Many of us are continuously striving for an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. From limiting the consumption of single-use plastics to eating locally-grown produce, there are many ways you and your family can make positive changes for the health of our precious planet.
We are often told to consider the three R’s of recycling, known as the waste hierarchy.
- Reduce the amount of waste we generate.
- Reuse items where possible.
- Recycle materials to keep them in circulation.
While reducing and reusing are more effective methods of waste management, recycling, where possible, is a vast improvement on disposing of waste traditionally, contributing to climate change and air pollution. But what household materials can you recycle, and what should be kept well away from the recycling bin?
Glass Bottles And Jars
Glass jars and bottles of any colour, including wine, beer and spirit bottles, can be endlessly recycled. Once sent to the recycling plant, glass bottles and jars are sorted according to colour, crushed and added to a furnace, where they are melted down so they can be moulded or blown into new items. Recycled glass is predominantly used to create new glass containers, as well as glass wool home insulation and homeware items. Ensure you thoroughly rinse your bottles and jars before you put them out to be recycled.
Plastic Containers
Plastic bottles, tubs and pots can be recycled, although they must be thoroughly washed, as many recycling facilities will reject spoiled food containers due to contamination. Plastic is an exceptionally versatile material; however, plastic production takes a huge toll on the environment. Furthermore, plastic is not biodegradable - it takes around 450 years for one plastic bottle to decompose entirely in landfill. Considering plastic consumption is relatively unavoidable in modern society, it is vitally important to reuse and recycle containers whenever possible.
Cans
Steel and aluminium tins and cans are infinitely recyclable. Again, it is advisable to rinse food and drink cans before they are sent to your local recycling facility to guarantee their recycling potential. Once at the sorting plant, cans are separated into steel and aluminium. Steel cans are melted in a furnace along with molten iron at a temperature of 1700°C, whereas aluminium cans are shredded to remove any coloured coating before they are melted down. Recycled aluminium and steel is used for various items, including engine components, building materials, and, unsurprisingly, more cans.
Cardboard
Scrap cardboard, including boxes, greeting cards and cardboard envelopes, can be put out for curbside recycling or taken to one of your county’s many recycling centres. In fact, a staggering 84% of corrugated cardboard in the UK is recycled. The process of recycling cardboard involves sorting, shredding, pulping, filtering, drying, pressing and rolling - a procedure that reduces processing pollution by 95%. Keep in mind that cardboard may be rejected for recycling if it is contaminated with grease, making greasy cardboard takeaway containers generally unsuitable.
Batteries
Yes, you can recycle batteries. According to Recycle Now™, all household batteries, including button batteries commonly used in watches and hearing aids, are recyclable. Batteries are recycled in a process that involves grinding them down and submerging them in a caustic solution to neutralise the electrolytes. Once the polymers have been separated from the lead, the various recovered materials can be used to create new products for a range of industries and household use.
Paper
Paper is recycled in the same manner as cardboard in the business world. Contrary to popular belief, you can recycle printed paper, such as newspapers and magazines, as the ink is removed during the recycling process. You can even recycle paper at home using a household blender and mould and deckle. Homemade recycled paper has a wonderfully rustic texture, ideal for arts and crafts. Use your recycled paper to create handmade journals, notebooks, or even greeting cards.
What Not To Recycle
While there are plenty of household items you can recycle, there are various items unsuitable for recycling, including the following:
- Drinking glasses and pyrex dishes - although glass, these items are heat treated and do not melt at the same temperature as other glass components.
- Bottle sleeves - always remove the plastic outer sleeves from your bottles before recycling, as it is made from a different type of plastic, making sorting difficult.
- Plastic bags - these items can tangle and clog the machinery in recycling centres.
- Wrapping paper - this is often dyed or contains non-paper additives such as glitter and foil.