Step It Up this Recycle Week
The 20th-26th September is Recycle Now’s 19th annual Recycle Week event which is a celebration of recycling across the nation. This year’s theme is ‘Step it up this Recycle Week’, highlighting the efforts we can actively go to to affect the world’s current climate crisis. One of the small changes we can all make that can make a huge impact and drive down emissions is recycling more of the right things, more often. Through this, we can send plastic pollution packing and cut carbon emissions down to size.
Luckily, recycling isn’t the only way that we can work towards Net Zero. An increase in energy production and the implementation of Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) at Waste to Energy plants shows that the waste sector is taking key steps to move towards a circular economy and cut down carbon emissions by turning non-recyclable material into power.
At Alfred H Knight, we’re proud to support the Energy from Waste sector by providing expert analysis of waste and alternative fuels. We can help businesses to ensure that they meet their ongoing environmental obligations, as well as helping to maximise output and identify any harmful contaminants that could affect plant optimisation.
The future of waste management looks positive, but we still need to do our bit. That’s why we’ve put together some handy tips to help you to ‘Step it Up’ this Recycle Week by supporting the waste management sector, and our planet:
Research your council’s procedures
The first thing you should do is head to your local council’s website and do a little research on their recycling policies and procedures. This can ensure that you better understand what materials need to be separate from others and which can be mixed. You can also use this handy ‘Recycling Locator’ to find out what you can recycle at home or in your local area: click here to find out more.
Check what you’re binning before you recycle
Some items such as clothes/textiles, electrical equipment/items and pots and pans often end up in household bins. This causes issues further down the line at recycling facilities, so instead of disposing of these at home, take them down to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre where they can be properly recycled. Click here to see how to recycle all types of household items.
Clean and dry your recycling
Whilst you don’t need to scrub or sterilise your recycling, you should always make sure your items are free from contaminants such as food residue in order to avoid contaminating other materials. Always give plastics and tins a quick rinse to rid them of any leftovers, then let them dry out before putting them in your recycling bin for collection.
Remove plastic film
Plastic film cannot be recycled. If it does end up at a recycling facility, it can get tangled in the machinery, which interferes with the recycling process. Always make sure that you remove plastic film from your bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays before recycling them.
Keep lids on plastic bottles
Plastic lids on bottles are recyclable, but they should always be kept on the bottles where possible. When lids aren’t screwed onto a bottle properly or are loose, they can slip through the machinery at recycling facilities, leading to them not getting recycled properly. Always make sure your lids are kept on!
For more information on Recycle Week, head to ‘Recycle Now’s’ website by clicking here.
