To keep up with international standards in recycling the DCCAE have drawn up a list of the materials you can put in your household recycle bin. Please make sure items are clean, dry and placed loosely in the bin. If it’s not on the list, it’s not in the recycle bin.
Why should items be placed loosely in the bin?
Your mixed recycle bin is sorted into different categories for recycling. If you have placed items inside one another, the machines will not be able to sort them and unwanted items such as food or nappies can enter the system while precious resources are lost.
Why should the items be clean and dry?
If items once contained food or liquid they must be rinsed clean and given a shake to remove the water before going into your recycle bin. Food and liquid can contaminate the materials in the recycling bin. Wet paper cannot be recycled.
What can’t go in the green bin?
Coffee Cups
A disposable coffee cup is made from paper but has a plastic lining that is difficult to remove, so coffee cups must go in your black bin.
Carrier Bags / Refuse Sack
Plastic bags get tangled in the machines and slow down work on the sorting lines as people must empty them.
Soft Plastics
We do not have the technology to recycle soft plastics such as wrappers.
Paper Towels / Napkins
These items are usually made from recycled paper that can only be recycled a limited number of times. You can put them in your compost bin.
Glass
Glass is 100{274956ee188766cffa9fd13544fc92af19ef135eba77b9fbaa514036943a2328} recyclable, however, glass does not go in the recycle bin. Glass should be placed in glass/bottle banks.
Aluminium Foil & Trays
Food can be difficult to clean off used foil and trays so it’s best to put them in your black bin.
Dirty Pizza Boxes
Food stained paper should go in the general waste as food is a major contaminant in paper recycling. Pizza boxes do not go in compost bins.
What About Glass?
Glass does not go in the household recycling bin. It should be collected and placed in glass/bottle banks as the separate collection of glass produces the highest quality recycled glass.
Glass is 100{274956ee188766cffa9fd13544fc92af19ef135eba77b9fbaa514036943a2328} recyclable.
Glass can be recycled repeatedly without losing any of its properties.
Not all glassware can be put in glass banks such as cookware, Pyrex, plates, cups and ceramics as they have a different melting point to traditional glass.
The metal or plastic lids of glass items can be placed in the recycling bin.
Click on the image below to download your copy of the recycling list.
#RecyclingListIRL
