How to recycle

From the plastic cleaning bottles you use, to the items you want to get rid of: we give the lowdown on what can be recycled and given a new lease of life.

Christmas is a time to spend with friends and family, but it’s also the time when we over-indulge and create the most waste. Whether it’s lots of packaging from our Christmas parcels, the amount of wrapping paper we use, or what is left behind after a house full of visitors, the waste can be endless! We give the run down on all the things you can recycle this festive season.

Remember, remember, the 5th of November – gunpowder, treason and plot! Those are the words most associated with Bonfire Night, but ‘eco-friendly’, not so much. However, the good news is that there are still ways you can enjoy this fun night of the year while minimising the environmental impact of your evening. Here are five ways you can ‘plot’ to enjoy sustainable celebrations this 5 of November.

Do you have a walking aid collecting dust in your home? Perhaps you have a rollator or walking stick that you would like to dispose of? Whatever the case, you may be able to make use of the new NHS walking aids return and reuse scheme.

Whether it’s an elegant garden party, a picnic in the countryside or just a spot of gardening, summer is a time when we’re all making the most of the lovely weather and the great outdoors. In today’s post, we’re looking at how you can do so sustainably, without harming the very environment you’re enjoying!

Spring is in the air, birds are singing, flowers are blooming and most importantly the days are getting longer! This is the perfect time of year for the green-fingered (and even not so-green-fingered) among us to venture back out into nature. Is your garden in need of a little TLC? You may find these ideas to repurpose and reuse items in your garden helpful - with a little effort you can have a superb waste-free garden to be proud of.

If you’re heading off on staycation somewhere in the UK this summer, one thing you won’t be wanting to take a break from is recycling! Before you head off to your holiday home, caravan park or hotel, have a read of today’s article for some tips on staying sustainable while you’re staycationing.

Putting the right stuff in the right bin is important. The wrong stuff is called contamination. Most of us are getting it right, however, when too much contaminated material is collected, it potentially prevents the whole lorry load of material from being recycled.

You’ve invested in ‘bags for life’ or canvas shopping totes. You buy your vegetables loose or in paper bags. And you do everything you can to avoid ending up with unwanted plastic bags, film and wrapping by using new innovations such as beeswax wraps instead of cling film. In short, you probably already do everything you can to avoid ending up with pesky plastic bags and wrapping on your hands. But...

Recycling symbols appear on lots of everyday items and help us to identify how different types of packaging can be recycled.

Recycling is easy and most of us are recycling as much as we can. Follow our simple steps and start recycling today.

Recycling has seen a lot of bad news in recent months, with reports that some of our recycling sent overseas is dumped or burned.