Why Recycle?  ¦  How To Recycle  ¦  What To Recycle  ¦  Where To Recycle  ¦  What Happens  ¦  Downloads

Why Recycle?

• We are throwing away more rubbish than ever before. Each year, councils in the Anglia Region spend more than £150 million collecting and disposing of household rubbish.

• More than 33% of this rubbish could easily be recycled, some of it over and over again.

• By not recycling our rubbish we are throwing away millions of pounds worth of materials that could be recycled through existing facilities

• Recycling saves natural resources, energy and creates jobs.

• By supporting local recycling banks you're helping to raise money for schools' charities and community groups.

How To Recycle
YOU BROUGHT IT... NOW SORT IT....

• Recycling is easy when you get in the habit.

• Instead of throwing all your rubbish in the bin, simply clean and separate the suitable materials into a recycling box or bag.

What To Recycle
The easiest materials/ items to recycle are:

• Paper: newspapers, magazines, brochures, junk mail

• Glass: bottles and jars (rinse and remove lids)

• Textiles: clothing, shoes, towels, blankets etc (clean and dry)

• Cans: steel and aluminium food and drink cans (rinse and squash)

Where To Recycle
There are many ways for you to get recycling sorted:

• At home: may councils now provide kerbside collections for recyclables. Support your local service - its just as easy as putting the rubbish out.

• Local recycling banks: these can be found at most supermarkets so you can take your recycling when you go shopping. They are also at prime locations in your community.

• Household waste and recycling centres: all sites have separate containers for recycling paper, glass and aluminium and steel cans. Most sites have separate containers for recycling bulky rubbish such as scrap metal, cardboard and garden waste. Many sites recycle engine oil and car batteries too.

• For more information: Contact your local council to find out what and where to recycle in your area or visit www.recycle-more.co.uk and enter your town or postcode into the 'bank locator' to locate your nearest recycling

What Happens
Once the recyclables have been collected and sorted they are made into new products.

• Newspapers: are pulped and unwanted items such as staples are removed. The ink is floated off so that the pulp can be made into new paper.

• Aluminium and steel cans: are recycled separately. The cans are crushed, baled and smelted and made into new cans or other products.

• Glass: is crushed to make cullet, which is used to make new glass containers. Glass can be recycled indefinitely without loss of quality.

• Textiles: useable clothing is resold in charity shops or sent overseas. Worn or damaged textiles are made into industrial rags or cloths. Low quality textiles can be shredded for use in furniture padding.

Support Recycling by buying products with the recycling logo and the buy recycled logo.

The SLIM YOUR BIN campaign is a partnership between councils in the Anglia Region, supported by Anglia Television and Viridor Waste management.