Why should we recycle?
“Why should we recycle?"
We can all make a difference.
By recycling we reduce the need to use more natural resources.
By reducing our waste we decrease the need for more landfill.
By reusing more we can save money and reduce the need to consume and produce more waste.
You can make a difference!
6 common recycling myths
1. There is no point recycling, it doesn't make a difference.
Yes it does! Recycling stops tonnes of rubbish being buried in landfill. In the UK, recycling saves about 10-15 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year, which is the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road.
2. Doesn't my recycling end up getting thrown away with the rubbish anyway?
This couldn’t be further from the truth! Your recycled material is a valuable resource. Once it has been collected (this includes recycling collected in the back of bin lorries) from your doorstep it's taken away to be sorted, bailed and then transported to reprocessors to be made into new products.
3. I don’t create any food waste so I don’t need to use a food waste collection service.
We all create at least some unavoidable food waste. What about plate scraps, vegetable peelings, egg shells, teabags and bones? These all count as food waste and can be placed in your food waste caddy to be recycled. No matter how little you recycle, it all helps!
4. You can’t recycle all types of plastic containers?
Yes, you can! This is true in some cases as there are six different types of plastics and not all of these are currently recyclable. In most cases your council will recycle common household waste items such as plastic bottles, margarine tubs and yoghurt pots. Check with your council first. Did you know, we use around 725,000 plastic bottles a day in Wales but still only recycle only 50% of them?
5. You can only recycle paper a few times.
This is partly true - fibres in paper will start to break down by the time they have been recycled five or six times, however, even as the quality of the paper material reduces it can still be put to good use, in egg cartons, cardboard packaging, loft insulation, paints and even new road surfaces.
6. Recycling metal uses more energy than extracting the raw material in the first place.
This is not true – mining and processing metal uses huge amounts of resources and energy. Recycling metal items such as drinks cans and soup tins saves energy. Recycling aluminium cans saves up to 95% of the energy needed to make new cans from fresh raw material. The energy saved in not having to make just one can is enough to power a TV for 3 hours.