Give waste a new life!

Michelle Parkes · 31 May 2022

Cardboard? Recycling bin. Plastic bottle? Recycling bin.

What about bread bags? Clothes with holes? Empty tablet packets?

The UK has a target of recycling 50% of household waste. We are not there yet! Especially in London - we are at just 33%.

Some waste is simple to recycle. Some requires a little more work. Wouldn’t it be great to see almost all waste being made into something new! Rather than landfill or sent abroad to be someone else’s problem.

Here are some tips on what to do with recycling other things:

Holey moley

Grown out of it? Charity shops are the best first call. But what if the clothing is stained, or moths have chomped away? More brands now offer recycling of all textiles. Either the clothing will be turned into products such as cleaning cloths. Or recycled and turned into textile fibres for things like housing insulation.

Not a hard pill to swallow

Medicine packets usually get dropped straight in the general waste. Did you know that Terracycle have a programme in place that recycles empty medicine packets? The blister packets are separated by polymer type. Once they’ve been extruded to make plastic pellets, new recycled products can be made!

Not all bags are fashionable

Bread bags, plastic packaging, carrier bags. They can all be recycled, sadly NOT through your home recycling. Most larger supermarkets have facilities for recycling. Just bring them in when you next go shopping! If you’re unsure, you can find your nearest one that recycles here.

Pack it up pack it in

We all love a packet of crisps. Did you know that you can now recycle crisp packets? Give them a rinse, save them and take them to your nearest collection point.

Sneaky recycling

When your favourite kicks have been worn to death and can’t go to the charity shop - there is a solution! Check out ReRun Clothing who aim to extend the life of running trainers.

We are already using more resources than our planet can support.