Waste Not Want Not!
As we head straight on into 2019 many people are making big plans to shake up their year and some are wanting to make those little changes that all add up. Whatever you’re doing, we’ve got some top tips for you if reducing your waste and disposing of what you do have sensibly is on your agenda.
Putting recyclables in your green bin is second nature to a lot of folk nowadays, but did you know there is a whole host of things you can do to ensure even more rubbish dodges the landfill?
Here are just a few to jump start you on your quest to going green with your rubbish!
Crisp packets: There has been a lot talk about crisp packets recently, especially with people posting their packets back to Walkers, so its no surprise that there’s finally a solution to the problem! Walkers have set up a programme where you can send your packets back to them instead of sticking them in the general waste bin. Drop off centres are scattered around Nottinghamshire or if you can collect over 400, a courier can be arrange to come and collect them! Find your nearest here.
Plastic bottle tops: Bottle tops have been a bone of contention with a lot of people, can you put them in your recycling bin or not? Most councils will ask you to remove the tops from your pint of milk or bottles of pop and put them in your general waste and not the recycling. If this doesn’t sit right with you, Lush will take them off your hands! The popular cosmetic shop will take bottle tops in their stores, or you can free post them to “Lush Greenhub”, and they will be used to make anything from beehives to wall cladding. Apparently they’ve even been used to make a play area in a French refugee camp! Sorted!
Tetrapaks: So many items we buy on a weekly, sometime daily basis, from juices to ready made custards are in Tetrapaks. Not all local authorities accept these but there are several recycling points around Nottinghamshire where you can drop them off to ensure they’re disposed of properly! Here are some local points:
- Tesco, Top Valley Way, Top Valley, NG5 9DD - Sainsbury's, Castle Bridge Road, Castle Marina Retail Park, NG7 1GX - Clifton Leisure Centre, Southchurch Drive, Clifton, NG11 8AB - Woodthorpe Grange Park, Woodthorpe Drive, Woodthorpe, NG5 4HA
Oral Care Items: Did you know that following your dentists recommendation of changing your tooth brush every three months means the UK can throw away up to 264 million toothbrushes a year? That’s a whole load of plastic! Colgate have set up a recycling programme with Terracycle, which will accept any brand of toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes (including their caps), toothbrush outer packaging, toothpaste cartons and electric and battery operated toothbrush heads.
Individuals, businesses or groups like schools and charities can register and send off their bothersome bathroom rubbish to be recycled. All you need to do is set up an account, download a shipping label and send it off! And the best bit? It’s free! There are currently two drop off centres showing in Nottinghamshire as well, so if you’re close by you can just pop your items in there! You can find out more information here.
Cigarettes: If you’re a smoker, or know someone who is, there’s now a new scheme where you can send off all of the waste created by cigarettes to get it recycled. The scheme accepts extinguished cigarettes and ash, filters, papers and tobacco pouches, as well as the outer plastic and inner foil from cigarette boxes. All of this is recycled to make plastic products like plastic lumbar and boards, which will be used for everything from building to table tops! Any paper or tobacco left over is composted meaning nothing goes to landfill. The scheme is free to use, all you do is bag up all your waste, sign up and print off your shipping label then send it off! Check it out here.
Ecobricks: This one is something a little different. Ecobricks is a
project that involves you cutting up all your non-recyclable plastic into small pieces and stuffing it into a plastic bottle to form a ‘brick’. You can also fill them with non-biological un-recyclables that are toxic to the environment like Styrofoam, wires, small batteries, etc. You fill the brick until it reaches a certain density, then you’re done! These homemade plastic bricks are then used to make things like furniture, walls and even buildings! There’s loads of free resources and help on the Ecobricks website.
Many of the above schemes are in partnership with Terracycle and they have so many more (and free!) schemes listed on their website. They cover everything from writing instruments to biscuit packets, so if you’ve got the recycling bug why not check out their website and see what else you can do!