Make recycling easy at home – 5 simple tips

We all know recycling is important and we should be doing it where we can, but sometimes life gets busy and little details like checking what should be disposed of where or taking it out to a separate bin can seem like a hassle. The key is to make recycling easy for yourself and your family so it becomes second nature.

Here are some tips on how you can make recycling easy at home:

  1. Set up a bin system in your house for your general waste and recycling. If you have the room check out bin options that have two compartments that you can have in your kitchen. If you lack the space in the kitchen, a simple plastic tub in the laundry or somewhere out of the way can do the trick to throw your mixed recycling into. This way you don’t have to do a special trip out to your wheelie bin every time you have recycling.
    Please DO NOT use a plastic bag to hold your recycling in.
  1. Become familiar with what is an acceptable to put in your recycling bin and get into a habit of quickly checking if plastics have a code on them. Click here for an easy reference guide that you can print out and put on your fridge. Most kerb side collections will accept the same items but to be sure check your local council website.
  1. Get the kids on board! Starting early for children should ensure recycling becomes a habit and not a chore. And if you have a simple bin set up as above this will be easier to encourage kids to get involved.
    • Speak to your children and tell them what goes where and when you are throwing something away say out loud where it’s going to go “this milk bottle can be recyclable so I’m going to put it into the bin with the yellow lid.”
    • Make a game or competition out of recycling and putting items into the correct bin. For young children a sticker/incentive chart could be an idea to get the ball rolling and for recycling to become habitual.
    • Tell them what happens to recycling after it is collected. Here are a few great publications you could print out and show the kids.
    • This video also gives a good short overview of what happens to recycling after it’s been collected from our homes

  1. Start a compost or worm farm – food waste takes up a large proportion of your general waste and only ends up decaying in landfill. A worm farm is also a great way to involve children. Click here for some ideas.
  1. Flatten cardboard boxes, cans and plastic containers. This doesn’t take long and you’ll be able to fit so much more into your recycling bin.

We hope these tips have provided you with some thoughts on how easy it can be to make recycling a simple part of your daily routine. For further information on recycling please contact us.