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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle A-Z
While recycling is better than landfill, our first option is to reduce. For example, do we really need a plastic bag in the first place? Where we can't reduce, we should aim to reuse i.e. take the bag back and use it again. Finally, where there is little alternative, recycling comes into play. Here is an A-Z, which we will continue to update - all contributions welcome, of what & how we can reduce, reuse and recycle in our area.
If you are unsure as to whether something can be recycled or not, and we don't offer any help on this page, try the recyclenow website - which allows you to put in your postcode, then gives you advice on what you can recycle where.
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Aerosols
Recycle You can send aerosols to be recycled by putting them in the council's green sack. Make sure they are empty first and do not attempt to squash or pierce as they may explode.
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Aluminium
Recycle Wash and squash cans first. Aluminium is the most valuable of our commonly recycled materials, and one of the most important to keep out of landfill.
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Aluminium Foil
Reduce It's useful stuff but don't wrap everything in it. For items going into the fridge use greaseproof paper instead - which can be composted.
Reuse it as much as possible, clean, flatten, put back in the drawer for next time. Containers can be used as seed trays.
Recycle You can send it to be recycled by putting it in the council's green sack. There are charities and special appeals that also take it, see www.alupro.org.uk.
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Batteries (Car)
Recycle Approximately 90% of car batteries are currently recycled in the UK. They are collected at garages, scrap metal facilities and many civic amenity and recycling centres - including Rufford tip!
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Batteries (Household)
Reduce On average a battery uses 50 times more energy to produce, than it gives out! Where possible try to use solar powered devices instead, or at least use rechargeable batteries.
Recycle They can be recycled at Rufford tip.
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Batteries (Button Cell - hearing aid, watch, camera, calculator etc.)
ReduceOpt for a watch or calculator that uses alternative power i.e. wind-up/solar.
RecycleSome distributors, such as photographic shops and jewellers, will accept button cell batteries for their valuable oxides of silver and mercury.
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Bedding and Blankets
ReuseAs rags or dust sheets.
RecycleBy taking to charity shops, who will sell clean, quality bedding. Alternatively pure wool, cotton, linen and other natural fibres can be composted. However you can't compost man-made fibres, or natural fibres mixed with man-made fibres.
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Beds
RecycleBy taking to furniture projects. Mattresses can only be reused if they conform to current fire safety standards (there should be a label attached to the mattress. There is a project called SpringBack in Scotland that is disassembling beds and mattresses so their component parts can be recycled. For more information call 01592 769258.
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Bicycles
RecycleIdeally sell or donate via car boot, auction, ebay etc. Alternatively bikes are collected by Re-Cycle who send the bikes to developing countries where they are repaired and reused. See www.re-cycle.org for more information.
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Books
ReduceUse the library, Parbold is only 5 minutes away.
RecycleYou can buy and sell second hand books very cheaply on the web using sites such as www.amazon.co.uk, or exchange it for free, see www.readitswapit.co.uk.
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Bottles and Jars
See Glass
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Cans
See aluminium.
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Cardboard
ReduceLarge sheets are good for surpressing weeds as mulch, ideally covered with compost.
RecycleWorms love it in the compost heap, mixed with wet grass or ripped up. If you can't find a use for it, the council will recycle it if you leave it in the green sack.
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Carpets
ReduceHire an industrial-strength cleaner for a weekend, or there are companies that will come and do the job for you.
RecycleThere are companies out there now trying to recycle old carpets into new products, one of which is www.carpet-burns.com
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Cartons
See TetraPak
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Cartridges (Inkjet, Laser etc.)
See Toner Cartridges
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Catalogues
See magazines
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Composting
Reuse
It uses organic waste, it’s free, it improves the soil and maintains fertility without chemicals, it reduces landfill (and the gases that go with it!) and it saves on scarce resources like peat. On top of all that Chorley council are currently giving away free compost bins! Order by phone, 0845 077 0757, or online: http://www.recyclenow.com/.
If the bog standard council compost bin isn't enough for you here are some of the more advanced products available on the market:
- The Bokashi Bin (see our review for more info) uses mixture of bacteria, fungi and yeasts to safely compost your kitchen food scraps including meat, fish, fruit and vegetable waste. These small composters (19 litres) are supplied in pairs and will easily handle the kitchen waste from a large family. It is so efficient that even meat and fish scraps can be composted indoors without smelling.
- The Green Cone (http://www.greencone.com/) reduces food waste to its natural components of water, carbon dioxide and a small residue. The solar-heated garden unit takes all cooked and uncooked food waste including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, vegetables and fruit.
- The Green Johanna (see http://www.greencone.com/) is a "Hot" composter composting two parts cooked or uncooked food waste (including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, vegetables and fruit) to one part garden waste and producing a rich compost all year round.
- Wormeries. A wormery is an efficient, easy and environmentally friendly way of converting ordinary garden and kitchen waste into solid compost, known to gardeners as 'black gold', and concentrated liquid feed, through the natural action of worms. You can make your own wormery. Alternatively there are stacks of wormery products on the market, see www.wormcity.co.uk and www.wigglywigglers.co.uk.
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Furniture
Recycle
Can older furniture be re-upholstered? Failing that, West Lancs Community Recycling Centre are now refurbishing furniture for re-sale to provide an excellent low cost service to the community. They also have low cost washing machines, fridges, freezers and cookers all with 12 month guarantee. They will happily come and collect your old furniture and white goods free of charge. To get in touch you can either call into the warehouse at
West Lancashire Community Recycling Service
17 Gladden Place
Gladden House
Gillibrands
Skelmersdale
WN8 9SX
or contact them via landline 01695 577316, mobile 07818 463197, fax 01695 581508 or email admin@wlcrs.co.uk. Their website provides further details www.wlcrs.co.uk.
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Garden Chemicals
Avoid
Use more effective biological controls in your garden instead of chemicals - see www.wigglywigglers.com and www.gardenorganic.org.uk for help and advice. Chemicals kill insects which are more effective than anything at killing pests and maintaining a healthy garden. The council should be able to assist with disposal of old stocks of garden chemicals.
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Garden Waste
(grass cuttings, clippings, hedge prunings, branches etc.)
Smoke from garden bonfires is 350 more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke, and particularly bad for kids and babies. Far better to be composted, either in situ or via the council.
Reuse
Clippings can be used as firewood or stacked for wildlife habitat. Amphibians love slow rotting wood as do beetles some of which are become very scarce due to our over-tidy gardens.
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Glass
Recycle
You can recycle your glass by leaving it in the Council's green tub for kerbside collection. Please make sure you remove lids (which can be put into the green sack) and wash the glass first - this saves on work, and energy, at the recycling plant.
There are an increasing number of recycled glass products available through suppliers such as www.greenglass.co.uk, a Cornish company that recycle, amongst other things, Grolsch bottles into goblets (pictured).
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Glasses
Recycle
Take to Boots or spectacle retailers for re-use in the third world. Also see Vision Express at www.vao.org.uk/spectacles.
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Greaseproof Paper
Can be used as a green alternative to Aluminium Foil.
Recycle
It is compostable. It does take quite a time to break down, so rip it up and scrunch it first.
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Magazines
ReuseThere are plenty of waiting rooms that may welcome them: dentists, doctors, hospices, hospitals, residential homes etc.
RecycleThey can be recycled in the council's green sack, or in newspapers banks.
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Plastics (Rigid)
It is impossible to avoid plastics, and in some cases it can be the best option. However we can do our best to minimise the amount we use and throw away by measures such as refusing plastic bags, refilling containers and purchasing alternative products.
Recycling The council have informed us that the green sack can be used to recycle plastic grades 1-3 (see chart below), as well as tin cans, metal foil and cardboard. Having said that, we did ask the council about clarifying a couple of plastic items, as to whether they could go into the green sack. We were told that if in doubt, put it in! The thinking being that they were aware of items such as yoghurt pots regularly being put in, and yet they had to date never had a batch rejected - in other words the quality of the product being produced has not been compromised. Here is a chart explaining the plastic grades:
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Plastic Bags
Reduce (Refuse)
Avoid plastic bags as much as you can! Use jute bags / bags for life
Reuse
Reuse when doing your shopping, scrunched up instead of bubble wrap, for packed lunches, for freezing, when packing suitcases etc.
Recycle
Use in-store recycling bins, or offer them to shops that don't have their own branded bags.
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Plastic Wrap
Recycle
A company called Polyprint will recycle your polythene packaging, carrier bags and wraps from magazines. If you send items they are unable to recycle, they will send them back to you for future reference. The company only recycles high (HDPE) or low density polyethylene (LDPE), i.e. recycling polymer symbols No.2 or No.4 (see chart above). You need to cut out any paper labels, which clog the recycling machines, enclose your name and address and send to:
Polyprint Mailing Films Ltd
Unit 21a Mackintosh Road
Rackheath Estate
Rackheath
Norwich
NR13 6LJ
further details at www.polyprint.co.uk/recycling.html
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TetraPak Cartons
For more information on Tetrapak see reviews page.
This applies to all cardboard drinks cartons. We have contacted TetraPak and they are happy to recycle any cardboard lined cartons even if they aren't TetraPak, such as the Tropicana ELOPAK cartons.
Recycle
There are currently two options for recycling TetraPak cartons for Mawdesley residents:
- Save them up, compress them and post them to a TetraPak recycling facility. Unfortunately normal postal charges apply. You can print the postal labels off using this link: www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/downloads/labels_oct_06.pdf. The address is:
Recycling - TetraPak
C/o Perrys Recycling
Showground Road
Bridgwater
Somerset
TA6 6AJ.
- Save them up and take them to the nearest recycling station when you are passing - Avoid making a separate trip! Our nearest is at the railway station at Croston. The Rufford recycling site does not currently support TetraPak recycling.
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Toner Cartridges
Recycle
ActionAid and Oxfam will collect some toner cartridges for recycling, but not all models. Some can be returned direct to the manufacturers (e.g. Hewlett-Packard, who will supply you with boxes for them and then arrange collection).
Alternatively, collect them in quantity. Have a collection point at work or at school. Once you have collected 10 or more, contact one of the charities below (they will often collect mobile phones as well):
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Our recycling A-Z has been compiled from various sources. One we referred to a lot, that we would highly recommend, is Nicky Scott's Reduce Reuse Recycle - An easy household guide. We picked it up from amazon for a couple of quid.
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