Rubbish consequences: Let’s get your waste to the right place
We all want to reduce waste, save energy and keep down the cost of processing our recycling. But with more items becoming recyclable, it can feel a bit overwhelming. Find out why contamination, under-recycling and accidental littering can all be truly rubbish – and the quick, easy ways to check what goes where.
Do you turn into one of these characters when bin day rolls around?
There’s no shame here – discover the simple steps to get your rubbish sorted.
The wishful recyclers
Step away from the cheesy pizza box. Let’s keep that one out of the recycling…
We’d love to live in a world where all the waste from our homes can have a second life (and you’d be surprised; lots of it can!)
But with the things that end up in our sorting centres, we think there’s a bit of wishful thinking going on. Does that toilet pan or those shotgun cartridges really belong there?
Yes, we really have found these in recycling. Thankfully that’s not the everyday scene, but the regular offenders are:
- food
- nappies
- hard plastics (like DVDs and toys)
- textiles
We find these in almost every spot-check of recycling that we process.
What’s the impact?
When the wrong things end up in recycling, it wastes everyone’s time.
Cardboard contaminated with food, grease and oil needs to be picked out by hand, and every waste item goes on a longer journey before it’s disposed of, costing money and carbon emissions.
A full drinks bottle or yoghurt pot can burst and ruin a truckload of cardboard or paper. A typical recycling truck might visit 1,500 homes in one collection, so that’s a lot of miffed neighbours.
How you can help
- not sure about an item? Look it up on our A–Z to see where it goes
- before you add a container or tin to your recycling, check it’s empty and rinsed out
- if you don’t have kerbside glass collection, find your nearest bottle bank
- find out why you should switch to cloth nappies
The cautious sorters
At the other end of the scale, there’s a lot of stuff we could be recycling that ends up in the bin.
Perhaps you put rubbish you’re unsure about in the bin to be on the safe side?
Some surprising items can be recycled from home, including batteries, small electrical items and clean fabric (pop them in a clean carrier bag next to your recycling bin). Plastic bags and wrapping like bread and salad bags, can go to most supermarkets.
The thought of food waste bins can give us the ick, but when used correctly they’re easy to keep clean and pest-free. They also prevent recycling contamination and will make the most of your food waste as it’s turned into renewable energy.
What’s the impact?
39% of rubbish in black bins could have been recycled in kerbside collections – that’s about 2kg every week, from every home.
The average black bin contains 20% food waste, some still in its original packaging.
Recyclable garden waste and glass also make up a hefty load.
This all wastes valuable resources that could be recycled or used as a sustainable energy source.
How you can help
You can:
- take a look at all the things you can recycle at home in Central Bedfordshire
- find out what you can put in your food waste bin
- order free food waste bags, to line your kitchen caddy and keep it fresh
- use the lockable lid on the larger outside caddy – it’ll keep rats and other vermin away
- use the garden waste subscription service and save trips to the tip
The accidental fly-tippers
Think fly-tipping and you’re probably imagining some shady characters, illegally dumping vanloads of waste in Bedfordshire’s beautiful countryside.
But you could become an accidental fly-tipper, if you put a bag of rubbish next to a bin that’s full. Even a box of glass next to a full bottle bank is rubbish to our eyes.
Enjoying a takeaway snack or picnic out in the countryside is one of life’s little escapes. Sadly, it’s leading to a lot of litter and plastic waste to clear up.
What’s the impact?
Rubbish left next to full bins can blow away or be dragged off by wildlife. It makes the neighbourhood look less than lovely, and endangers animals too.
A report for Keep Britain Tidy found that more than 8% of littered bottles and nearly 5% of cans become graveyards for small mammals such as shrews, voles and mice.
Our teams from are working harder than ever to pick up litter, often even on high-speed rural roads. The less time they spend doing this, the safer they’ll be and the less it will cost.
What you can do
You can:
- hold onto your litter and recycling – please take it home or find another bin
- quickly report full or damaged bins with an easy online form
- dog owners, try a handy, hygienic holder that carries full poop bags until you find a bin
- drivers, try a small lidded bin in your car, so cleaning up’s a breeze