Hi, I'm Lauren from WWF and I love recycling.
All right. Yeah, it is part of my job.
But I'm also really passionate about waste.
Recycling, it's so important but also mega confusing!
Well worry not,
we have put together a very simple guide that's going to make recycling so much easier.
It comes in three steps...
Step one
Check with your local Council.
Step two
Know your labels.
Step three
Don't contaminate.
So let's start with step one.
First, you need to know
what can and what can't go in your recycling bins at home.
In most places you can recycle cardboard, aluminium, and some plastics,
but you need to make sure you're putting the right stuff in the right bins.
Don't just trust the packets either because symbols can be really misleading. For example:
a packet may say that you can recycle it,
but that doesn't mean that you can recycle it where you live,
so always check with your local Council,
or use the Recycle Now website. Links can be found in the description box below.
Also when an item that's non-recyclable goes in your recycling, it becomes contamination!
But we'll talk more about that in step three.
So step two
Know your labels.
This is the recycling logo. You can find it on any item that can be recycled,
like aluminium, cardboard, plastic, glass, all sorts.
But, beware the green dot!
This is not the recycling logo.
What this green dot actually means is that the producer of that item has
made a financial contribution towards recycling
and recovery in Europe.
Not that that item can be recycled.
So always look for the recycling logo first.
Also, it's not always green.
Paper and card. Pretty easy to recycle, just make sure that you remove
unrecyclable parts like tape. Also, check for hidden plastics,
so for example, this doughnut packet looks like paper,
but inside is a plastic lining which makes it unrecyclable.
Cartons and Tetra Pak,
like juice, milk, ice cream cartons are also very tricky.
It says on the packet “widely recycled”
but not many places do recycle them
because they're made from plastic, aluminium,
and cardboard, making them very difficult to separate and recycle.
Always check where you can recycle them in your local area.
Plastics, also very confusing.
That's because there's seven different types of plastic!
Look for the recycling logo,
inside the triangle will be a number
or a code that will tell you what type of plastic
that item is made from.
You can then use that information to look on your recycling guide,
to see if you can recycle that type of plastic where you live.
For example, this plastic bottle is a number one PET.
And finally, biodegradable and compostable packaging.
Neither of these things mean recyclable.
So do not put them in your recycling bin.
Compostable actually means industrial composting,
which has a high percentage of organic matter,
and a really high heat to break down that item.
It doesn't mean that you can put it on your home compost pile,
or in your food waste bin,
unless your Council specifically says so.
Instead, look for the home compostable logo.
These you can put on your compost pile,
and you might be able to put in your food bin, again, check with your Council.
If in doubt, just leave it out.
Don't put in the recycling hoping for the best because that causes contamination.
Finally, step three
Contamination.
Did you know that less than half of all plastic generated in Europe actually gets recycled.
And this is because of high rates of contamination.
This happens, when you either put a unrecyclable item in your recycling bin, like food,
or when you put something that's greasy
and dirty, in with your clean recycling and it all gets contaminated.
You need to avoid this because contaminated items can go to landfill.
So always make sure that your recycling is clean and dry.
Also, if you can't clean it,
then recycling facilities probably can't either,
so for example, toothpaste tubes, lip gloss, moisturisers.
So if in doubt, make sure that you leave it out.
When it comes to be sorted,
if there's too much contamination in your recycling,
the entire collection may go to waste,
and end up in landfill.
This is because the people processing your recycling have less than a second to pick
out incorrect items from the rest of the collection,
and it's easier and quicker just to send the lot to waste.
I know it may seem like a hassle to clean
and dry, sort and separate all of your recycling.
But it is so worth it to reduce the environmental impact of rubbish and waste on our planet.
So remember, if you're unsure of what to do with an item, look it up,
and if you still don't know, then just put it in the rubbish bin.
If in doubt, leave it out.
Now that you're clued-up on recycling, why not take it to the next level,
by joining our Recycling Challenge on the my footprint app.
This is one of the many challenges you can join to help in the fight for your world.
I hope you found this video enjoyable and useful.
Please leave a comment below if there is a subject that you'd like us to simplify next,
and also don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss a video.
Thanks guys. Bye.