Coming ‘clean’ on recycling

We’re all getting into recycling now - do you know your compostable from your bio-degradeable? What used to be a minority preference has become a nationwide concern. It is set become more so, but just how much do you really know about how to re-cycle effectively, and just as importantly, avoid spoiling your collections?

Studies show that a heartening 98 per cent of Irish people are ‘in favour’ of recycling, and 22 per cent of our plastic waste is recycled – top EU score. A great starting point but bear in mind that under EU law, 50 per cent of our plastic waste will have to be re-cycled in 2025, just three years away. Statistics suggest that up to 30 per cent of what we put in re-cycling bins cannot be recycled. Also - less can be more - putting the incorrect material into the bin could lead to spoilage, the load being refused, and sent to landfill. Another mistake to avoid is unknowingly tossing in items, e.g. wire coat hangers, which can break the recycling machinery, whilst old clothes can wind their way around machinery.

We all think that we know just what can be safely recycled, but changes in ‘allowed items’ do occur. One easy way is to go back to your ABC s, and automatically think of:

A for Appropriate, B for Bio-degradable, C for Clean, D for Dry and E for Empty everyday life. This brings wry smiles to faces of many of the older generation. Many can remember mothers routinely washing and ironing summer dresses, before carefully putting them away for the next year. Broken items were often mended or re-purposed, or passed on, or donated. Now, we’re completing the circle, as it becomes cool to repair, re-use, re-design and renovate.

It all starts, however, with what goes into your bins – or in some cases, should not.

What the recycling industry want to find in your green bin– clean, dry and loose, please.

Newspaper, aluminium and steel products, such as food and drink cans. Cardboard, cereal boxes, newspaper, magazines, card sleeves on food products, brown paper, egg

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cartons (clean!) loo roll centres, and greeting cards - without foil decoration. Since the new acceptance procedures in September 2021, you can also include soft, bubble plastic wrapping - ‘squishy’ plastic, which can be compressed in your hand, e.g. frozen vegetable bags, pasta bags, cereal bags. plus the once infamous bubble wrap.

What they want to find in your brown bin Vegetable peelings, fruit skins, bread, rice, out of date food products, food scraps, egg and dairy products without wrappings, dead flowers, hedge cuttings, compostable packaging such as takeaway food containers and coffee cups but make sure they have the EN 13432 or the Cre label:

What they don’t want to find in your green bin and why?

Soiled plastics, with oil, food stains or attached/ dried marks. Used nappies, which contain contaminants. Don’t put in clothes, shoes, electronics, or batteries either’ There are now special bins for all of these at recycling centers. If you don’t have a suitable local one, think about setting up a community variety. Bring glass bottles and jars to your local bring bank. Batteries and WEE can be returned to retail outlets selling similar products. You can locate all retail centers, civic amenity sites and bring banks nationally by using the waste services locator on www.mywaste.ie

Steel hangers – which can cause breakages in sorting machines. So do broken glass and needles. No Styrofoam, dirty tissues or used paper towels, or toys either.

Light bulbs or Pyrex dishes or drinking glasses, all of which have been through complex manufacturing. Most of these items are however accepted at Civic Amenity Sites.

Liquid in any container – whilst it might not contain any contaminant, it could leak out onto a recyclable product such as card or paper, making it unfit for purpose, and also risking the potential of the entire load.

Recyclable material – which has been stuffed tightly into a cardboard box, or a plastic bag – confuses the machines. Instead, place everything loosely in the bin.

Think again about cutting up your old credit cards and tossing them into the recycling bin. Whilst plastic, the raised numbers can be covered by a substance which is not recyclable but you can dispose of these in the general waste bin.

Cotton wool – it expands and picks up contaminants easily

Ceramics, which may have been heat treated. Styro Foam packing plus ‘pea nut’ plastic packing. Half full aerosol containers, which could leak and spoil.

Used soiled Pizza boxes – any clean parts of the cardboard can be torn off and placed in the recycling. Small amounts of food-soiled cardboard can go in the food waste bin.

CD's. Window glass or frames, or electronics. Ash bags, or decaying food.

What and how you can recycle at work?

Start to use filtered home water, stored in bottles brought from home and stored in the office fridge, to cut down on plastic waste.

Cut down on disposable plastic cups by storing china/ glass mugs on a shelf.

Print on both sides of documents.

Cut down – or out, introductory pages/end comments, plus memo notes.

Organise a bin for food waste – and avoid using other bins for its disposal.

What can be re-purposed?

Pots and glass jars. With removal of labels, thorough washing and stylish cork bung stoppers, they can become storage jars of differing sizes.

Old wooden towel rails can create handles for wooden boxes to become mobile books stands.

Give re-purposed tables and sets of drawers a new lease of life by spraying, painting, covering with fabric or wallpaper offcuts polishing.

Clothes can develop a new lease of life – coats can become jackets, dresses can lose their sleeves to become pinafore dresses. Small size, lightly used men’s shirts can be fitted to suit women and given new collars to update them.

Old photo frames can be sprayed, and updated with new glass to update them.

Old sheets and blankets are welcomed at many cat and dog shelters.

Computers can yield parts for re-use, or be updated for re-use.

What contribution can you make in your local area?

Check which stores now have a plastic disposal facility at checkpoint facility - Lidl has just introduced them in most stores. This allows you to peel off plastic coverings, pop your hygienically stored food straight into your shopping bag – and re-cycle instantly.

If you have no local facility, why not think about starting a Terra Cycle point? They allow recycling of clean biscuit, cracker and cake packaging. The same idea goes for a glut of fruit – Falling Fruit has a similar scheme. packaging for recycling via Terracycle. Why not work with local schools to fill a gap in local collections? Jumbletown.ie has plenty of used bins, to start you off!

Do you live in a neighbourhood with fruit producing trees, which often unpicked, just drop and rot? Falling Fruit has as scheme to use this fruit, as does Urban Harvest.

Check whether there is an electrical recycling facility – go to www.weeeireland.ie/ household-recycling/where-can-i-recycle/

Recycling is vital – but can only deal with part of our waste, so innovation is important. Why not try to involve children, with a ‘Plastics Party’ challenge? They are becoming popular in the States, with no straws, balloons. disposable cups, cutlery or wrapped food allowed.

Try a school or community project, involving – Eco Bricks. These utilise collections of plastic bottles, stuffed full of clean and dry non recycleable/de-gradable plastic, which is then turned into fun furniture.

Start to think long term – and if you are still pondering the difference between biodegradable and organic material - both will break down and ultimately de-compose in the earth.

Compostable items however, also help to fertilise and maintain soil health. So, if you are a garden owner, why not invest in a real Christmas tree, which can be re-planted outside each year after use – and is surely the ultimate in re-cycling!

Useful websites

www.repak.ie www.mywaste.ie www.gov.ie/en/publication/climate-action-waste www.donedeal.ie Jumbletown.ie www.reuzi.ie www.weeirreland.ie www.fallingfruit.ie www.urbanharvest.ie www.livinglightlyireland.com www.epa.ie www.ecological.ie