Brits could save thousands of tons of recyclable materials from going to landfill by avoiding the country’s biggest recycling mistakes, says Junk Hunters' founder Harsha Rathnayake. Takeaway pizza boxes, crisp packets and metallic wrapping paper are among the items you should not put in your recycling bins.Putting the wrong things in the recycling bin can cause cross contamination, causing the entire lot to be rejected and sent to landfill.
Glass and paper are often assumed to be recyclable in all their forms. In fact, there are several types of glass and paper products that either cannot be recycled, or must not be put into a household wheelie bin. Pizza boxes cannot be recycled if they are stained with grease. Crisp packets are often mistaken for foil but are in fact a metallised plastic that is not recyclable. Metallic or glittery wrapping paper should not be recycled either, as it contains non-paper additives.
To see whether a substance really is foil or paper, scrunch it in your hand – if it stays squashed then it is recyclable and if it springs back it is not.
Here’s the top 10 of things that CAN’T be recycled…
1. Pizza boxes
They may be made of cardboard, but paper that is stained with grease or food can’t be recycled, including baking paper.
2. Crisp packets
They’re shiny and look like foil, but they’re metallised plastic and are not recyclable.
3. Glittery or metallic wrapping paper
Again, the scrunch test is your friend when disposing of gift wrapping, and don’t put the ribbons in there either.
4. Tissue and kitchen roll
The cardboard tube is recyclable, but not the soiled tissue or sheets. Recycled paper needs to be clean.
5. Wallpaper/paintings
Paper strikes again. Recyclable paper cannot be paint-stained, and the pigment used on wallpaper means it can’t go into the recycling bin.
6. Wet wipes
Wet wipes, baby wipes, cosmetic wipes – they’re not recyclable and they’re not flushable either. Put them in the rubbish bin.
7. Polystyrene
This should not go in your recycling bin, although your council might accept it at a recycling centre.
8. Light bulbs
They’re a different glass to your jars and bottles, plus they contain metal. You can take energy efficient bulbs to most recycling centres, and the old style incandescent ones can go in the rubbish bin.
9. Batteries
These frequently find themselves in the recycling, when they shouldn’t even be in the general waste collection. They contain harmful metals that can seep into soil and water when put into landfill.
10. Broken glass
It’s recyclable, but dangerous, so don’t put it in your wheelie bin. If you can handle it safely, you can take it to a recycling centre but you may need to wrap it in newspaper and put it in the rubbish bin.
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