Sustainability - The 4Rs - Recycle
Recycling Tips
Recycling tips for the home
Glass
- Remove lids or caps on all containers.
- Put all china, ceramic and Pyrex dishes and cookware into the rubbish (trash) bin, not the recycling container.
- Try not to break bottles or jars, as broken glass is difficult to sort.
Paper and cardboard
Some paper and cardboard items can be recycled, and some can't be recycled.
Can be recycled: |
Newspapers, magazines, advertising leaflets, letters, telephone directories, writing paper, cardboard, cardboard boxes, egg cartons, envelopes. |
Can’t be recycled: |
Waxed cardboard cartons, plastic coated paper bags (e.g. cereal bags), tissues, thermal fax paper. |
- Separate the items that can be recycled.
- Put the items that can't be recycled into the rubbish (trash) bin.
- Flatten cardboard boxes.
- Tie bundles of paper with string (not plastic) or put something heavy on top to stop the paper from blowing away.
- Make separate bundles for paper and cardboard.
- Make sure the paper isn't dirty, and there are no bits of food, metal, glass or plastic on it.
- Newspapers and magazines need to be clean and dry for recycling.
Plastic
There are many different types of plastics. Most of them can be recycled, but it costs too much money to recycle them all. Only 5 types of plastic are recycled from homes:
- PET – e.g. soft drink bottles
- HDPE – e.g. milk and juice bottles
- PVC – e.g. juice and cordial bottles
- PP – e.g. ice-cream containers, margarine tubs
- EPS – e.g. white foam fruit boxes.
Factories and companies use other types of plastics that can also be recycled. Different towns and cities recycle different types of these. Find out what other types of plastics are recycled in your area.
More Recycling Tips for the Home >>