TGtS Recommends: Recycling Tips

We're here to help you and your family recycle in 2014! It's pretty easy when you know what you’re doing and something as simple as reusing things you already have can reduce your carbon footprint massively!

1. Rely on the Council

Nine out of ten of us already use the kerbside collection scheme, but if you don't already have a recycling box or bin provided by Swindon Borough Council, it's worth you calling them up and checking that you haven't been missed out!

2. Get Organised

First things first, you’ll need to find a suitable and convenient spot to collect all of your recyclable items. Most jars, wrappers and containers all come from the kitchen, so this is usually a great spot to set up your recycling base. If you’re worried about your collection starting to look a little unkempt in the run-up to recycle day, why not store them in the garage, a utility room or under-the-stairs instead?

3. Do It Properly

Next spend a few minutes quickly learning about what can and can’t be collected in your recycling box. You’ll usually have to quickly wash out used cans or remove caps from bottles before you add them to your recycling collection. After all a little bit of effort at your end can make an enormous difference overall.

4. Remember Garden Waste

You might be surprised, but recycling doesn’t just happen indoors you know. That’s why placing a compost bin in your garden for all of your outdoor waste is a great idea. Things like grass cuttings, soft hedge trimmings flowers and plants will all make great compost.

5. What to Recycle?

Here are the top materials that we’d recommend you recycle: aluminium cans, cardboard, electronic equipment, glass - particularly bottles and jars, magazines, newspaper, plastic bags and plastic bottles.

6. Give to Charity

We pretty much live in a throwaway society nowadays so we really need to start thinking before we toss old goods. So instead of sending things to landfill, you could always choose to recycle old clothes, books and unwanted gifts by donating them to charity shops, clothes banks or even via door step charity bags. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

7. You Missed One

We love the idea of multi-tasking, so save yourself a job and rinse out those empty bottles from the bathroom whilst you're showering. It’s important to remember not to miss any recyclables from your upstairs loos as they can be recycled too. Shampoo and shower gel bottles are usually the most forgotten about items with cardboard toilet role holders and toothpaste tubes coming a close second.

8. Reuse

Before you consider recycling something, see whether you can reuse it first. Reusing uses far less energy than recycling and it can save money too. Simple measures like reusing envelopes by putting labels over old addresses, trying to repair things before throwing them away and using rechargeable batteries can all make a massive difference.

9. Go the Extra Mile

In addition to recycling collections from your house, there are a wide range of recycling banks across the town and you’re able to recycle a greater variety of materials. Just remember to wash and squash any plastic bottles and rinse out your tins and cans!

10. Invlove your Family

Don't take on all the responsibility yourself; get the whole family involved, if you introduce recycling slowly into your daily life it won’t seem like such a chore when you have to do it, plus the sooner your children learn about the benefits of recycling and the positive impact that it has on the planet, the better. So divvy up recycling duties among family members and sort items on a daily basis.

11. Reduce

A great way to reduce the amount that you have to recycle is by becoming a savvier shopper. When you're doing your weekly shop try not to buy heavily packed goods and aim to buy 'loose' food rather than pre-packaged. This way you'll have less to recycle. It's always great to remember your 'bag for life' so you don't go wasting plastic bags at the checkouts, each person in the UK uses an average of 134 plastic bags each year.

12. Junk Mail

By putting a 'no junk mail' sticker on your letter box, you'll be amazed at how much this reduces the amount you’ll have to recycle each month.

13. Did you Know?

Recycling saves energy and the amount energy saved when you recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a light bulb for four hours. Glass is recycled according to colour: clear, green and brown. So it’s really important to recycling centres that it’s separated this way.

Click here for all of the Swindon Borough Council collection dates.