Household recycling hotspots revealed
Figures have been unveiled today by Warwickshire County Council and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) to mark the start of Recycle Week.
These have highlighted a series of ‘hotspots’ in the home of ‘forgotten’ items of recyclable household waste.
The Recycle Week survey found the top five items people say they don’t recycle are:
aerosol containers for deodorant, air freshener or polish, etc (62%)
biscuit and sweet tins (53%)
plastic shampoo and toiletry bottles (32%)
plastic cleaning product bottles, such as bleach or disinfectants (31%)
glass jars, such as those for cooking sauces (20%)
While nearly two thirds (62%) of consumers said that they always remembered to recycle items from their kitchen, this falls dramatically to around a third for waste found in other areas of the home, such as the bathroom (36%) and bedroom (34%)2.
The research also showed that 59% of people focused on recycling cans, plastic drinks bottles, glass bottles, paper and card. Over a quarter (26%) were unaware that items such as aerosols, plastic detergent bottles, magazines and biscuit and sweet tins could often be recycled3.
This year Recycle Week is about highlighting the extra things we can easily do to recycle more and increase the impact of our recycling efforts.
If every household in England recycled ‘one more thing’, the total amount collected for recycling could increase by more than three quarters of a million tonnes and could potentially raise the national recycling rate by up to 3%4.
Industry figures reveal that there is real potential to recycle more. For example, UK households use an average of 331 glass bottles and jars each year, yet nearly half (49% or 162 bottles/jars) are not recycled – the equivalent of three a week5. Similarly, UK households use an average of 500 plastic bottles each year, yet nearly three quarters (74% or 370 bottles) are not being recycled – the equivalent of seven bottles each week6.
And in Warwickshire all of the district and borough councils try and make it as easy as possible to recycle glass, offering kerbside glass recycling through the various box schemes.
Warwick District has also taken the extra step this year of offering plastic bottle recycling from the kerbside.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “Sometimes we don’t realise how much of our household waste can be easily recycled, or we think that recycling one more thing won’t make a real difference. The truth is that recycling makes a real difference and that is why in Warwickshire we are trying to make it as easy as possible for our residents.”
For more information on recycling visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/waste or visit http://www.recyclenow.com and use the postcode locator to find details of your nearest recycling services.