Recycling – If in Doubt, Leave it Out!

Hmm. It’s part paper or cardboard, but part something else too.
So which bin or box is the right one for the waste? Your junk mail has a message for you...

Paper and cardboard go in the blue bin. I’m used to simple, punchy messages and that’s a pretty clear one isn’t it? But of course, life is never quite that simple, because every day you’ll come across things that:

• Look like paper but aren’t; or
• Are made of paper and cardboard (which are recyclable) but include something else that isn’t

So what are you supposed to do with those? Well, here’s another punchy message that helps keep things really simple:

If in doubt, leave it out!

What can I put in my blue bin?

Any and all of this:

• Me (junk mail)!
• Clean paper
• Envelopes
• Newspapers
• Cardboard packaging (the sort that your online delivery arrived in)

What can’t I put in the blue bin?

Any of this:

• Glitter cards and paper: Most glitter is made from tiny fragments of plastic. It’s not recyclable and it can cause havoc if it reaches our oceans. Please don’t put anything with glitter on it in the blue bin. Better still, don’t but anything with glitter on it.
• Foil wrapping: Paper wrapping is fine, but metallic papers (the sort the squeak when you try to rip a present open) aren’t suitable for the blue bin.
• Bubble wrap: It may be attached to the box or envelope but it shouldn’t go in the blue bin.
• Nappies: They may look kind of papery, but they’re not. General waste please.
• Greasy cardboard: Grease makes cardboard useless for recycling. So your pizza carton, burger box or chip paper? Leave them out.
• Juice cartons, tetra paks and coffee cups: Despite the fact they often say they’re recyclable, they’re not items that should be put in the blue bin. The waxy coating that makes them waterproof also stops them being easily recyclable.

Rip it up

So what should you do if you can easily separate the recyclable from the non-recyclable? The plain back of the card from the glittery front? The bubble wrap insert from the plain carboard box? That’s fine. Get ripping.

Does it really matter?

Yes. When your blue bin is ‘contaminated’ by things that shouldn’t be in there – like grease and nappies and glitter - it can affect everything else. So whilst I start out as being fully recyclable, I won’t be once I’ve been squashed up against the greasy remains of your stuffed crust pepperoni for a week. – and it costs more then to handle this contamination – ouch!

So if you want to make sure everything in your blue bin really is recyclable, put nothing in that will mess it up. Remember…

If in doubt, leave it out!

Thank you!