How to have a sustainable staycation

Recycling facilities vary from county to county, so if you’re holidaying in a different area to home, you may well find that the rules aren’t the same as back home. That’s because different councils have different facilities, which determine what they can and can’t collect for recycling. Recycling guidelines also vary depending on what kind of accommodation you’ve gone for.

If you’re going self-catering, the owner of your holiday home will hopefully explain how the local recycling works in your welcome pack and give you instructions, but if you’re in doubt, not to worry. Just pop the postcode of your holiday home into our Recycling Locator to find out what you can and can’t recycle and where your nearest drop-off points are for things you can’t recycle from the kerbside.

If you’re staying at a proper camping facility, such as a caravan park or campsite, there should be communal rubbish and recycling points where you can dispose of any waste you’ve ended up with. Check the instructions carefully on what should go in what bin, as the rules on recycling may be different from back home. If you’re wild camping, be sure to take everything back with you for recycling when you get home. You can prep before leaving for your trip by decanting food and drink into reusable containers and bottles, so you’ve got less packaging to worry about when you’re on the move.

If you’re staying in a hotel or a B&B, theoretically the hotel should take care of recycling on your behalf – do ask them what arrangements are in place if you’re not sure. However, as many hotel rooms just have a single rubbish bin, you might want to consider bringing anything recyclable away with you for recycling at home, such as empty shampoo bottles. Look out for recycling bins when you’re out and about – the cardboard packaging or newspaper from those takeaway chips you had on the beach can be recycled! Alternatively, you can seek out other nearby recycling facilities using our Recycling Locator.

Holidays seem to involve a lot of stuff, but what do you do with it when it reaches the end of its useful life? Here’s what to do with some of the most common things we take on holiday.

• Sun cream bottles – these can be recycled in your kerbside recycling along with all your other empty plastic bottles. Give them a quick rinse out first!

• Aerosol bug sprays – empty aerosols can also be recycled in your kerbside recycling collection. Check if you can recycle aerosols in your area here.

• Beach towels – beach towels past their best? If they’re not in a good enough condition to pass on, you can recycle them with textiles recycling at your local recycling centre, or in a textiles recycling bank. Find your nearest one using our Recycling Locator.

• Parasols – if it’s not in a good enough condition to donate to charity, sell on or give to a friend, recycling a parasol can be tricky. They’re made from mixed materials, so would need to be broken down into parts. Metal spokes may be recyclable with your scrap metal collection and the shade material with textiles, while poles made of wood or plastic can be taken to your nearest recycling centre.

• Folding chairs – again, if they’re not in a fit state to be donated or passed on, it depends on what material they’re made from as to whether they can be recycled. Wood, metal and plastic chairs can go in the relevant skip at your local recycling centre. If the chairs are made from mixed materials – such as canvas and wood – they would need breaking down and the parts recycling separately.

• Gas bottles – if you’re camping, caravanning or motorhoming, you may have empty gas bottles to get rid of. These can often be returned to the manufacturer for refill (or handed back if you no longer have need for them) and some local authorities accept them at recycling centres. Don’t bin them, as they may explode when crushed. Find out more about recycling gas bottles.

• Tents – tents you no longer need can be donated to charity if they’re still in usable condition. Otherwise, it’s worth contacting the manufacturer to see whether they have a take-back scheme where they recycle them for you.

• Metal tent pegs – collect these up and recycle any broken ones in your scrap metal collection, if there is one, or at your nearest recycling centre.

Finally, if you’re ever not sure about recycling a particular item, you can look it up in our handy A-Z guide. The page for each item has a postcode box where you can find guidance based on the area you’re holidaying in. Have a wonderful summer!