Recycling
Plastics are one material that can take hundreds of years to breakdown. This is why it is important to recycle instead of throwing recyclable items in the general waste bin.
It is really important to REDUCE the products we buy in the first place.
It is also important to REUSE the items again and again.
If it cannot be reused you must RECYCLE items that are recyclable.
Reduce
•Buy a water bottle to reuse- stop a lot plastic bottles being made
•Bring bags to the supermarket, don’t buy more.
•Don’t buy anything if you don’t need it, or it wont be used
•Clothes – buy in a second hand shop
•Bring your own containers to shops to refill
•Take plastic wrapping off in shops, don’t bring it home
•Boil a kettle with the amount of water needed only.
•Only put heat on for an hour or so and then turn off
•Reduce temperature and time for heating and showers
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REUSE
•Reuse drinking bottles as containers/repurpose
•Packaging, lollipop sticks, shoe boxes can be used for arts and crafts
•Reuse plastic bags
•Reuse tubs/boxes from takeaway/butter – store food/ freeze leftovers
•Turn a bottle into a bird feeder or pots for plants
•Foam packaging – reuse to package yourself
•Boxes can be used as storage – e.g. coats in winter
•T-shirts etc. – cleaning cloths/stuffing pillows
•Glass yoghurt pots – serving dishes/drinking glasses
Recycle
•Jars –jam jars
•Paper/ wrapping paper
•Tube from wrapping paper/ carboard
•Tin cans
•Bottles- bottle bank
•Milk cartons (Tetra Pak)
•Plastic milk containers
•Take away plastic containers/tinfoil containers
Items you SHOULD recycle
Items you should
NOT recycle
Make sure items are clean, dry and loose
Polystyrene can be recycled in a recycyling centre.
Soiled cardboard can be put in the brown bin/compost
Different plastics
Not all plastic can be recycled. There are different types. If you don't know what type of plastic it is, a good guideline to follow is:
if it is hard/rigid it can be recycled. However if it is soft like clingfilm/ a crisp packet it cannot be recycled.
Recycling Resources
Click on the logo below to find out more about recycling
