With the volume of rubbish increasing due to a growing population and lifestyle changes, we can't carry on throwing stuff away without giving a thought for the conseqences. Sending waste to landfill or for incineration is not a long term solution and has its own negative impact on the natural environment.
Small changes to your everyday habits can all add up to make a difference to how much you can help reduce waste to landfill or incineration.
Top tips:
- Consider trying to reduce disposible items, where possible - think about reusable water bottles and travel cups! (most take away coffee cups are not easily recyclable)
- Try to buy loose fruit and veg instead of packaged. This will save having to recycle the packaging, but will also save you money!
- When you recycle items, don't put them in a black bin bag - this stops them from being recycled.
- It's always best to recycle items loose in your bin, but if you need to put your recycling in a bag, you can use a clear bin bag instead of a black one.
- Remember to rinse pots, tubs, trays, bottles and jars before you put them in your recycling bin – not only will this stop the contamination of items, but it will keep your bin fresher.
- If possible, separate items into different parts if they contain more than one different type of material, for example take the cardboard sleeve off of yoghurt pots.
- You can recycle your used ink cartridges to the British Heart Foundation, who will receive £4.50 for every cartridge recycled at no cost to you.
- Batteries can be recycled here in the SU up by the Advice Centre.
- Flatten your cardboard boxes when you put them in the recycling to save space.
- Check your collection date and get further information at: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/binsrecyclingandwaste
Glass:
YES PLEASE!
- All glass bottles and jars
NO THANKS!
- Mirrors
- Sheet glass
- Drinking glasses
- PyrexLight bulbs
Metal:
YES PLEASE!
- Food and drinks cans
- Aerosols
- Aluminium food trays and containers
- Biscuit and cake tins
- Clean sheet cooking foil
- Metal lids, tops and caps
NO THANKS!
- Paint tins
- Oil cans
- Shiny foil gift wrap
- Dirty foil
- Foil lined food packets
Plastics:
YES PLEASE!
- Plastic bottles
- Shampoo bottles
- All plastic food trays
- Yoghurt pots
- Margarine tubs
- Ice cream tubs
- Fruit punnets
- Detergent bottles
NO THANKS!
- Plastic bags
- Plastic film
- Polystyrene
Paper and card:
YES PLEASE!
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Office paper
- Directories
- Cereal packets
- Envelopes
- Junk mail and cards
- Catalogues
- Cardboard egg boxes
- Brochures
- Drinks cartons
- Shredded paper (placed in envelopes)
NO THANKS!
- Paper decorated with glitter, bows, jewels and other similar items