“Why should I recycle?” | Wyatt & Ackerman
It can be easy to think that your effort doesn’t matter when it comes to recycling. The truth is that everyone’s singular efforts matter a lot! If everyone thought that their effort didn’t matter, nothing would ever be achieved. We can all make a huge difference. When we recycle, we reduce the amount of waste we produce. When we reduce the amount of waste we produce, we decrease our usage of landfills. It all flows down the same line!Â
As a packaging manufacturer, we feel it would be beneficial if we cover a topic such as this since we offer recycled/biodegradable packaging. We understand the effect that waste can have on the environment, so we’ve decided to go through myths when it comes to recycling. We hope these will prove why you should recycle rather than thinking your effort doesn’t matter!Â
Dispelling myths about recycling:
– “Recycling doesn’t do anything!”
You’d be mistaken if you were to think this! Recycling in the UK alone reduced millions of tonnes of waste being sent to a landfill. This saves as much as 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year! Recycling can save the same amount of carbon emissions than 3.5 million cars on the road would produce. Think about the gradual damage this would cause if we didn’t recycle!Â
– “The recycling gets thrown away in the same place anyway”
This is another myth that causes a lot of people to throw away perfectly re-usable material in the bin. Placing your waste in the appropriate recycling bin allows those that sort it to sort it correctly. Bin bags are often emptied and processed which ends up destroying the chances of the material being re-used. Recycling bins are sorted so that they can be re-processed to be made into new products!Â
– “I can’t recycle plastic anyway!”
There has never been a better time to recycle plastic than now! If you’ve looked into the different types of plastics, you may have come across different names like HDPE or PVC which can be confusing. This is why we’ve got a cheat sheet below so you can understand which types of plastic you can recycle:Â
PETE
Polyethylene Terephthalate is one of the most recyclable plastics used currently. PETE is used for most bottles and clear food packaging which makes it use commonplace.Â
HDPE
High-density Polyethylene is also highly recyclable, used for thick plastic bottles that contain liquids like bleach. HDPE can be re-used to make thinner plastics or more bottles.Â
PVC
PVC is notoriously hard to recycle. This is why most uPVC windows are a nightmare to get rid off. Used for piping and furniture, PVC is unfortunately everywhere. Used correctly, it can be a long-lasting material but because of the structure of PVC, it’s hard to reuse.Â
LDPE
Low-density Polyethylene is what most shopping bags are made from. The main problem with LDPE is the fact it’s so easily produced. LDPE can be recycled and is fairly hard going which means it can be reused many times.Â
PP
Polypropylene is used for a lot of clothing as well as bottles. PPÂ Can be recycled into fibres and can be reused for the same uses.Â
PS
Polystyrene is a common plastic that most of us have in our homes. Often used as protective packaging, polystyrene is quite hard to recycle and is one of the longest wearing plastics to biodegrade. PS should always be recycled since it can last so long without degrading.Â
Other
“Other” designates a mixture of plastics. If you’ve got a mixture of plastics, it can make it fairly hard to recycle. Polyurethane is one of these “mixed plastics” which make it difficult to do anything with.Â
Here at Wyatt & Ackerman, we specialise in recyclable and biodegradable packaging. We know the importance of offering sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging which is why we have such a wide range of choice for those looking for sustainable packaging. Find out more about our packaging by visiting our page: Wyatt & Ackerman
