National Recycle Week runs from 14 to 20 October and we need your help to rescue items that could have been recycled from the rubbish bin.
Over half of us (54%) admit we throw recyclable items in with the general waste. This often happens because we think that discarding a few items won't matter. However, every small effort counts, and if we all commit to recycling a few more things, we can make a significant impact.
Household items that you can recycle
Common household items are often discarded instead of recycled, increasing opportunities to boost your household's recycling efforts. All that's needed is to give them a wash and a squash and throw them in the recycling bin!
These include:
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Foil – scrunch it into a ball and throw it into the recycling!
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Aerosols – whether it’s air freshener or deodorant, aerosols don’t belong in the bin – but 23% of us put them there!
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Clear plastic trays – from fruit punnets to mushroom and meat trays, 14% of us are putting clear plastic trays in the rubbish bin.
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Plastic pots and tubs – plastic pots and tubs, such as yogurt pots and butter tubs, belong in the recycling, yet 10% of us are chucking them in the rubbish bin.
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Toiletry and cleaning product bottles – you can recycle these with the labels and lids on. You can even recycle spray bottles with the spray/trigger still in! Don’t be among the 12% of UK households who put these in their rubbish bins instead of recycling!
How many of these can you add to your regular recycling regime?
Watch out for hints, tips and more information about National Recycling Week on our Facebook page next week (search @UttesfordDC), or check out the Recycle Now website.
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E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream globally, with the UK as the second largest contributor. Addressing e-waste is crucial for recovering valuable materials and reducing its environmental and health impacts.
Ahead of International E-Waste Day (14 October), we're supporting you to Recycle Your Electricals in launching 'The Great Cable Challenge'.
The nationwide campaign is about tackling the millions of cables sitting idle in drawers across UK households – with the goal of collectively recycling one million cables.
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To help, we are placing some special pink wheelie bins at locations across Uttlesford where you can drop off your unused cables and unwanted small electrical items for recycling. The bins will be at:
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Could you organise a tech amnesty at your workplace, school or community centre? We have a small number of pink bins that we can loan out – email us to let us know if you’d like to get involved: wasteaware@uttlesford.gov.uk
► Use Recycle Your Electricals’ postcode locator to find another local donation or recycling point
► Find out more about the Great Cable Challenge
A community litter pick is a great way to get people involved in looking after the environment.
We can all help to keep our neighbourhoods clean and tidy. Working with others in your community will harness local support for cleaning up litter.
One group doing a fantastic job is the 1st Saffron Walden Beavers (pictured) who have been litter picking in the town to work towards earning their 'Help the Local Community' badge. They also learned about the harmful impacts of littering and the importance of keeping their town clean.
If you, your town or parish council, school or community group would like to organise a voluntary litter pick in the district, we can loan you all the equipment you need. Our kits include litter pickers, high visibility vests, gloves and bags. We can also arrange to collect the litter you pick up.
Email wasteaware@uttlesford.gov.uk for more information.
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We have had a fantastic response to our recent survey about setting up a new 'A Library of Things' - in total about 300 people have expressed an interest so far.
We are going through your responses to fully understand what you want, and how we could help develop the proposed Library of Things.
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The 3 most popular items so far are:
- carpet cleaner
- pressure washer
- gazebo
The survey is still open for responses, so please respond if you are interested, as your views will help us in shaping this project.
► Please take a few moments to complete the survey
Help needed!
We need help from the local community. We need enthusiasts to come forward and champion a Library of Things to get the project off the ground.
This is a very popular idea, with many wanting to use the service. For us to be able to make this idea a reality we need an individual or group of people willing to run this with our help and support.
Could you lend your time, perhaps one morning a month, to work with us?
Do you have any expertise in electricals such as Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)?
Do you enjoy DIY and small projects?
Do you enjoy the company of other like-minded individuals and working with a close community group?
Could this be you? If so, please get in touch by emailing us at: wasteaware@uttlesford.gov.uk.
We will contact you and let you know how you can help.
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More and more Essex parents are reducing their single-use plastics by switching to cloth nappies!
So why not join them?
Don't forget you can still claim your £30 refund!
► Apply for a £30 refund on cloth nappies
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