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8 Local Recycling Myths

For many of us, recycling our waste has become second nature. With kerbside recycling facilities making it easier than ever before to responsibly dispose of waste at home, there’s little excuse for not making (the little) effort required to recycle your rubbish.

But there are still a few misconceptions when it comes to recycling. For many, it can be confusing to work out exactly which items are suitable for recycling, together with what happens to them after it’s all been collected and processed. So, we’ll be sharing with you eight common recycling myths together with a few, rather unexpected, truths.

1. Recycling is difficult

False

Recycling at home has never been easier. With many councils taking the responsibility to provide their residents with adequate home recycling facilities, it requires little-to-no effort to recycle what we can. If certain items cannot be recycled at home, the likelihood is that they can be recycled elsewhere. Save those items up and transport them, once or twice a month, to a specialist facility.

To find out whether they can be recycled at home, search the packaging for a white, round arrow on a green background which will clearly state “widely recycled”. If you need to take it to a specialist facility, the arrow will be white on a black background, with text reading “check locally”. If an item cannot be recycled at all, you’ll see a white arrow on a black background, with text reading “not yet recycled”.

Items which need to be taken to a specialist facility include:

  • Drinks cartons
  • Batteries
  • Mobile phones
  • Garden waste
  • Scrap metal
  • Clothes
  • Printer cartridges
  • Chemical containers
  • Household chemicals
  • Electronic items
  • Aluminium foil/containers

2. You don’t need to wash out your recyclables

False

You should wash out recyclable items (where possible), preferably to make them as clean as possible. If it’s squeaky clean when it enters the recycling process, it should be correctly processed in order to be turned back into what it was before.

However, if the item was contaminated to begin with, it will produce products and materials of a lower quality. Although, if the contamination is found to be too high, the entire load of recyclable materials will be sent to landfill – another important reason to ensure all items are clean before putting them in the recycling bin.

It can also depend on the recycling facility who processes your waste. Some may wash it out before transporting it to a specialist plant, while others will ensure your recyclable waste is processed straight away. To be absolutely certain that your recycling will be processed and used to produce quality materials, thoroughly wash them out first.

washed out aluminium can - Woodford Recycling

3. Receipts are recyclable

False

Every year, around 11 billion receipts are still being handed out in the UK alone, of which 50% are printed onto shiny, unrecyclable paper. This is because they’re made up of a number of different materials, containing (potentially) damaging BPA and BPS chemicals. If they were to be recycled, it would release the harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. As a result, they should be placed in the general bin.

However, there has been a movement towards digital, paperless receipts which can be emailed to consumers, or people are simply asked whether or not they would like their receipt to be printed at all, with many happy to reject the offer.

4. The triangle icon means an item is recyclable

False

Also known as ‘The Green Dot’, this symbol is misleading. The triangle is usually green and is made up of three interconnecting arrows. Where it’s relatively easy to mistake this deceptive symbol to mean an item is recyclable, this (annoyingly) isn’t what it means.

Instead, it means that the company has contributed an undisclosed amount of money towards the recycling and recovery of packaging throughout Europe. To work out whether or not an item is recyclable, it will be explicitly stated on the packaging.

The Green Dot Symbol

5. Recycling is a waste of time – it all goes to the same place

False

The UK recycles millions of tonnes of waste material each year. From cardboard and paper to glass and aluminium, we do our best to reprocess every scrap. This is why separation is important when our recyclables reach dedicated plants. If your local kerbside recycling bin will take a mixture of materials, they will be sorted and processed at the recycling facility.

Once sorted, each batch will be labelled as ‘paper’ or ‘glass’ and sent on to be recycled. Over 80% of the glass Britons put in for recycling is reprocessed and used to make new jars and bottles. Recycled plastics are being used to make pencils and car components, while paper can be used to make napkins, toilet paper, greeting cards and a mixture of reading materials.

So, depending on whether or not your local council asks you to separate your recyclables, it may well go to the same place to begin with, but it’s then sorted and sent out to facilities which specialise in the reprocessing of a particular material, and so, recycling is not a waste of time after all!

woodford-recycling-services-recycling-process-2

6. It doesn’t matter if items are placed in the wrong bin – the council will sort it anyway

False

Depending on how your council operates, they will not sort through every bin they collect. If a recyclable item is placed in a general, household waste bin, they will not take steps to remove it and put it into a recycling bin. Only non-recyclable waste should be placed in your household bin. Look out for labels and symbols on the packaging if you aren’t sure whether or not something can be recycled.

If you put a non-recyclable item in your recycling bin – such as food waste – you would be contaminating the entire batch, and so everything in your recycling bin would have to be sent to landfill.

The council will not take the time to remove non-recyclable materials, so the sorting must be done at home. The only bin the council will sort through will be your recycling bin, but this will only be done to separate recyclable waste materials, and not to fish out an old banana skin.

7. I can’t recycle everything in my household waste – there’s nothing more I can do

False

Just because an item cannot be recycled in your household/kerbside bin, doesn’t mean to say that it cannot be recycled. Call your local council and ask them where you can take your other recyclable items.

There are many facilities across the country that will accept a variety of different waste types. From drinks cartons to plasterboard, there will be a facility that will recycle them. Used batteries and old plastic bags can even be dropped off in supermarkets or other stores, so keep an eye out next time you’re doing your weekly shop.

8. Everything that goes in a skip will go to landfill

Woodford Recycling are a reputable, highly-committed waste management facility who are dedicated to ensuring that 100% of the waste we collect is recycled. We always do our utmost to help the environment, so you can have peace of mind that your waste will be disposed of responsibly and sustainably every single time.

An illegitimate waste management company may not guarantee the responsible disposal of your waste, so it’s important that you hire a company you can trust. You could risk having your waste fly-tipped, which you could be prosecuted for.


Woodford Recycling is committed to recycling close to 100% of the waste we collect, ensuring as little as possible is sent to landfill. With our very own recycling facility and an array of recycling services available, we’re proud to promote the importance of sustainability, encouraging others to help the environment alongside us.

We have a dedicated team of specialists who are able to provide skip hire, grab hire and other waste management solutions for when you need it most. You can rest assured that your waste will be disposed of responsibly every single time. For more information, get in touch with us today – we operate throughout Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Stamford and the surrounding areas.

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