Become a recycling hero

As the leaves turn brown, the nights get darker and the mornings get colder, we can feel the seasons changing.

But one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of getting rid of our rubbish responsibly by making sure it goes in the bin, and the right one at that. Did you know that up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the bin could be recycled? And, one recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours? There’s a lot of energy we’re wasting across the UK that could be put to good use, so why not become a recycling hero and help power the world for the future?

From 21st – 27th September we are celebrating Recycle Week. Every year, Recycle Now and WRAP run a week long campaign to encourage more people to recycle. This year they are saying thank you and celebrating all the amazing key workers and citizens who kept the recycling system going during the lockdown.

But did you know 9 out of 10 people say they would recycle more if it were made easier? Well we wanted to share our top tips to help you make a difference every day and start your journey to becoming a recycling her

Check your local council website: One of the things many people find really frustrating is knowing what they can and can’t recycle. The good news is that your local council website should give you all the information you need and may even provide a nice poster that you can put up at school or at home to remind everyone else what to do.

Give it a rinse: From baked bean tins to jam jars and yoghurt pots, it’s really important that you rinse out your tins, jars and pots before you put them in the recycling bin. Otherwise they may contaminate the whole bin and won’t be able to be recycled.

Remove the sticky bits: If you put a carboard box in the bin that’s still got lots of tape on it the box won’t get recycled at all. So next time you get that delivery you’ve been waiting for make sure you take off all the tape from the carboard before you put the packaging in the bin.

Don’t forget about the waste hierarchy: Recycling is great! But, all around the world we create more waste than it is possible to recycle and a lot of rubbish that still can’t be recycled. So, remember the waste hierarchy – reduce, reuse, recycle. Think about whether you can reduce the things you buy and whether they can be reused before you look to recycle them.

Another way you can help protect your local environment this September is by getting involved in Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British September Clean taking place from 11th – 27th September. Over 7,000 people have already pledged their support and so can you by organising a private clean-up or pledging to do your own individual clean-up. Whatever you choose to do make sure you follow the safety guidance.