ARE YOU A RUBBISH RECYCLER?

Don’t just chuck any old thing in the green bin – follow our handy guide and sort it out!

- MICHELLE HATHER

DO THE SCRUNCH TEST

To sort paper wrappers (recyclable) from metal-coated plastic (not!) scrunch the material into a ball. If it has kept its shape, it can be recycled. If it expands back out again, it cannot.

Realistically, most of us will never live a zero-waste lifestyle, but when it comes to sending less to landfill, we could all do better. Recycling is really our last resort – better to consume less and choose wisely. ‘Most packaging has issues, whatever it is made of,’ says author James Piper in The Rubbish Book. ‘Why does a toothpaste tube come in a cardboard box? Why is a paper straw acceptable when it is not needed? We should focus on what is important, reducing all packaging and reusing wherever possible.’ In the meantime, swot up on some of the more surprising dos and don’ts of recycling.

Sort it out!

‘For recycling to be effective, it is essential that certain waste types are kept apart,’ says James. ‘For example, leaving liquid in a bottle without a lid could cause it to splash onto paper, which would lower the quality of the recycling. Or grease on a pizza box would cause speckles to appear in the recycled paper it comes into contact with. You can help by always rinsing out your food and drink packaging and allowing it to dry before you put it in the recycling bin.’

DO RECYCLE envelopes, even those with windows. The only unrecyclable ones are those padded with bubble wrap.