September Recycling Challenge: Do Your Bit for Recycle Week 2019

September Recycling Challenge: Do Your Bit for Recycle Week 2019

It’s Recycle Week 2019, and this year’s theme is ‘Recycling. It’s in our hands.’ The event is now in it’s 17th year, and organisers WRAP are seizing on the momentum created by the likes of Sir David Attenborough in bringing environmental issues front and centre.

This Recycle Week, WRAP is asking people to take action and rinse, crush, squash, sort, and separate recycling from their bathrooms, kitchens, and offices, and really make a difference.

So what will you do this Recycle Week?

Will you recycle more from your bathroom?

While many people recycle religiously from their kitchen, they forget that bathrooms are full of things they can recycle. According to WRAP, if everyone in the UK recycled one bottle of bathroom cleaner, the energy saved could be used to vacuum over 82,000 homes!

What can you recycle from your bathroom?

Shampoo bottles

Conditioner bottles

Shower gel and bath soak/creme bottles

Cardboard boxes like toothpaste or soap boxes

Toilet roll tubes

Bathroom cleaner and bleach bottles

Deodorants (make sure they’re empty)

Shaving foam containers

Hand wash bottles (minus the pump which can’t be recycled currently)

Moisturiser bottles

 

Recycling Bathroom Products Made Easy

 

Bathroom recycling made easy-top tips

If you have a tiny bathroom, why not hang a bag on the back of the door so you can put your empty product containers in it, ready to recycle?

Invest in a bathroom recycling bin

You’re much more likely to remember to recycle if you have a handy bin on stand-by.

Our Joseph Joseph Bathroom Split Recycling Bin is a simple but effective way for you to separate your bathroom waste from your recyclables. The smaller compartment has a removable bucket which makes emptying it a breeze, and it can be used with or without a bag, so it’s perfect for non-recyclables like cotton wool or cotton buds. The larger compartment is perfect for storing recyclables like shampoo bottles and toilet roll tubes.

We also have a stylish stainless steel option. Our Joseph Joseph Stainless Steel Split Compartment Bathroom Recycling Bin consists of a fingerprint proof stainless steel outer shell and recycled plastic inner buckets for easy collection of recyclable materials.

Will you step up your recycling efforts in the kitchen?

Much of what you throw away in the kitchen will be food waste, and if you’re lucky enough to be given a food waste caddy from your local authority, you’ll be able to recycle cooked or raw food scraps.

Food waste is usually taken and composted for use in agriculture and in local parks and gardens, or it’s taken to a specialist facility and used to produce bio-fuel or electricity.

Food waste you can recycle includes:

Plate scrapings

Tea bags and coffee grounds

Out of date or mouldy food

Raw and cooked meat, including bones

Raw and cooked fish, including bones

Dairy products like cheese

Eggs and egg shells

Rice, pasta, beans

Bread, cakes and pastries

Fruit and vegetables and peelings

 

Food Waste Recycling Bin

 

What can’t you recycle?

Anything that is not food (DO NOT be tempted to put items like nappies into your caddy!)

Packaging

Milk and other liquids which can cause leaks and spillages

No caddy? No problem!

Why not invest in your own caddy and start your own compost bin or pile?

Our Joseph Joseph Kitchen Food Waste Caddy has a unique ventilated design which reduces the smell from collected food waste. The lid includes a replaceable odour filter to trap any nasty whiffs that do arise. The caddy is made from easily washable polypropylene, it has a flip top lid and a stainless steel carry handle. It’s perfect for storing on countertops and it will help you recycle your food waste with ease.

Once you’ve collected your food waste in the caddy, transfer it to your compost bin or pile. You can compost a lot of things including:

Fruit and vegetable peelings, seeds and cores

Tea bags

Coffee grounds and filter papers

Paper towels or tissues (though not if they have touched meat)

Egg shells

Don’t compost: Cooked food, fish, meat or dairy products

Will you be the top recycler in the office?

We all get busy at work, and we get why recycling might be the last thing on your mind, but the fact is, most office waste is recyclable, and failing to recycle is increasing business waste management costs and eating into profits. As well as making good business sense, recycling is also plainly and simply, the right thing to do.

Here’s how you can reduce waste in the office

  • Think before you print something out or post a letter-could you send the intended recipient(s) an email instead?
  • Print double sided wherever possible.
  • Station recycling bins in areas where staff tend to frequent, like canteens, break rooms, and photocopier rooms.
  • Invest in a food waste caddy for your staff kitchen/beverage bay.
  • Give employees the chance to recycle and have a little fun by having a ‘Shwop’ day. Ask employees to bring in unwanted clothes, shoes, accessories, DVD’s, and books etc that they can swap for other items. It’s the perfect way to reuse things and save them from landfill or from cluttering up their homes.
  • Reuse packaging, files, envelopes, plastic wallets, and scrap paper wherever you can.

Hopefully we’ve given you some inspiration. What will you do to make a difference this Recycle Week?

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