I work in recycling & waste management AMA

[amawaster]

I've worked in waste & recycling for the last 12 years for various different councils. I've worked on waste reduction projects, Home composting, waste & recycling collections, waste disposal & contracts & lots & lots of communication projects!

Waste & recycling are something people always seem to discuss & the media coverage of my industry is rarely positive despite all of the incredible efforts of the many committed individuals working in it.

Hoping I should be able to answer your questions!

[buckingfrolicks]

how very interesting. And thank you Amawaster - you're the kind of person who restores my faith in humanity

[amawaster]

Thanks @pennycarbonara I bloody love recycling and get really excited when I hear about new or different schemes/facilities!

I've visited a couple of really cool developmental facilities recently- one recycling foil sachets (cat food/baby food/toothpaste tubes) & one recycling coffee grounds into oils & wood log substitute!

I don't agree nationalising would help, it's an international market driven by consumerism. What would really help is if there was legislation about what materials you can use to make stuff out of, but like I said, international markets- that would be a lot of legislation!!

[amawaster]

@Bamaluz nope. The card is really poor quality & won't recycle well. Basically it's made from fibres and the fibres in toilet roll middles are too short to be remade into anything.

They make good craft supplies or are excellent to grow sweet peas in! They're great in home composters too 👍🏼

[amawaster]

@unadventuretime deposit return schemes have been here! They pretty much got knocked on the head with the advent of plastic bottles & recycling. I personally can't see the benefit of a DRS for plastic bottles here. Mostly the kind of people that will use it will already be engaged with recycling anyway and so it could potentially take a valuable & reliable income stream away already stretched local authorities. Other waste managers might have a different view, just my opinion!

[sulflower]

Really interesting thread @amawaster. I'm now going to keep a separate little box for my bits and pieces of foil. Interestingly I saw something about not recycling heavily soiled pizza boxes, which most are unfortunately, so we just recycle the lids and anything else salvageable. I get quite annoyed now when I get packaging that says 'not currently recyclable' .

What about shredded paper? We shred a lot of documents with identifying info in the body of the text and we can't just rip off the name and address. Is there anyway that can be recycled? Like stuffing it into a paper sack or cardboard box for example.

[unadventuretime]

Ah yeah I know there used to be deposits in glass bottles but I was thinking of plastic specifically . Interesting that you don't think it'd be worth it - I think it would get more people involved as the 5p bag charge seems to have made a big difference but of course I'm not the expert!

What do you think could be done to improve recycling rates? Maybe a refusal of bin collectors to take general waste bins with loads of recycling in? (I know tja6f be a bit extreme but... ).

[unadventuretime]

that'd*

[WishIHadMoreBallsThanMillwall]

I get quite obsessive when I'm 'in the zone' and meticulously scrub sticky label residue off with WD-40 and detergent as well as leaving my recycling as clean as my washing up.

Am I doing any good or am I just pissing in the wind?

[WishIHadMoreBallsThanMillwall]

Meant to say that I use a Stanley knife and secateurs to break up packaging in order to separate the different parts and throw away non-recyclables.

Interested in the tennis ball sized bits of foil.

Does that count for all metal?

[amawaster]

@sulflower yep, there's a lot of unnecessary and odd packaging out there...

Paper fibres get broken when they're shredded so it does mean that the quality is reduced. Also shredded paper falls out of most sorting processes so won't be captured. Like you say, if it's in an envelope or paper bag that's fine, but best in a paper bank rather than your bin at home. TBH having seen collections and sorting facilities unless your passport is with these documents I really wouldn't feel too concerned- but obviously your choice

[amawaster]

@unadventuretime the difference with plastic bags is that LA's couldn't/didn't collect them for recycling. I'm not saying that a financial incentive of some description wouldn't help fix some of the problems, but I do have really big concerns about a DRS being introduced as a political instrument rather than waste management tool.

We're at the point where there's no more recycling to get by asking nicely, so it's going to be a financial instrument or reducing residual waste collections. I'm really interested in continental pay as you throw systems, but I don't see them being very popular here!!!!!

[amawaster]

@WishIHadMoreBallsThanMillwall hahaha!! Not pissing in the wind, but not really necessary as all of this stuff gets sorted as part of the process. Breaking stuff up does help as any "mixed" materials cannot be recycled. Check what is collected in your bin collections before putting metals in, some facilities won't be able to accept it. Otherwise your local household waste recycling centre tip will definitely be able to take it.

[QueenCity]

I am an avid recycler. Our LA in the UK was fantastic and collected everything including food waste. We now live in the US and have just been informed that our glass will no longer be collected as the recycling facility is no longer recycling it. Apparently it's due to the low market price of recycled glass and the high cost of sorting it (contamination when bottles break etc) I can't bring myself to just throw them away so I'm still collecting my glass and storing it until I find somewhere I can take it.

Do you think there's any danger of this happening in the UK or other countries? The costs involved surely can't just be a US issue. It feels like such a backwards step!

[sulflower]

Thanks @amawaster, we'll take the paper to the local recycling centre, we have some old electrical stuff and batteries to take too.

That's interesting @QueenCity. I remember one time we were in Bali and every day we were given unlimited supplies of drinking water in our hotel room which came in glass bottles with a pop off top similar to the original coke bottles. They were really battered and scuffed looking but did the job perfectly. I was really impressed with the hotel's outlook on recycling.

Another question for you @amawaster. Our council has switched from separate recycling for cardboard, glass etc to missed recycling, everything in one bin. This surprised me. What's your opinion on it?

[OhHolyJesus]

Some really good tips here, thanks for his thread OP! Need to RTWT but have read your replies...

I'm an avid re-user and recycler and I think there is more we can do. I really want to visit a recycling centre to learn more as I'm still confused about tetra packs (soya milk) and foil paper (butter).

I want to be a recycling ambassador in the community but dear my suggestion would be shot down.

Any ideas about visit for the general public and what more can we do to educate ourselves about recycling?

[amawaster]

@QueenCity we've got a very strong glass recycling market in the U.K. because we bulk import wine from the new world & bottle it here in the U.K. although with the weather we're having here we might start producing enough of our own!!! Either way, we drink enough wine to not worry about the glass recycling market

[amawaster]

@sulflower comingled collections tend to have higher participation rates & collect more material so they're good from that perspective. They can lead to higher contamination rates though so that's the downside...

[Bamaluz]

Thanks for the answer regarding loo rolls, now how about bottles and jars, lids on or off?
I always thought off, because they are different materials , but someone on tv said on because otherwise the tops would be lost and not recycled.

[amawaster]

@OhHolyJesus if you were a resident in my authority area I'd welcome you with open arms! We are stretched so thinly these days we can't do hardly any of the out reach work we used to, and it genuinely shows in the material quality. It's really frustrating ☹️

Some LA's run tours of their recycling facilities, we certainly do if we have the people power - just ask! The worst that can happen is that they'll say no 😃

Tetrapaks are widely recycled these days, your local council website will tell you if they can't. Butter packs are a complete no unfortunately.

[amawaster]

@Bamaluz we say yes to lids on in my patch, especially on wine bottles as the lids are aluminium & therefore valuable (which helps to fund collections). If you put them in the bin, they'll fall out of the process & end up being disposed of.

[sulflower]

Thanks @amawaster, I didn't click you had mentioned comingling upthread. But if it encourages people to recycle more it's a good thing. What happens with food waste that's recycled. I'm pleased to see that PP free teabags are becoming more readily available.

Pressing question - we have just today received a huge box from Australia that was jam packed with bubble wrap but I can't see it on the list of recyclables at any of the centres near us. Is it a lost cause

[unadventuretime]

Pay as you throw would definitely be an incentive for people to recycle... but also sadly to fly tip which I guess is what you were thinking of too!

[pennycarbonara]

Talking of fly tipping, have you noticed a correlation between it and charges for large item collections and the recycling centre? Is there more in areas where charges are higher, or where residents are poorer and less able to afford them?

[sulflower]

I've just watched a video of the new mixed recycling centre near where I live and was really impressed. Anything that's not recycled goes towards making fuel of sorts. And they do tours, I'm going to book one!

[amawaster]

@sulflower food usually goes to an anaerobic digester or in vessel composter. AD is composting without oxygen so produces methane gas which is burnt to create electricity for the grid. Other research is ongoing to see if it can be sent into the gas grid or used to power vehicles. Liquids & solids from the process are sold as a fertiliser.

Bubble wrap has a good second hand market for ebayers! If you advertise it on Facebook or Freegle it's likely they'll collect it from you.