[PDF]Recycling-in-the-Home

Recycling

in the Home



Centre for Alternative Technology Publications




Recycling is an effective way of saving energy,
conserving raw materials, reducing landfill waste and
limiting the amount of pollutants released into our
environment. This tipsheet tells you how.



Machynlleth, Powys SY20 9AZ UK Tel. + 44 (0)1654 702400 Fax. + 44 (0)1654 702782 email: info@cat.org.uk website: www.cat.org.uk



What is Recycling?

We are so often told of the benefits of 'recycling' but rarely told
what the term actually means. A brief definition of recycling would
simply be: 'the process of reusing materials that may otherwise have
been considered as waste.' This is most often used to describe the
industrial process of breaking down used materials such as
newspapers, glass bottles or aluminium cans, into a substance that is
reused to make a different product or more of the original.

Why bother?

Industrial processes and products use and produce chemicals and
toxic materials that can poison our soil, water supply, food chain and
eventually ourselves. On top of this, the pollution from burning fossil
fuels to produce and transport your goods causes air pollution and
increases the rate of global warming. Add to this the increasing
practical problem of dumping waste into rapidly filling landfill sites -
households produce 26 million tonnes of waste every year in the UK
- and you can see why recycling is a good idea.

How do we do it?

First of all it is worth noting that recycling is less environmentally
friendly than reuse or repair - it is an industrial process that itself
uses energy. Your first choice should always be to reuse or repair
things wherever possible. And if you can't repair something yourself,
find someone who can. Parts of things can often be rescued from
something which must be disposed of - such as plugs from old
electrical equipment. With a bit of imagination things can also be
reused as something else - from tyres as compost bins to works of art
made from old tea bags! Invest in products that are durable, have
few disposable parts, are returnable or refillable, can run off the
mains (or rechargeable batteries), have no excess packaging and
are made from materials that can easily be recycled in your area.
If something cannot be reused or repaired it should then be recycled.
Over 70% of household waste in our dustbins can be recycled, yet
the amount of waste we currently recycle in the UK stands at only
8%. And there is no longer any excuse - recycling facilities have
improved considerably over the last few years with an increasing
number of local authorities taking an increasing number of materials.
Cans, tins, glass, paper and fabrics can almost always be taken to
your nearest recycling point, usually in town centres or outside super-
markets. Fabrics should be taken to charity shops if no clothing
banks are available - and remember to tie old shoes together. Glass
bottles and jars should be rinsed before being put in the banks and
their metal or plastic tops, corks and rings removed. Avoid putting
light bulbs, cookware such as Pyrex and window glass into the



glass containers. Wash and crush any cans
.^^^v/ .^mv^i and tins where possible (but don't crush
C \ aerosol cans), dividing aluminium and
^^—i ^^^m steel, which are often collected separately -
V__J^|^r aluminium is light, has a shiny silver base
and does not stick to a magnet. Milk bottle
tops, tops of cartons, baking and freezing trays, kitchen foil, cigarette
and tobacco foil are also aluminium and recyclable. Aluminium
production is particularly energy intensive so recycling brings signif-
icant environmental gains. Paper recycling by local authorities is
available for flat paper such as newspapers and magazines. Tissues,
kitchen roll and other non-flat paper waste should be composted
along with cardboard (see organic waste). Stopping junk mail being
posted to your house is a good way of reducing paper waste -
contact the Mailing Preference Service to remove your name from
mailing lists. Mixed packaging such as foil or wax-lined milk and
juice cartons cannot be recycled or composted at present and so
must be binned. If there isn't a recycling point near you or you're
just not sure where it is, contact the Recycling Officer at your Local
Authority - the organisation Waste Watch can supply you with the
contact number. Some areas do have kerbside recycling schemes,
where recyclable material can be left outside with other rubbish to be
collected - usually in a separate container provided by the scheme.

But what about everything else?

Most people are aware of the opportunities for recycling glass,
paper, cans, tins, paper and fabrics. Yet there are an infinite number
of other products and materials for which recycling schemes have yet
to be fully developed. In some cases though, recycling is still a possi-
bility. Listed below are some of the products and materials that can
be recycled (mostly by your local authority) with minimum effort. For
everything else that you might use in your home, the same common
sense rules apply - reduce the amount you use, reuse things where
possible and think about repairing before you consign things to the
dustbin. And remember, someone else may find use in something you
cannot - charity and bric-a-brac shops may well be able to take
things off your hands. The Charities Aid Foundation publish a
directory listing materials that charities will collect.

Plastic has long been the hardest thing to recycle. In the UK only
6% of plastic waste is recycled compared to 28% of aluminium cans.
Most of our plastic recycling is 'process scrap' from industry. But
'post-use' plastic recycling is on the increase. About 40% of local
authorities now have plastic bottle recycling schemes and there are
kerbside collections of plastic for over 2.7 million households. The



main types of plastic are most commonly coded by numbers (1 ,2,3
etc) but you may also see corresponding letters such as PET, HDPE,
PVC, LDPE, PP and PS - both numbers and letters should be marked
on the different plastic recycling banks.

Electrical Equipment constitutes an estimated 1 million tonnes of
waste every year in the UK - 39% of which is large household appli-
ances (white goods). Many of these items contain toxic substances.
The complex nature of equipment, as well as the mixtures of
materials involved, make recycling more difficult. Large household
goods such as fridges and cookers are easier to recycle than smaller,
more complex items, and your council may well collect these for you.
Reuse schemes are a better option and often the only one. In
addition to second hand outlets, some local authorities, community
schemes and commercial organisations will accept or even buy your
old IT equipment. Bytes Twice is perhaps the best organisation to
contact. Major mobile phone manufacturers have also begun a 'take
back' scheme enabling the 14 million users in the UK to return
phones, batteries and accessories to one of 400 shops or by post.
Contact your local mobile phone shop or network operator for
details.

Batteries contain heavy metals which can cause serious pollution
problems, yet every year we dispose of over 400 million. Facilities
for recycling domestic batteries in the UK are minimal but there are
well established systems for reclaiming lead acid batteries, used in
vehicles, at garages, Civic Amenity Sites and Recycling Centres.
Some local authorities (Sutton, Sheffield, Wolverhampton) do collect
domestic batteries as hazardous waste and there are manufacturers
who provide special incentives to encourage customers to return their
own brand of batteries. These include: Bosch, Draper Tools, Pag and
Varta. Better still, use the mains where possible or use rechargeable
batteries, especially the new RAM rechargeables which contain no
mercury or cadium.

Cars are usually sold to a vehicle dismantler at the end of their
working life. Of the 1 .8 million cars and vans scrapped in the UK
each year, 74% are currently recycled, mainly through the reuse of
spare parts or through metals recovery. This still leaves some
490,000 tonnes of remaining material to be buried in landfill sites
every year. Problems in the UK lie with unlicensed vehicle disman-
tles who gain a competitive advantage by avoiding the costs
involved with environmental standards - particularly with the
draining of hazardous vehicle fluids. The best thing to do is to ensure
that your car is scrapped by a licensed dismantler. Regular mainte-
nance also prolongs a car's life, reduces pollution and energy use,
and cuts the impact of disposal. A UK study suggests that savings of
15% are possible if you check your tyres and oil frequently.

Hazardous waste from households, (paint, paint stripper,
chemical-based floor and oven cleaners, solvents and garden
chemicals) poses real risks to soil and groundwater supplies if
poured down the drain or buried in landfill. It is important to buy
non-toxic substitutes where possible and to buy only the amount that
is really necessary. Label and keep anything left for future use or
donate to neighbours, community groups or charity organisations. If
you really have no use for a substance, responsibility for its safe
disposal comes under the jurisdiction of your local council. Take it to
a Civic Amenity Site if facilities exist, or contact your Recycling
Officer.



Organic waste, which includes paper and cardboard as well as
food scraps, makes up a total of 30% of domestic refuse discarded
each year. Organic waste is a particular problem in landfill sites
because it putrifies rather than breaking down, contaminating water
supplies and releasing dangerous ozone depleting gases such as
methane. On top of this, its high water content makes it heavy and
inefficient to transport. Composting your paper, cardboard, food
waste and grass clippings will bring far more environmental gains
than recycling glass, steel or plastic. Composting is the natural way
to return the vital nutrients of organic waste back to the soil, helping
the growth of your flowers and vegetables in the process. Compost
bins are widely available in garden centres but can also be made at
home very easily - the organisation HDRA and CAT's own tipsheet
are good sources of information.

Wood waste generated by householders comes mainly from old
furniture, fencing and DIY offcuts rather than packaging. Wood
waste from the garden such as tree branches can be composted but
is best put in a separate compost bin to plate waste and grass
clippings (or the process can take much longer). The Furniture
Recycling Project may be able to put you in touch with someone who
can take your old furniture but your local authority should be
contacted about domestic wood waste, some do provide timber
recycling points at Civic Amenity Sites.

And is that it?

Not quite - you can back up those good recycling habits by buying
recycled products. A product has not actually been recycled until it is
being used again. Unless people buy recycled products, there is little
incentive for manufacturers to use the recycled materials in their
production processes. There are a huge range of products available
ranging from recycled toilet paper to ink cartridges to electrical
equipment. Products labelled 1 00% recycled are clearly the best
choice and it is important to remember to check that the product is
not just recyclable - there is an important difference. All paper
products are available from recycled sources and an increasing
number of glass products are also becoming available as well as
plastic products such as garden accessories, flooring, office acces-
sories, fibre-fill duvets and even fleece jackets, hats and gloves.

Contacts

Waste Watch is by the far the best dedicated recycling information
service that the UK has to offer - they have a hotline on 0870 243
0136, a fax on 0207 253 5962 and a website at www. waste-
watch. org.uk. Alternatively, write to: Waste Watch, Europa House,
Ground Floor, 13-17 Ironmonger Row, London, EC IV 3QG.
Charities Aid Foundation 0732 771 333
Write to: 48 Pembury Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2JD.
Save Waste And Prosper Ltd. 01 1 3 243 8777
Write to: c/o SWAP, 74 Kirkgate, Leeds, LS2 7DJ.
British Battery Manufacturers Association 0207 838 4878
Write to: 26 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1 W 0GT.
Henry Doubleday Research Association 0247 303 517.
Write to: National Centre for Organic Gardening,
Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3LG.
The Mailing Preference Service
Freepost 22, London W1E 7EZ.
Furniture Recycling Network 01 16 254 5283
Write to: c/o SOFA, Unit 3, Pilot House, 41 King Street,
Leicester, Leics, LEI 6RN.



Published by CAT Publications, CAT Charity Ltd. Registered charity no. 265239.