Nearly two-thirds of all household rubbish can be recycled, saving energy and raw materials and avoiding waste going to landfill. Find out how to recycle a wide range of goods – and discover how recycling can help protect the environment.
Recycling cuts down on the need for landfill. It also reduces the use of new materials and saves energy. Recycling just one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television set for three hours?
Many councils collect recycling direct from outside your home. This is called doorstep or kerbside recycling and your council can tell you the times and dates of collections. Most councils also provide recycling banks or bins in the community.
The links below let you enter details of where you live and take you to your local council website. You will be able to find out about collection points and how you can recycle more.
Your local council will be able to tell you what it can and can’t recycle. Most councils are able to recycle paper, glass and plastics, and some also collect metal and organic waste. Recycling banks and bins usually show pictures of what you can put in them.
Many items in the kitchen are recyclable, including:
Don’t forget you can also recycle items from the other rooms in your house, including:
People in the UK are recycling three times more rubbish than ten years ago.
More than half of clothing that’s thrown away could be recycled. Most charity shops resell clothing, or you could take your unwanted clothes to clothing banks. Some councils also take textiles in doorstep recycling collections.
Rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries can contain hazardous substances, so it’s important to dispose of them correctly:
Mobile phones are designed to last many years, so try to keep yours longer by avoiding unnecessary upgrades. When you need to get rid of your mobile phone:
Many charities and workplaces collect print cartridges for refilling. More than a third of the 40 million used in the UK each year are already re-manufactured.
A wide range of other things can be recycled – you can find out more from the RecycleNow website.
Make it easier to remember to recycle by:
The recycling services you receive can vary from council to council. This is because:
Check with your local council for more information.
Seven out of ten people in the UK say they recycle. It’s important to recycle, whatever the economic climate; it saves energy and reduces the amount of raw materials being used.
The global economic downturn may have led to a drop in demand for recycled materials, but 95 per cent of material put out for recycling in the UK is still being recycled. Recycling is almost always a better option than burning or sending waste to landfill.
Environment and greener living
