Good to know
Keeping an eye on your bins can help reduce landfill – and benefit your purse
Ever stayed in a holiday let and been baffled by the recycling system? With every local authority commissioning its own services, the rules about what you can recycle kerbside vary enormously. The government wants to create a simpler nationwide system, but in the meantime, here’s how to find out what’s on offer in your area – and maybe get a bit back while you’re at it.
Search online
Visit your council’s website and search ‘Recycling’ to find out exactly what they do and don’t want. If they don’t accept something you think they should take, don’t stick it in anyway. This practice, known as ‘wishcycling’, can mean a whole truckload of material ends up in landfill instead and wastes council tax funds.
Recycling is rewarding!
Although recycling reward schemes can seem complicated, they’re a great way to get a discount, especially if you’re going to shop somewhere anyway. Plus, you have the added satisfaction of keeping an item out of landfill.
DISCOUNTS FOR DECLUTTERING
More and more shops offer rewards to customers who use their collection schemes for hard-to-recycle items such as plastic packaging.
Retailers who sell many different brands typically accept items for recycling regardless of where you purchased them from.
✱ Hand in a pair of unwanted men’s, women’s or children’s shoes at Schuh and get a £5 voucher redeemable on new pairs over £25.
✱ Recycle bottles at The Perfume Shop and get 15% off in-store purchases that day. ✱ Lush, the bath-and-body store, takes 50p off you
