have specialist collection points which are willing to recycle these products. Save them up and take them along. I am in the process of applying to be admin for a TerraCycle recycling point in my local area and will keep you informed when (if) I get accepted!
6. Removing tops from bottles / crushing – there is a lot of debate about this one and probably the most common recycling mistake but mainly because the messages have been so mixed – do you keep the bottle lids on or off? According to recent research, you should remove the bottle lid before adding to the recycling bin, flatten the bottle to remove air and liquid and then replace the top. Leaving the bottle uncrushed and with a lid can cause liquid to remain in the bottle and also makes them much heavier (filled with air) meaning the machines cant process as effectively.
7. Coffee cups are very hard to recycle – so take along a reuseable one! Only 1/400 cups put in recycling actually get recycled due to the thin layer of polytheylene which is added to make them waterproof. In an attempt to encourage reusable cups – Starbucks and Costa now offer 25p discount for bringing your own, and Pret recently upped this to 50p. Save yourself some money and reduce your waste simultaneously!
8. Wrapping paper – A huge amount of wrapping paper gets thrown in the recycling bins every Christmas, but the reality is, a lot of it can’t be recycled. If it is covered in foil, glitter or a shiny finish, then chances are it can’t be recycled. Scrunch test – if it stays in a tight ball its ok to go in the bin, if it springs back then its sadly one for landfill. More sustainable present wrapping options here.
9. Batteries absolutely should NOT go in the recycling or standard waste bin and need to go to a designated electrical waste collection. My local supermarket has a battery recycling tube, or even better, opt for re-chargable batteries instead!
10. This may be obvious, but based on the sight I was met with this Christmas apparently for many its not – don’t put your recycling in a plastic bag – the contents wont be emptied out and the whole bag will go to landfill. And if the bins are full, take it home with you and go back later! If you are plannign a bit of a spring clean, a house clearance or are likely to have lots of mixed bulky items why not consider skip hire? Using a reputable company (as opposed to a man with a van advert on Facebook!) means that your waste gets processed correctly, avoids landfill where possible, and doesn’t end up getting dumped down a country road once the fee has been taken!

I’ll admit it, recycling and reducing waste is a little bit of a minefield, and I wish everything was a bit more clear to make it easier for us all, but one things for sure, we certainly need to start paying a bit more attention and prevent recycling mistakes as our future generations are depending on us! I’m learning as I go, but am proud at how much we’ve reduced our family waste so far!

Lucy x