Be a Recycling Star

Be a Recycling Star!
Did you know that of all the waste you produce, 38% of it can be recycled in your brown
bin?
One of the biggest challenges people encounter when trying to recycle is working out what they
can pop in their brown bin and what to take to their local recycling centre.
The key items are listed below, but more details can be found on Test Valley Borough Council’s
website: www.testvalley.gov.uk/recyclingstars
Materials for your brown bin
Paper
Cardboard
Tins and cans
Aerosols
Plastic bottles
Materials for your local recycling centre
Foil
Cartons
Textiles
Glass
But why recycle?
One of the great things about recycling is that it helps free-up space in your black bin, which can
get a bit full with all your day-to-day waste. It is also brilliant for the environment as it saves energy
by not having to make things like bottles and tins from scratch. And if that wasn’t enough, it
reduces the need for landfill and creates an income through the sale of the recyclable material
which helps cover some of the cost of your waste collection service!
Keeping it local!
Most of the items you throw in your brown bin are recycled in the UK. For instance, newspapers,
magazines and other types of paper are delivered to a paper mill where they are pulped, washed,
screened, pressed and dried into jumbo reels of paper, ready to print tomorrow’s newspapers.
What about plastic packaging?
Lots of plastic packaging is labelled as ‘recyclable’ but in Hampshire we only recycle plastic
bottles. That’s because there isn’t a facility to separate all the different types of plastic packaging,
including yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and plastic food trays, So, for these materials to be
recycled, they would need to be transported great distances, often abroad which is expensive and
potentially harmful to the environment. New opportunities to increase what can be recycled
continue to be researched, and once a way is found to sustainably recycle all plastic packaging,
we’ll let you know. In the meantime, these items are sent with your general waste to an energy
recovery facility, where they are incinerated to create electricity.
Local recycling centres
If you’re recycling everything you can in your brown bin and your black bin is still looking full, why
not pop to your local recycling centre (LRC) where you can recycle even more of your household
waste. To find your nearest LRC visit www.recyclenow.com/bank-locator
Keep in touch!
Like Recycling Stars on Facebook for news, hints and tips and chances to win great prizes!
For more information visit www.testvalley.gov.uk/recyclingstars