We all know about the impact of plastic waste on the environment, but how do you recycle plastic at home? It’s really important to get this right so that whatever waste you do have can be sorted, remoulded and reused in the future. Drinks bottles, boxes, laundry detergent recycle bottles — there are so many items that can be used multiple times over. Read on to find out how to recycle plastic at home, including what to do with plastic bottle waste.
THE BENEFITS OF RECYCLING PLASTIC
First up, what are the reasons for doing this? Here are some of the main advantages of recycling plastic:
Conserve energy by lessening the need to drain resources.
Reduce greenhouse gases in the fight against climate change.
Stop plastics ending up in the sea and damaging marine life.
Decrease the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill.
Keeping the benefits in mind we can now move onto the main question: how do you recycle plastic?
HOW TO RECYCLE PLASTIC
There are a number of ways you can recycle plastic at home and do your bit for the environment. The following tips will help you recycle as much plastic as you can:
Get educated. The more you know about it the more you can spread the word and get everyone involved, especially your family! Get plastic smart with these fun challenges.
Make it part of your everyday routine. Awareness and habit go hand-in-hand when it comes to efficient recycling. Keep a recycling bag next to your usual bin to remind you – label what can and can’t go in. Flatten cardboard boxes: you can fit more into your recycling box or bin that way.
Repurpose your own plastics. There’s a wealth of inspiration out there — whether it’s using plastic food containers for kitchen storage or cutting up bottles to make toy boats, there is so much you can do.
Sort and prepare your waste. Learn what can be recycled with our plastic modules, and separate the recyclable material from the non-recyclable. Prepare the plastics by cleaning off debris and make sure they are out in the right boxes ready for collection. Always check the on-packaging recycling labels (OPRL) to learn how recyclable things are, and to make sure you’re recycling every part possible.
SHOP SMART!
Shopping smart is a great way to help reduce waste, especially when it comes to plastic and excess packaging:
Get ahead of the game by choosing reusable and more sustainable household cleaning products, such as Cif ecorefill.
Always have a look to see if your product is recyclable by checking the on-packaging recycling label (OPRL). Here at Persil, we’re using bottles made from 50% recycled plastic that is 100% recyclable.
Use your own shopping bags instead of buying plastic ones – better for your purse and the environment!
Try to choose unpackaged products to avoid excess packaging or select recyclable alternatives.
Avoid choosing disposable, single-use items.
HOW DO WE DISPOSE OF PLASTIC BOTTLES?
Milk, juice, and fizzy drink bottles are among the most common types of plastic bottle you’ll find around the home, and if they have a recycling symbol then they can enjoy a new lease of life after you’ve used them.
But what about laundry detergent bottles? Persil’s using a 23% higher concentrated formula with smaller bottles allowing more bottles to be transported per truck. This means approximately 19% fewer trucks on the road, as part of Unilever’s Clean Future initiative to decarbonise the cleaning industry. But, how do we recycle them?
HOW TO RECYCLE PLASTIC LAUNDRY DETERGENT BOTTLES
So, can you recycle plastic detergent bottles? Well, the simple answer is yes, you can. As long as you can see the recycling symbol you can recycle nearly all forms of plastic bottles. There are a number of key points to remember:
Always check the on-packaging recycling label (OPRL)
Make sure the bottles are completely empty
Rinse them thoroughly — leftover liquids can contaminate other recycling
Remove pumps and spray mechanisms, and check the on-package recycling label (OPRL) to make sure you’re recycling everything on the item that’s possible!
Contact your local council or recycling centre if you’re unsure
By disposing of laundry detergent recycle bottles in this way we can extend the life cycle of plastic bottles, which leads to less waste ending up in the sea or landfill. That’s what makes careful disposing of plastic bottle waste such a vital and worthwhile thing to do. And it’s something we can all do pretty much every day.
There you have it — how to recycle plastic at home. With the right knowledge and a little effort, you can up your recycling game. For extra points, learn more about recycling, here.