Recycle Week

From the Recycle Week survey the top five items which people say they don't recycle are:

• aerosol containers for deodorant, air freshener or polish, etc (62%)
• biscuit and sweet tins (53%)
• plastic shampoo and toiletry bottles (32%)
• plastic cleaning product bottles, such as bleach or disinfectants (31%)
• glass jars, such as those for cooking sauces (20%)

Whilst nearly two thirds (62%) of consumers said that they always remembered to recycle items from their kitchen, this falls dramatically to around a third for waste found in other areas of the home, such as the bathroom (36%) and bedroom (34%) ² .

The research also showed that 59% of people focused on recycling cans, plastic drinks bottles, glass bottles, paper and card. Over a quarter (26%) were unaware that items such as aerosols, plastic detergent bottles, magazines and biscuit and sweet tins could often be recycled*

If every household in England recycled 'one more thing', the total amount collected for recycling could increase by more than three quarters of a million tonnes and could potentially raise the national recycling rate by up to 3%.

We have been working with WRAP to look at how the things we can do in our homes to reduce and reuse our waste can help to lower our carbon footprint.

To find our more and to get involved in recylce week see our tips to reduce your waste or visit the Recycle Now website

*(Statistics taken from WRAP as part of Recycle week 2008 campaign June 2008)