British consumers are increasingly willing to recycle their household waste but are failing to grasp the basics, according to the latest research by the British Science Association. Failure to get it right means that a lot of recyclable waste is going to landfill, the BSA says.
The issue is further complicated by inconsistency among councils, which make their own rules and funding decisions on recycling collections.
Common mistakes include putting tissue boxes in the recycling bin without first removing the plastic insert. On the flipside, people often wrongly think that empty deodorant aerosols cannot be recycled.
To help UK households get it right, the industry has compiled a list of some of the most common misconceptions about what can and cannot be recycled.
Top items that people wrongly think can be recycled
- Hand soap pump dispenser tops
- Kitchen roll
- Non-paper gift wrap
- Coffee cups
- Plastic bags
- Tissues
- Wine glasses
- Glass cookware
- Window glass
- Straws
- Greasy takeaway pizza boxes
- Soft plastic/laminated foil packaging such as pet food and baby food pouches
- Photo paper
- Nail varnish bottles
- Crisp packets
- Post-it notes
- Shampoo bottles and food containers that have not been rinsed
- Tissue boxes where the plastic insert has not been removed
- Plastic toys
- Mirrors
- Cutlery
- Pots and pans
Top items that people do not know they can recycle
- Kitchen foil and foil trays that are used but still clean
- Empty deodorant aerosols and hairspray with the plastic cap
- Empty surface cleaner bottle with the trigger spray
- Metal lids
- Empty bleach bottles
- Aluminium tubes such as tomato puree (with the plastic cap removed)
- Envelopes with windows