Recycling confusion causes issues, study finds
Wednesday, July 26, 2017 - 14:50:17
A new survey from Wrap has pinpointed some of the biggest problems with recycling in the UK at the moment, most of which come down to the fact that people are often confused about what can and cannot be processed, according to the Daily Mail.
Ninety per cent of respondents to the report were found to have made errors in their recycling habits in the past, meaning that potentially recyclable materials can be sent to landfill sites.
Furthermore, there is a degree of complacency surrounding the sustainable disposal of waste, with the vast majority of those questioned admitting that they had mixed non-recyclable items with their household recycling collection without thinking about the consequences of doing so.
Mixed recycling collections are commonplace throughout the UK, but analysts confirmed that huge volumes of this waste can end up at general dump sites as a result of cross-contamination.
In order to redress the balance, Wrap has provided new guidelines which it hopes will help people become more conscientious and confident when sorting their household waste for recycling.
At the moment most mixed recycling collections will be able to accept things like aerosol cans, phone books, paper envelopes with plastic elements included in them and small electronic devices, including smartphones.
Meanwhile, the products which cannot be processed include foil-lined crisp packets, bottles which originally contained nail varnish and glass from windows.
It is recommended that anyone who wants to do their bit for the environment should check up with their local council to see which materials are eligible for collection and which need to be processed separately.
Since smartphones can be sold online, along with other tech devices, it is sensible to avoid simply sending these away with local recycling as there may be an opportunity to recoup some cash while also acting sustainably.
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