Reduce, Reuse and Recycle from home!

Many households still throw away a lot of items which can be recycled. This could be due to the fact that we just don't know what can be recycled and what cannot. There are the obvious things of course like paper and card but did you know that you can also recycle batteries, mobile phones, printer cartridges and computers? The difficult thing is actually knowing how/where to recycle them.

Most councils now have collection arrangements for recycled items such as paper, card, plastic and metal. Our council is particularly good in the fact that it provides a big green wheely bin into which we put all these items - they are sorted into the relevant groups at the other end. If you're not so lucky with your council there are a few things you can do to try and make recycling easier.

Try to keep a recycling box near your main bin - that way you can put out your recycling at the same time as you put out your main rubbish.

Remove lids from plastic bottles. These are usually made of a different type of plastic and can contaminate the recycling.

Squash plastic bottles and metal cans if you can. It will mean you can fit a lot more in your recycling container!

Have a look at Recycle Now. Enter your postcode and they will tell you what you can recycle from home and where your nearest recycling banks are.

Visit Recycling Guide which has a fantastic guide on how to recycle just about everything. It also has some fun activities that you can do with your children to teach them the importance of recycling.

Finally, if your shed or garage is full of half empty pots of paint that will never get used - don't throw them away (which can be damaging to the environment) why not contact The Community Repaint Organisation. They will put you in touch with organisations in your area who will ensure that your paint is used for community projects, charity groups and people in social need.