Make 2015 your year for smart recycling

A high percentage of waste ends up in blue bins over the festive season but, unfortunately, it’s common for the wrong things to end up in these bins such as large plastic toys with metal parts, batteries and electronics – make recyclers’ jobs harder and more costly.  If a recycling bin is contaminated with enough items that can’t be recycled – the whole thing can end up in landfill. Material streams that require more sorting are less likely to be able to be recycled economically – and more likely to become waste.

An independent study we commissioned in 2014, which attracted media attention in the recycling, facilities management and cleaning trade press, showed confusion still reigns when it comes to being sure about what items can and cannot be recycled – at home or at work.

Thankfully recycling rates should be improved under new regulation from January 2015, already adopted for a year in Scotland. This requires businesses to separate recyclable material (paper, plastic, metal and glass) from other waste. This amendment to the EU Waste Framework Directive is to ensure improvement to the quality and quantity of recycling across the UK and will affect both household and business waste.

This, together with clear and concise communications campaigns to help raise understanding, should make 2015 the year for smart recycling.