Nearly all of us these days have a recycle bin. However, to this day a lot of people still are not going the right way about it and are not making the best usage of having one. So before just chucking the next packet you see into the recycle bin or dustbin, there are still some key things to remember.

Are you sure it goes in there?

Even though recycling is a great way to keep things green, it’s going to be pretty useless if you’re putting the wrong waste in it. Putting the wrong items in the recycle can contaminate other waste, meaning the whole bin won’t get recycled and will have to be sent to landfill instead. It may come as a surprise to you with some items, but unfortunately black bags, shredded paper (for the most part), food waste, some plastics (including polystyrene), nappies (unsoiled or soiled) and textiles can NOT be recycled.

Don’t forget to check

Let’s be honest, we have all done it where we chuck a recyclable item in the usual waste bin. A little goes along way through, and we all have time to just have a quick check on the packaging before throwing it away.

You may not see it but it’s true…

• Up to 20% of recycle bins get contaminated and have to go to landfill.
• Up to 60% of rubbish that goes to the dustbin could be recycled.
• The unreleased energy that goes into the average dustbin could power a television for a staggering 5,000 hours!
• 1 recycled glass bottle can save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.
• Every single day over 80 million drink and food cans end up in landfill from just the UK alone.

We are all in this together

If we want to keep this planet healthy it’s a must to understand how important the do’s and don’ts of recycling really are. Because even though you may think you doing good by putting everything in the recycle you’re really not. Every little helps, and if more us just had a bit more knowledge on recycling and had a quick check on the packaging, it can go a long way.