Tetra Pak and Veolia have joined forces to make sure that all parts of the used drinks cartons in the EU can be recycled by the year 2025, the recycling director at Tetra Pak said that every material in these cartons can be recycled .  

When it comes to recycling, contact lenses may not be high up on the list, but with millions of people in the UK wearing contact lenses this equates to a lof of plastic waste.  Valli Opticians has introduced a contact lens recycling scheme across their 14 practices, the lenses are collected and then sent to TerraCycle who sort them into different materials.

Viridor have launched the first hard hat recycling scheme, the scheme looks set to send the complex plastic construction away from landfill, these will then be transformed into new plastic products which include waste bins.  It has been trialled the scheme and so far they have recycled over 1200 hats thus far.  

The constant advancement of technology means we are always after the latest gadgets which results in users throwing away 1.4 million tonnes of unwanted electricals each year.  Until recently most ended up in landfill which caused a massive problem for the environment with the release of CFC gases, these gases than cause damage

Lightbulbs are essential to our homes and businesses, in recent years they have changed from the incandescent bulbs which are now banned to low energe and LED bulbs, but with this change comes the challenge of recycling.  In 2016 6000 tonnes of lamps were collected and recycled with only 1% being LED lamps.

What can you do more when it comes to recycling at christmas?  We have crafted some handy tips on how to recycle certain things at christmas, from old christmas cards to the leftover turkey.  

Sainsbury's have been supporting the Poppy Appeal for more than 20 years and raised £3.2 million through collections and selling of merchandise last year.  Sainsbury's are the only place you can recycle poppies, they can be broken down and recycled or repurposed into new poppies for the following year.  

The UK generates 400,000 tonnes of waste carpet every year, but nearly all carpets can be recycled and manufactured into new products, including sports pitches and insulation.  You can recycle carpets by selling it if it is in good condition, donating it or if your really savvy it can be used to help banish weeds from vegetable plots.  

We use batteries every single day in our lives, whether it be the battery in your car or the batteries in your TV remote, batteries contain hazardous chemicals and harmful metals but still are recyclable.  You would have noticed in your local supermarket somewhere in the shop there is a battery recycling point, as of 2010 any retailers that sell over 32kg of batteries per year have to provide recycling facilities in store.  

When your mattress comes to the end of its life, what do you do with it?  Some companies will pick up your old mattress in receipt of a new one, but if they do not offer that service it is a large bulky item to try and dispose of, but mattresses can be recycled either by using a designated company or if it is in good condition charities will accept them.