Cost of taking action: £/$/€ ZERO
Another bin? Yes please!
Read on to learn why it’s needed
Recycling generally is improving in the western world, and manufacturers and retailers are learning, but sadly there is still a long way to go. Some plastic packaging still needs to be separated out from what are now our “normal” recycling bins and treated differently. This is because these plastics are more difficult to recycle, and we have to rely on specialist companies and plants to do this.
The company Terracycle are one such, operating in 24 countries around the world including most of the EU, the UK, Australia and the USA.
However, the recycling of these particular wrappings and packaging relies in us being quite disciplined about checking labels and keeping them separate. Read on to learn more.
Terracycling
Terracycle specialise in recycling what most plastic recycling plants cannot.
Whether it’s coffee capsules from your home, pens from a school, or plastic gloves from a manufacturing facility, TerraCycle can collect and recycle almost any form of waste. They partner with individual collectors such as you, as well as major companies, retailers, manufacturers, municipalities, and small businesses.
With our help they divert many thousands of tons of waste from landfills and incinerators each year.
They do this by providing convenient drop off locations and collection systems.
Examples of what can be “Terracycled”
- kids food pouches
- contact lenses
- laundry product packaging
- water filters
- manufacturer specific items (e.g. Bayliss & Harding, Carex))
- bread bags
- cheese packaging
- Colgate oral care product packaging
- confectionary wrappers
- crisp packets (Yay!)
- wipes, cloths and pads
- coffee pods
- Gillette razors
- KP snacks, Kinder Eggs, and other product packaging
- … and so on
What to do
Firstly, check what product packaging that you use can be “Terracycled” in your country and if so, how to get your materials to the company. Your starting point is the Terracycle website at https://www.terracycle.com/ or click the logo here …
Secondly, once you have identified what you can recycle, put a suitable additional bin in your kitchen, bathroom or garage to collect the items in.
It might not seem much at first, but bear in mind that this is a multinational company that can reach millions of people and has some amazing facilities and partnerships in place, so YOUR efforts can really add up to something significant when combined with those of others around the world.
Take action
Click through to the Terracycle website now to learn more. If we cannot cut out the use of some of these plastics, at least let’s use the commercial facilities on offer to keep them out of landfill and not polluting our countrysides and seas.