We all recognise the importance of recycling and we all know how important it is to avoid wasting the planet’s resources and it’s not really much skin off of our teeth to place our used items in one bin rather than another. However that said it can sometimes get a little confusing when we have two or more recycling bins and when we aren’t sure what’s recyclable and what isn’t – and even more so if there are various people in our home. Here we will look at some tips for making life easier.
Designate Bins: First of all you need to designate your selected bins for things like ‘plastic and bottles’, ‘organic’ and ‘non-recyclable’. You need to make sure that you are complying with the local council as if you throw the wrong things in the recycling you will be making more work for them not less. At the same time having a bin for organic recycling is not particularly useful unless your council recycle those things. That said if you are a keen gardener then you might want to keep an organic bin for yourself instead/as well.
Label: Making labels is a very good idea as even with the best will in the world we sometimes forget which bins are the recycling bins and which ones are for the general rubbish. At the same time using labels for your recycling bins can inform guests and other residents who might be helping out with the chores. Make sure you label them in terms of what needs to go in there: so ‘
Keep Them Near: We are creatures of habit, and most of us would admit to being a tad lazy. Make sure the recycling bins are near and accessible then will make us more likely to use them. Make sure you have a foot pedal for instance.
Use Recyclable Bin Bags: For your recyclable bins, having degradable bin bags is a very good idea. This is because you otherwise will not be able to throw away the bin bags when you empty the bins into the dustbins, and that then means that you will have to remove everything from them first. This is messy and unpleasant, but it also means you are more likely to miss some things that get stuck in the bottom of the bag.
Take Lids Off: Just because a bottle is fit for the recycling bins doesn’t always mean the lid is. Make sure to dispose of the lid elsewhere if this is the case.
Wash Things Out: If you don’t want your kitchen to smell, and if you want to do more for the environment still – then washing out bottles and jars to make sure they are clean is a very good move.
I am a recycling queen. I recycle everything. I think that it is so much better than throwing things away. And if I see a can in the garbage, I pick out and put it in the recycle bin.
Well done Tori! I’m very happy you can call yourself recycling queen. Every woman should be able to say this about herself. I congratulate you and I hope you continue recycling! You are an example for all of us!
I am not used to recycling. I never was forced to do it until I moved this past winter. Now I have to recycle everything. It is a hard habit to break not to want to throw everything away. But I am getting better at it each day.
Managing your recycling is a a solidarity gesture. I admit that I don’t recycle anything. That’s because of the local council. In my city, there aren’t that many designated bins. Just for PETs, in some areas. Otherwise, I would be happy to recycle.
Great article, man! Managing your recycling is one simple and yet effective thing to do. Too bad they don’t run campaigns more often. Unfortunately, you are encouraged for managing your recycling only in well developed countries. Those poor countries are not encouraging the population to do stuff like that at all.
I need some suggestions here. We use to get to recycle glass and now we are not allowed to do it. How can I convince my city that we need to be doing this? Is there an easy way to go about it?
Can you call and ask what you are suppose to do then? Or why they are doing this? It does not make sense to me. Or maybe you could see if someone from another town could take them and put them with their recycling. Just a suggestion.
Mel you should just collect them and take them to a friend in another town who can recycle them. It may be a pain but at least you are helping our Earth out.
I have been recycling for years now and it is second nature. Once you get started it is hard to stop.
It is hard to stop. I go camping and there is no recycable tins there. So I bring it all home with me. Crazy yes but I have to do it. It is second nature to me.
I have a few bins set up in my home in my pantry. I have them labeled and then also have a picture on them so the kids can see where they go. This way they are not tempted to toss anything into the trash. By doing this we only have a small bag of trash each week.
My friend recycles. However she does not rinse out the containers. I find that to be really gross. The jars and cans could sit there for a week or so and then get nasty and crusty so the people at the recycle place probably just throw them away anyway.
I’ve been interested in recycling for a long time. But I have never done something with this. Like you said, we are too comfortable. But I promise I will fulfill ‘my duty’ regarding recycling. Count on me!
Your article about managing your recycling is very inspiring. These are some very interesting recycling tips. I haven’t thought before to make an organic bin. My parents have a garden at countryside. I’m sure they will be glad hearing they can use what I want to recycle.
I agree with all you’ve said about recycling. All these tips are very helpful for those who are interested in going green and want to start recycling. Making separate bins for each recyclable product is a great idea. This way you will not have to separate your garbage before throwing it away. And making labels is a great idea too.
Managing your recycling isn’t hard with these tips. Recycling isn’t hard. You must have a bin for each material. Then put your garbage in the right bin. And after that you just throw your garbage as usual. Easy no?
I think we all know the importance of recycling. I very sure we do. But, why don’t we all recycle? Why many of us are too comfortable to start recycling? Is this that hard?