Recycling
Practical solutions for all those tricky household items
When it comes to recycling, we know from personal experience that it can be far from adequate. Once a local council has signed a contract with a company (such as Violia) they are often locked in for a decade or more, which may limit their ability to respond to and adopt new approaches and techniques. This tends to mean that it is up to us to seek solutions ourselves. So, what can we do when it comes to some of the more tricky items – let’s take a look:
Pet Food Pouches
Pet food pouches: these are made from a foil/plastic mixed material, which makes them harder to recycle. Most councils don’t accept them, which considering the sheer volume of this stuff, is very frustrating. Fortunately, there are places that you can take them. Just give them a sloosh out and get as many as you can into a plastic bag or bin bag. Now you can take them along to Pets at Home, some larger branches of Sainsbury’s and Tesco as well as Cooperative shops around the UK. Using your postcode and the items you want to recycle, find your best local option here:
Plastic Bags
Plastic bags: Many of the collection points mentioned above allow normal plastic (carrier) bags and plastic film from packages, so do what we do; keep all the ‘soft plastic’ together from every source and then pop a big bag of it in the collection container at the supermarket on your next visit. We include plastic used to wrap fruit and veg, delivery bags, literally any and every plastic bag, large or small.
Finding creative ways to recycle the tricky stuff
Tetrapack Containers
Tetrapack containers: these had long presented a similar problem since so much of what we buy now comes in them, from orange juices to plant milks etc. Luckily, many councils include tetrapack recycling either via their home bins or at their household recycling centres. Take a look here to find out if your council is doing the right thing…
Toothpaste Tubes
Toothpaste tubes: Another scourge they may be, but there is hope! Finally, whilst local councils may still be behind the curve, Boots shops nationally do offer recycling drop off for them. Even better, you can also give them your face cream pots, lipstick tubes and pretty much all of your empty makeup containers. See the recyclenow website for details:
Coffee Pods
Coffee pods: Although many, if not most, are made from aluminium, being full of coffee grouts renders them awkward to recycle. Although there is a slowly growing drop-off scheme called Podback, the number of Costa cafés offering this service is still a little limited. Another alternative, if you already have a pod machine and want to be greener, is the re-useable pod; these are compatible pods which you fill with ground coffee and then wash out afterwards. Although arguably not quite as convenient as just lobbing a used pod in the bin, it is an awful lot better for the environment – and let’s face it, washing and refilling is not terribly onerous! If you would like to recycle, look here:
and the list goes on!
Batteries
Batteries: These are pretty easy these days, since multiple shops have containers in which to deposit your old batteries – from supermarkets to DIY stores, you have a multitude of choices. Again, recyclenow can guide you to your nearest place.
Other Stuff
Other stuff: Another source of information about some alternative solutions for a few of the more difficult products is Terracycle. They list quite a number of schemes offered by manufacturers such as prepaid envelopes for items such as razor blades. You can check them out here:
A very useful site with lots of useful information and tips on reuse and recycling is this one:
“Ultimately, there are very few things for which the only option is landfill or incineration – sometimes it just takes a little bit of digging and determination to find the solution; after all, our planet is worth that much, isn’t it?”
Ultimately, there are very few things for which the only option is landfill or incineration – sometimes it just takes a little bit of digging and determination to find the solution; after all, our planet is worth that much, isn’t it?