Recycle forever and forever recycled!

Do you remember the first item you recycled? Maybe not, but there's a good chance it could have been either a glass wine bottle, a jam jar, a fizzy drink can or a baked bean tin.

image of glass bottles and cans

In the UK alone, we use over half a million tonnes of metal packaging and nearly 2 million tonnes of glass packaging per year. Thanks to your efforts, a lot is being recycled but there's still a lot more to do.

Currently, we recycle an estimated:

  • 75% of steel packaging;
  • 60% of glass packaging; and
  • 50% of aluminium packaging. 

Not bad you may think, but that's still 25% of steel packaging such as dog food tins and baked beans cans that aren't making it to the recycling bin; 40% of glass bottles and jars being thrown into landfill and 50% of aluminium drinks cans, foil trays and deodorant cans missing their opportunity to become something new. By simply remembering to rinse and recycle all these items, we can make a big difference. To find out what you can recycle locally, check our handy Recycling Locator.

Good to know facts

  • Both metal and glass can be recycled again and again without loss of quality;
  • Around 95% less energy is used to make products from recycled materials than using raw materials;
  • If we recycle all the steel packaging we use in a year, it would save enough energy to make over 50,000 returns train journeys between London and Edinburgh! 
  • We currently save enough energy from recycling glass to chill 34 bottles of wine each day for every UK household!
  • Recycling one drinks can could save enough energy to power a TV for four hours.

How is it recycled...

Ever wondered what happens to your cans, glass bottles and jars once they have been recycled? Check out these short videos:

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