Recycle Week 2017
Look good and feel good during national Recycle Week
Gloucestershire’s Joint Waste Team is joining forces with Recycle Now, the national campaign behind Recycle Week (25 September – 1 October), to inspire us all to ‘look good and feel good’ by recycling more, particularly when it comes to items from the bathroom and bedroom.
With new research finding that nearly half (49%) of the UK population admit to not always recycling their aerosols – including deodorants, shaving foam and hairspray – this year’s campaign will focus on showing what ‘goes around’ really can ‘come around’ if items are collected for recycling.
Aerosols can be recycled again and again without any loss of quality. They may be made into parts for mobile phones, dishwashers or even turn up as another aerosol can. That’s not all; research from Recycle Now has calculated that if every household in Gloucestershire recycled just one more aerosol, enough energy would be saved to power a typical primary school for over 8 months.
Councillor Sue Coakley, Chair of Gloucestershire’s Joint Waste Committee said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting this year’s Recycle Week and it’s not just aerosols which are being forgotten about. Items such as glass bottles for perfume and aftershave, plastic bottles for shampoo, hair conditioner and shower gel, as well as cardboard toilet roll inners and toothpaste boxes are items which often get overlooked when it comes to recycling in the home.’
‘All of these items can be recycled to create new products so we’re asking everyone to rethink their normal morning and bed-time routines to make sure they recycle their bathroom packaging. Recycling just a few more items can make a big difference – and the bathroom is a good place to start.’
‘While almost 90% of packaging is recycled in our kitchens, just over half (52%) of items are recycled from the bathroom. However, a few simple steps, such as keeping a separate bin or bag in the bathroom for recyclables means this figure could be easily increased,’ she added.
Recycled items can be made into new products in a matter of days or weeks. Plastic bottles - such as those used for mouthwash, shampoo and liquid soap - can be turned into football shirts or fleece jumpers while card from toothpaste and tissue boxes can be made into new cardboard packaging for the food sector. And it’s not only toiletry packaging that can get forgotten when it comes to our bathroom recycling habits. Cleaning product bottles including empty bleach bottles, toilet cleaners and trigger spray surface cleaners (with trigger removed) can also get ignored but can all go on to be recycled into something new.
During Recycle Week the public are being reminded that all waste and recycling local authorities in Gloucestershire accept empty aerosols, glass bottles, plastic bottles and cardboard as part of the kerbside service offered to households so recycling these items couldn’t be easier.
Residents can find out more about recycling in Gloucestershire by visiting their local council.
Find out more about Recycle Week at www.recyclenow.com.