Recycling basics for the home
Around 50% of a typical household bin’s contents can be recycled – and another 20-30% can be composted. Yet currently, around 85% of our annual household waste still ends up in landfill sites.
The mixture of different materials accumulating in landfill sites often leads to surrounding land and water supplies being polluted. The combination also produces toxic gases, predominantly methane, one of the most potent of all greenhouse gases.
By recycling waste instead of just binning it, we not only reduce the volume of material sent to landfill but also reduce the amount of energy used to manufacture new products from raw materials.
How your local government is helping to recycle
An increasing number of local authorities now provide kerbside recycling schemes to take away your recyclable materials.
But if your council isn’t yet providing these facilities, there’s still every reason to get involved in recycling your household waste.
Faster alternatives to recycling from home
Step one is to find out where your local recycling facilities are and what materials can be recycled there.
Local community centres and village halls are also often home to recycling banks too.
Alternatively, there are many rubbish clearance companies around Surrey that offer a recycling service that takes away all of the waste in your home and recycles as much as possible.
https://youtu.be/eSeXWk3UTWQ
What can you recycle?
Once you know what materials can be easily recycled locally, start to collect and sort your waste in different containers/bags/bins at home. Each time you then go near one of the recycling facilities, take your waste with you.
To increase the benefits of recycling, wherever possible try to take your waste to the banks as part of a planned trip out (eg as part of your regular shopping trip) rather than making a special journey which uses extra fuel.
- Ink cartridge
- Waste paper
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
- Old clothes
- Tins and cans