Five New Year’s Recycling Resolutions

It’s the time of year when many of us set good intentions for the year ahead, so what better time to make some resolutions around recycling? Recycling saves 18 million tonnes of CO₂ a year, and there are lots more great reasons to recycle. Here are a few New Year's Resolutions to add to your list for 2025 that will make a huge difference.

You’re probably doing a great job with your recycling, but there’s always one more item you can recycle! In fact, 80% of households miss one or more items that could have been recycled and transformed into something new. Here are the five most commonly binned items that you should recycle:  

• Remember, once you’ve cleaned up after your Christmas or New Year party, recycle any empty plastic trigger spray bottles as they can be transformed into new garden furniture for next summer. 

• If you recycle your empty deodorants, shaving foam and hair sprays these aerosols can be transformed into new products that can be used for years to come. 

• Glass can be recycled again and again so if you have any empty perfume or aftershave bottles lying around, recycle them as they can be turned into new glass bottles and jars. 

• Empty yoghurt pots can also be recycled along with your other recyclable pots, tubs and trays. A recycled yoghurt pot could be used to make new toys that can be shared and enjoyed by many. 

• Toilet roll tubes can have a whole new lease of life if you recycle them as they can be transformed into materials to make books, which will certainly have a long shelf life! 

Other items that you can recycle include plastic bags and wrapping, which you can collect in a bag and take back to a participating supermarket. Foil is also collected by local councils in many parts of the country. Simply check it’s clean, scrunch it into a ball and pop it in your normal recycling bin. Check if your local council collects foil. 

If you’re ever not sure whether something can be recycled, check out our handy A-Z guide.

You could be the most religious recycler in the world, but if the stuff you’re recycling ends up in the wrong bin, it will all have been in vain! It also needs to be clean, dry and loose for it to be recycled. To make sure everything you put in your recycling bin can be recycled, give it a rinse first. To save on water use, you can even do this with old washing up water!

Read our tips on how to get your recycling right to learn more about what could cause whole lorry loads of recycling to be turned away. You might be surprised by what does, as it’s not just the obvious things, such as disposable nappies, animal waste or COVID-19 tests – it’s also things like sticky tape, toothpaste tubes, and glass kitchenware. Contamination can mean that the whole bin ends up unrecyclable, so it’s worth trying to avoid!

Recycling is easy enough to do when it involves simply putting something into a different container at home ready for the recycling crew to come and collect. But what about the things that can’t be included in your regular kerbside recycling? This year, take your recycling to the next level by resolving to recycle the hard-to-recycle stuff as well!

So what does that mean in practice? The answer is that it depends on the item. For example, beauty and grooming products can be difficult to recycle, but there are often take-back schemes that you can make use of. Electrical items might need taking to your nearest recycling centre, or to an electronics store.

Also, if you're still sorting out your recycling from the end of year festivities, take a look at our blog on how to recycle right at Christmas - Christmas trees and certain decorations can be recycled.

If you’re ever unsure about whether something can be recycled, consult our A-Z guide, and when you’re ready, find your nearest recycling point.

Packaging seems to have an awful lot of symbols on it these days, but what do they all mean? Take some time to get to know the different recycling symbols this January and you’re all set for recycling through the year ahead!

For example, did you know that there’s a specific symbol telling you when something needs to be recycled with the lid left on? Or when you need to remove a sleeve or film? All the information you need about recycling something is there – you just need to know what to look out for.

Ever wondered what happens to your recycling? Find out how your recycling is collected, sorted and processed. Some councils will share their recycling journeys on their website, so check out your local council recycling web pages.  

Let’s make 2025 a record year for recycling more and making a big difference.