16^th to 22^nd October 2023 is Recycle Week the nation’s annual celebration of recycling and it’s 20th anniversary.

This year’s theme is ‘The Big Recycling Hunt’ focusing on items that can be recycled in our homes but are commonly missed. Indeed, some of these are items that we also use in the workplace, so it’s worth having a hunt round the office as well and providing recycling facilities for everyday items such as milk bottles, drinks cans and food packaging.

Top tips for being a super savvy recycler include:

• Being aware of what you can and can’t recycle in your kerbside collections – councils do differ in the facilities they offer.

• Checking out what other recycling facilities are available in your area. Lots of Co-op stores offer soft plastic recycling which makes it super easy to collect at home, or in the office, and drop off when you call for a pint of milk. Is there clothes recycling available in your local supermarket car park? What does the local household recycling centre offer? Many of the latter provide facilities for recycling everything from rubble to car batteries and cooking oil.

•  Remember recycling doesn’t just take place in the kitchen. Empty bathroom bottles for shampoo and shower gel can be recycled as can toilet roll middles, toothpaste boxes and aerosol cans.

“Recycling just one drinks can, can provide enough energy to power a TV for 4 hours so it really is a case of every little helps.,” said Edward Scobie, Production Manager, Board24. “Recycling, for many of us is now part of our everyday life at home and at work, but by taking a step back and trying to recycle just one or two more things, we could all make a difference to recycling rates.

“Corrugated remains one of the best packaging materials for its recycling credentials – our board is manufactured using at least 85% recycled material and all our board and cases are 100% recyclable,” said Edward. “Consumers and businesses that pro-actively recycle ultimately support businesses such as ours access new material made from recycled products and protect the circular process and sustainability.”

To find out more about Recycle Week visit https://www.recyclenow.com/news-and-campaigns/recycle-week