Everything you need to know about recycling (Updated)

Blog post #2 - 1st April 2024

Introduction

Upon request, I thought I would write my next blog post about recycling! It can seem like a minefield trying to navigate information and advice online, but I have scoured the internet and collated all the relevant information here into a hopefully easily comprehendible little document.

Also, side note: I'm aware that it's April Fool's Day. I would like to address here that all the following information is legitimate and credible and has been cited at the bottom of the page (I'm not yet sure how to cite images/pictures, so I would like to acknowledge that all the following images in this post are from Recycle Now, the one above is from Corporate Culture Group). As well as it being April Fool's Day, it is also one of my best friends' birthdays, so I would also like to wish him a Happy Birthday! Thank you for always supporting me in all that I do! ☺

The basics - requirements for recycling

• 
  This might seem fairly obvious, but the first thing to do when you're about to recycle something is to check it can actually be recycled! If you are unsure whether something can be recycled or not, it's a good idea to check for any symbols that might be on the item. I will explain these a bit more later, but for now if you see this symbol (-->), simply dispose of it in your general waste bin.
• It's important to check that your rubbish can be recycled as recycling things that can't be recycled will cause your recycling to be contaminated. If there are too many non-recyclable things in your recycling, it can lead to 'whole lorry-loads' of recycling not being able to be recycled (Recycle Now, no date).
• Recycling can also become contaminated from food and grease, so make sure that your recycling is clean and dry (Repak, no date; Recycle Now, no date).
• Another thing is to make sure that all your recycling is loose. It can't be recycled if it's tied up in a bag (Repak, no date).
• The final thing to check is that you're recycling in the right place. I will explain this in more depth, along with the various symbols you might come across. Out of what can be recycled, some of it can be recycled at home/kerbside, and some of it needs to go to specific recycling points (such as the supermarket!)

Where to recycle

Where to recycle things depends on where you live. Some local authorities (LAs) don't accept certain items and so it's important to make sure you check where to recycle. Recycle Now (no date) have developed a Recycling Locator that you can use to find out where to recycle specific things and what you can put in your household recycling.

Symbols - what do they mean?

On-pack recycling labels (OPRL)

    

These symbols are fairly self-explanatory. They indicate where a product's packaging can or can't be recycled. Something interesting that I learned while doing this research is that these symbols apply to the majority. Some LAs don't accept the same things that others do. If you are aware of the kind of things your LA does and doesn't accept, it will make understanding these symbols easier, i.e. even though it says 'Recycle', if you know that type of packaging can't be recycled in your local area, then dispose of it in general waste, or look into where you could recycle it (Recycle Now, no date). Again, I will go into this a bit more later.

        

Some of these symbols are more specific. They may specificy whether the packaging needs to be rinsed and left to drip dry before recycling, or if it needs to be attached to the lid to recycle properly (Recycle now, no date). Again, check the Recycling Locator to find out what your LA will be able to recycle (Recycle Now, no date).

This symbol is for bags/wraps that need to be recycled at the recycling points in supermarkets. You may already be recycling some of your soft plastics here, which is great! If not, you may have come across these recycling points before, seeing them in the entrances to various supermarkets across the country (Recycle Now, no date).

Some packaging may also need to be separated before it can be recycled, as some parts may not be recyclable (Recycle Now, no date).

Plastic resin codes

These symbols show the 'Resin Identification Code' for different plastics, which is shown by the number in the middle of the arrows (Recycle Now, no date). The number ranges from 1-7, and are generally shown alongside the name for the plastic type underneath (though this isn't always present).

1. PET or PETE | Widely recycled
2. HDPE (or may be written as PE-HD) | Widely recycled
3. PVC (or may be written as V) | Not easily recycled
4. LDPE (or may be written as PE-LD) | Recycle at recycling point
5. PP | Widely recycled
6. PS | Not easily recycled
7. Other (or may be written as O) | Recycle at recycling point.

(Recycle Now, no date; 2EA, 2018).

Note that these may be shown as numbers 1-7, or 01-07, or simply as the letters (that I've shown in blue).

Glass recycling

Glass jars and bottles can't be recycled amongst other household recycling. Your household may have its own glass recycling collection/bin. Otherwise, take your glass recycling to a bottle bank, remembering to separate by colours (Recycle Now, no date).

Cardboard and paper recycling

Cardboard and paper can be recycled with your household recycling, but it's important not to include anything that is contaminated with grease, glitter or has plastic (such as tape) attached to it (Recycle Now, no date).

Aluminium

This symbol indicates packaging being made from recyclable aluminium. Aerosols can be recycled at recycling points and occasionally at home dependent on your LA. They need to be emptied and cleaned before recycling, and make sure to remove any additional parts (such as plastic) and recycle/dispose of them correctly (Recycle Now, no date). Check if your LA will accept aluminium foil (commonly referred to as tin foil), otherwise recycle at a recycling point (Recycle Now, no date). Again, the foil needs to be clean and dry, but it also needs to be collated and formed into a ball before it can be recycled (Recycle Now, no date). I'm not sure where I read this before to know who/where to reference, but I remember a mention of the ball needing to be at least the size of a tennis ball for it to be picked up by the recycling machines. At university, we have a ball of foil on the side that gets added to from time to time and then recycled once it's tennis ball size. At home, we have a tin where we collect pieces of foil to then form into a ball once there are enough of them.

Other things that can be recycled

• Wood can be recycled, but it needs to be taken to a recycling point (Recycle Now, no date).
• Recycle Now (no date) have a list of types of household packaging that can be recycled.

Final words and some tips to make it easier

I hope this has been helpful - I definitely found it interesting to research. As I mentioned earlier, I appreciate that it can feel like a minefield trying to navigate recycling, so I thought I'd give some examples of how me and my housemates at university are making it a little bit easier:

• We collected a poster of what can and can't be recycled with our LA and have stuck it on the fridge as a reminder
• We have a ball of foil on the worktop which gets added to every week or so and then recycled once it's big enough
• We have separate bins - in the kitchen we have our general waste bin, a cardboard box that we are using as a recycling bin, and a waste paper basket that we are using to collect our supermarket recycling of soft plastics. These all get collected and then disposed of/recycled in the right places.

I'd love to hear of any ideas you have to make recycling easier or if you have any questions or requests for future posts! Feel free to contact me at @secondhand.charlotte on Instagram! ☺

TLDR

• Make sure all your recycling is clean, dry, loose and separated (depending on type)
• Check with your LA (on their website) what can be recycled at home
• If things can't be recycled at home, check where they can be recycled
• PET/PETE, HDPE/PE-HD and PP are widely recycled at home collections
• LDPE/PE-LD and Other plastics can only be recycled at recycling points
• PVC and PS aren't easily recycled
• Foil can typically be recycled at home, but it needs to be collected into a tennis ball size.

References

2EA (2018) Plastics - Resin Codes. What do they mean? Available at: https://2ea.co.uk/plastics-resin-codes-what-do-they-mean/ (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Recycle Now (no date) Aerosols. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/aerosols (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Recycle Now (no date) Cardboard. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/cardboard (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Recycle Now (no date) Foil. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/foil (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Recycle Now (no date) Tips to reduce recycling contamination. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/recycling-contamination#What-is-recycling-contamination (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Recycle Now (no date) Understanding recycling symbols. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/recycling-symbols (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Recycle Now (no date) Wood and timber. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/wood-and-timber (Accessed: 1st April 2024).

Repak (no date) Recycling Tips and FAQs. Available at: https://repak.ie/recycling/how-to-recycle-tips-faq/ (Accessed: 1st April 2024).