I try to do as much re-cycling as possible. I wash any food containers that we have and chunner to myself whilst trying to peel off the paper wrapping attached.
What do you do with the likes of shampoo/conditioner containers ? or bleach bottles that have sealed lids? I am not sure that our refuse collectors will take those as there is often still product in that you can't get out! so I invariably pop them into the everyday refuse
There are so many different types of plastic too, each one needing a different chemical process to recycle it. Plastics do get washed by most facilities but you should give them a rinse anyway. If I couldn't get the top off a bottle to rinse it, I would probably saw it in half with a sharp bread knife.
Most people are unsure of what can be recycled, but as a general rule of thumb look for the recycle symbol on the bottom or elsewhere on the packaging.
We have 3 bins, recycling (blue) landfill (black) garden (green) we have no facility for glass or tin cans, both of which can be recycled. We are only allowed to put plastic and cardboard in recycling. I think the bin system needs to be re thought to enable cans and glass to be processed in our area. Not everyone has a car to take these to recycling centres or are not fit enough to walk to one of those glass banks.
There is a lot to be said for being part of a group, and the support and friendship that is gained from this.
If I was you, I’d put the bottles out that you’re not sure about. I had our refuse collectors tell me that I couldn’t put the black Treseme shampoo bottles in recycling. Yours will most likely do the same. They’ll leave what they can’t take in your box. I hold bleach bottles under water and give a big squeeze to get water in and wash them out that way. All councils seem to have a different list of what they will recycle. Ours is as long as your arm although they are now going to charge for gardening rubbish. £40 a year for a wheelie bin. My YD ilives in Redbridge area where they take very little and have only recently started taking plastic bottles. She’s an eco warrior and collects so much. She’s now taking soft plastics to her local supermarket. I bought some toddler clothes and packed them up for Christmas but removed the hangers. Can I recycle them with the plastics? It would be easier if the council said any plastic marked with certain recycling numbers could be put in the bins. You know those triangular signs with numbers in them. By the way, I wrote to Tresemme and said our council wouldn’t take black plastic and the reply was that they had introduced something into the black to make it visible to the sorting machines. I wrote to my local councillor who told me that the sorting machines in our area could still not see them so couldn’t be taken. I gave up using that shampoo because of it.
We do have various bins. Small green for plastic and tins, small black for glass, grey lidded bucket for food waste, large grey bin for everyday waste and large green for garden waste.
The everyday and green alternate weekly. We pay £25 a year for the garden waste. The smaller bins and bucket are weekly, which is great. Like you LL our refuse collectors won't take the sealed plastic bottles, but if there are any in with the others, then they won't pick them out, they have been known to literally leave the whole full bin !!as if to tick us off for not being good children and following the rules !
Lots of places now take plastics that councils won't. E.g. clean used food wrap and crisp packets. Check out any shops selling organic items, it's worth asking if they will take them. Our Tesco have a huge bag that is nearly always full.
Trisha
You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. C. S. Lewis