Five top home recycling tips

Follow our guide on #Howto recycle well at home and ensure your efforts are effective and efficient.

Recycling has firmly taken root in today’s society as a must-do. Many of us have a list, or at least an idea, of what can and can’t be recycled. Those of us that do recycle also tend to enjoy doing their part to help the environment. At RTS Waste Management we aim to help educate and support our customers on the best ways to recycle at home so you are doing the best you can for the environment.

Follow our five top tips to make sure you make the most out of your home recycling.

1. Recycle plastic bags separately

You may think plastic bags are convenient for gathering all your recyclable material together, however, plastic bags are unpredictable and can be time-consuming for those who have to sort through your waste and ensure it ends up in the right place.

If you have a habit of putting all of your aluminum cans into a plastic bag and tying it up, please stop now. Plastic bags can be routinely thrown away, please empty the bag and pop the carrier in separately.

Plastic bags can slow down machinery and require a human sorter to individually open them up and dispose of the bags, making the process longer and more difficult.

2.Keep your recyclables clean especially cardboard

When you are recycling your packaging at home try to avoid contaminating it with the rest of your waste. Liquids, animal waste and foods can damage items like cardboard which render it almost impossible to recycle. Defeating the object of you trying to recycle it.

Newspapers used to hold your food and most cardboard takeaway boxes are better placed into a normal bin or if you have one, a compost bin.

3. Introduce easy recycling

This may seem straightforward but if you have kids or people living at home that might not understand the benefits of recycling, or even get a bit confused of what goes where why not colour coordinate your bins? Simply putting a green sticker on one bin for all of your plastics, newspapers and glass and then having a seperate one for food and another one for non-recyclable items you will reduce cross contamination and make it much easier to seperate out your household waste come ‘bin day’.

4. Start recycling in the garden

Did you know you could probably compost as much as 50% of the waste you throw in your bin? Raw fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags and eggshells can all be composted instead of being thrown away. Many councils now provide a kitchen caddy too for collecting cooked food and other foodstuffs that can’t be put in a compost bin. You can keep this by your main bin in the kitchen, along with a countertop compost caddy for all those peelings and other goodies your garden will be grateful for.

Every now and then you can empty the kitchen compost caddy into your main compost bin in the garden. These bins are quite cheap and they take a lot of things that would otherwise go to landfills. You’ll find you can recycle some of your garden rubbish in this natural way too. You can add grass clippings and spent plants to your composter. Shredded paper is good every now and then too. You’ll thank us when you see your garden flourish and bloom come summer time.

5. Re-use as well as recycle

The reusable coffee cups and metal water bottles are a great place to start but don’t forget the other handy items you use each day or buy your food in that can be used more than once at home. Easily recycle items such as glass jars, for storage or decanting produce into. If you grow your own vegetables you could also use these to pickle onions, beetroot or eggs.

Get into the habit of considering everything’s use before you throw it away. Ice cream tubs can make great cake boxes or storing odd DIY tools in your garage. Everything has a use.

Are you planning a large clear out at home and require a waste management service or skip hire? Speak to our team today to find out how we can make the most of your recycling at home.