When it comes to teaching children about recycling, we are passionate about instilling in them the three R’s – REDUCE – REUSE – RECYCLE. By having this firmly embedded in the memory banks of our future generations, we can surely start to make a difference and start to save the planet?
Well…yes and no. We are also very good at promoting all the things that we can recycle. We come up with educational initiatives, challenges, quizzes, competitions and all sorts of ingenious ways to learn about the importance of what we can recycle, the impact that has on our environment and all the good work that is done when we recycle, these items:
- Paper (where paper is collected separately from card)
- Card (where card is collected separately from paper)
- Mixed paper and card
- Metal packaging
- Glass packaging
- Plastic bottles
- Mixed plastics (plastic bottles and plastic pots, tubs and trays)
- Plastic film
- Food and drink cartons
- Food waste
- Garden waste
- Textiles, clothing and shoes
When Not To Recycle
But what about the items that we should NOT be recycling? Are we teaching children about recycling as fully as possible?
The NO list is just as important as the YES list, and here is why.
The NO list is a list of serious contaminants – this means that they should not be included with any materials that appear on the YES list.
These include:
NO to Sanitary products – nappies and all other sanitary products
Why? When a baby’s nappy is put into the recycling bin it causes the entire vehicle load (which could be tonnes and tonnes) of perfectly good recycling to be rejected and sent away to landfill sites.
NO to Medical – Needles, plasters, syringes and blood bags
Why? Any medical equipment that involves collecting or storing bodily fluids is dangerous and can again contaminate recycling that would otherwise be perfectly good. Medical equipment should be disposed of a in sharps bin or in biomedical waste disposal.
NO to Pet litter
Why? Even though some pet litter is advertised as being environmentally friendly when it is unused and still in its packaging, the same cannot be said for when it has been used! These items cause problems if they are put in the recycling bin. Just as with a baby’s nappy, pet litter will contaminate the good recycling which means that once, again it cannot be used as it has become a health and safety hazard.
If you’d like to find out more about how to generate £350 per tonne, contact our friendly team today.
