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Top tips for a top recycler

Get our top tips this Recycle Week

Recycling is one of the most impactful (and easiest!) ways to make a positive difference to the environment, but we see a lot of the same recycling mistakes being made by the public everyday. To ensure you never get caught out again, follow these tips:


1. Check before you recycle

Many items such as textiles, electricals, pots and pans wrongly end up in household bins, which can cause problems at our recycling facilities. These items can be recycled but they need to be taken to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre. If you’re ever unsure how to recycle something, it’s always best to check your local council’s website.

2. Make sure recycling is empty, clean and dry

You don’t need to scrub or sterilise your recycling, but items do need to be free from food residue so they don’t contaminate the other materials. Rinse plastic tubs clean of leftovers and leave them to dry before placing them into your recycling bin for collection.

3. Remove plastic film

Plastic film can’t be recycled, and if it wrongly ends up at recycling facilities, it can get tangled in the machinery, which interferes with the recycling process. Always remove plastic film from bottles,  plastic pots, tubs and trays before recycling the the item.

4. Keep lids on plastic bottles

Our motto is simple; lids on, films off. Lids are recyclable, but when they aren’t screwed onto the bottle,  they slip through the recycling machinery. To make sure all your lids are recycled properly, keep them on! 


Got more questions? Check out our myth-busting video below where we took WIRED around our Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility to learn about recycling right. 

 


 

Do your little ones love recycling? Check out our fun session for kids!

Watch our video explaining the recycling process for kids. This short video is packed full of fun, energy and important messages for little recyclers!