British consumers have become very aware of the importance of recycling in recent years. This has led to a dramatic reduction in landfill and an increase in the amount of material being processed by recyclers.
Unfortunately, people don’t always get it right when throwing items in the recycling bin. When the wrong kinds of items are added to a load of recycling, it can no longer be processed easily and may end up in landfill.
To help you recycle as effectively as possible, here is a short guide explaining which items can be safely recycled. If you have any questions, give us a call on 0800 612 9477 or 07725 233178.
Recycling symbols
UK businesses are encouraged to mark their products and product packaging with a label that specifies if and how an item can be recycled. Not all items will have these symbols, but they are becoming much more common. If you see a green logo featuring a circular arrow, then it means the item can be recycled.
This icon may have additional instructions on how to prepare the item, asking you to wash it before disposal or to take the lid off. In some cases, it may ask you to remove a plastic sleeve, which must be discarded before recycling.
This guide shares all of the icons that are commonly used. If the object doesn’t have a label, refer to the instructions below.
Plastics
Plastics make up a large proportion of the material that is sent to recycling centres. Although every plastic can be recycled, some types of plastic are extremely difficult to process and will not be accepted by UK recycling centres.
As a result, consumers must learn which types of plastic can go into the recycling bin and which should be thrown in with the rubbish. Fortunately, the UK has a number system which makes it easier to understand which items are safe to recycle.
In most cases, you can immediately recycle these plastic items:
Soft drink bottles
Water bottles
Milk bottles
Cleaning product bottles
Solid plastic trays
Plastic pots and tubs
They are usually made from PET or HDPE, which can be recycled very easily.
For other types of items, you will need to check the ‘plastic resin code’ printed on the bottom of the object. This symbol features three looped arrows and a number. There are seven numbers used, which represent the following plastics:
A firm plastic often used in soft drink bottles, peanut butter jars, berry punnets, water bottles.
Another firm plastic used in yoghurt pots, milk cartons, and cleaning products.
Often used to make hard plastics in pipe fittings, car parts, guitar cases, window fittings
A soft plastic used in shopping bags, magazine plastic, cling wrap
Carpet fibres, butter tubs, microwave meal trays, upholstery
Packaging, plastic cutlery, insulation, takeaway boxes
Composite items contain plastic mixed with another material. The most common examples of this are crisp packets, salad bags, and drink bottles with plastic sleeves
Although you might be thinking this is all too difficult to remember, you will quickly get a sense of what each type of plastic looks and feels like.
If you are unsure if a plastic is safe to recycle, ask for advice or throw it into a rubbish bin. If you place many unsuitable objects into a load of recycling, it may contaminate the entire load, forcing the facility to discard it.
Paper and cardboard
The vast majority of paper and cardboard items are recyclable. You can immediately recycle:
Newspapers
Printed paper
Magazines
Junk mail
Phone books and directories
However there are certain paper items which should not be recycled. Most of these items are either coated in another non-recyclable material. For example, you cannot recycle:
Sticky notes
Tissues, napkins, paper towels (the paper fibres may be too short for recycling)
Metallic wrapping paper
Photo paper
Paper receipts (made from a thermal paper which uses chemicals)
Pringles tubes
Cotton wool
Most coffee cups (they contain a plastic thermal lining)
Glass
Pure glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely. This makes it one of the world’s most sustainable products. Glass used in the following products can be recycled:
Soft drink
Milk bottles
Sauce bottles
Alcohol bottles
Vitamin contains
Jam jars
Condiment jars
However, it’s important to note that certain types of glass cannot be recycled. For example, none of the following should be recycled:
Wine glasses
Crystal glass
Glass ovenware (like Pyrex)
Microwave turntables
Leadlight glass
These items contain additives which affect the melting point of glass, interfering with the recycling process.
Metal
Virtually all metal items can be recycled, including iron, copper, steel, zinc, aluminium and lead. Some common household items which can be recycled for metal include:
Food tins (usually made from steel)
Drink cans (usually made from aluminium)
Metal sweet and biscuit tins
Empty aerosol cans (hair spray, deodorant, etc)
Just make sure any drink or food containers are clean before you put them out for recycling. Metallic plastic film, which is often used on chocolate bars, cannot be recycled.
Thanks for reading. If you need any more information on recycling or require a waste pickup in London, give us a call on 0800 612 9477 or 07725 233178.
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