Why we recycle
Let's come together and make recycling a habit - for our homes, our communities, and our planet.
Recycling ...
- reduces the need for extracting, refining and processing raw materials, which create air and water pollution.
- conserves natural resources, which are finite and in short supply.
- protects ecosystems and wildlife by reducing the need to grow, harvest or extract new raw materials from the Earth.
- reduces demand for raw materials.
- saves energy by reducing the amount of energy required to make new things.
Top tips for recycling
- Find out how to recycle things you can't put in your blue bins or garden waste bins - read our A-Z of local recycling points.
- Clean out containers before recycling - read our bin guide
- Break down cardboard before recycling - read our bin guide
- Compost your organic waste - find out about how to get a low-cost composter or sign up for a garden waste collection
- Don’t use a bag in your recycling bin - read our bin guide
- Remove bottlecaps from recyclable bottles - read our bin guide
- Use a reusable straw/coffee cup - you can buy these from most supermarkets and they are easy to carry around in your bag.
- Buy and sell your second hand or vintage items - try local charity shops or online shops like Vinted or ebay.
- Buy recycled products - lots of supermarkets now label items, or buy online from shops such as Ethical Superstore or Shared Earth.
- Don't thrown things away straight away - pop along to your local repair cafe or a local repair shop to see if it can be mended first
- Put recycling bins in the main rooms of your house
- Print on both sides of paper
- Reuse plastic shopping bags or buy bags for life
- Reuse and repurpose what you can - see our ideas for repurposing