Education & Tips

It’s time to clear out your wardrobe and maybe the linen cupboard while you’re at it. But what do you do with all those unwanted clothes, blankets, and duvet covers? Before you throw them away, stop and think about whether you can recycle or reuse them. Check out our clothes recycling tips here...

Dear Recycling Bins, I’m a bit of a wine connoisseur. There’s nothing better than a bottle of red at the end of the week to wind down from the busyness of life. However, I have built up quite a collection of corks. I read somewhere that I can’t recycle wine corks, is that true? If I can’t recycle them, what should I do with them?

Thank you for your question! Synthetic corks and screw tops can go into your recycling bin.  However, natural cork is not accepted by recycling schemes. You shouldn’t put it in your waste bin either, as most won’t break down on landfill. But don’t worry, there are ways that you can recycle wine corks.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. It’s more than a mantra, it’s what we need to do to slow down the frightening pace of climate change.

The recent IPCC report on climate change was a ‘code red for humanity.’ It stated that human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways. It warned of the impact of doing nothing, from extreme heat waves to droughts and flooding. But it also offered some hope. If we cut greenhouse gas emissions, it could stabilise global temperatures. But we have to act now.

Dear Recycling Bins,

I’m officially fed up with recycling! Of course, I want to do my bit for the planet. However, all the sorting, washing, and confusion has made it a real chore. How can I make recycling easy?

Thank you for your question and we definitely understand your pain! Recycling can seem like a chore and the rules can be confusing. On the other hand, in light of the recent ‘code red’ climate report, recycling is still so important for the planet.

We delve into the world of recycling, explain some of the facts, reveal the fiction, and give you a clearer understanding of what happens to those drinks cans, plastic bottles, paper boxes, and glass jars you have just put in your recycling bin.

Described by the UN Secretary-General as a “code red for humanity,”. The latest climate report released by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides a sombre assessment of our planet’s future. 

Released just in time for the COP26. The UN climate change conference is set to take place in Glasgow later this year. The much-anticipated report provides a comprehensive and detailed picture of how human activity is causing climate change. Its findings make for sobering reading.

But what does it mean to us? How can we help avoid a future of extreme heatwaves, severe flooding, and devastating droughts? In this article, we’ll highlight some of the key points raised in the IPCC climate change report and explain what code red for humanity means for you.

We all know that it is important to recycle for the well-being of our planet. But did you know that you could make money out of it? Your empty cosmetics bottles, designer shoe boxes, and old mobile phones could be worth a fortune, and you could even cash in on empty cans and toilet roll tubes.

When it comes to recycling, one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure, so before you fill up your recycling bins this weekend, check out our guide below.

The current UK recycling rate is hovering around 45%. While this is not bad, we could do better. However, even the avid recyclers among you will admit that you sometimes struggle to work out what can be recycled. It turns out that you can recycle more than you think, and some of the items might surprise you. Here are 10 things you didn’t know you could recycle.

George at ASDA has launched a clothes recycling scheme that will give customers rewards for bringing back their unwanted clothes. In partnership with Yellow Octopus Group which helps businesses become more sustainable. ASDA Northern Ireland has a scheme where customers receive a 10% off voucher which they can use online at George. Customers just have to locate a participating store then they can get a label or QR code so they can drop off their old and unwanted items. 

Discarded laughing gas canisters are becoming an increasingly familiar sight on our pavements and in our parks. These small steel bottles contain nitrous oxide or ‘laughing gas’ which has become a recreational drug of choice for party and festival-goers.

Nitrous oxide is a light anaesthetic in dentistry or to charge whipped cream aerosols. As a drug, the gas it provides is transferred from the canister into a balloon and inhaled. The high that users get is brief, so you’ll often find a large number of discarded canisters in the same place.