I try to live as waste- free as possible. I buy things like cleaning products in bulky containers and decant into smaller, reusable ones. I re-use the wax paper my bread is wrapped in to wrap other things to keep them fresh. I never ever buy cling film/ sandwich bags. Every plastic bag I get I re-use as many times as I possibly can, either for carrying shopping, to wrap things in, package for posting items or as bin liners for smaller bins. I don't buy pre-packed fruit and veg and take my own tupperware to the meat counter. My milk comes in glass bottles from a milk vending machine at a local farm which I sterilise then re-fill. I re-use my plastic diluting juice jugs for things like mixing screen-wash in or making cleaning solution with bleach for my white work uniform.
There are more but you get the gist. I try to re-use everything in some way and always think before I buy how things are packaged.
There are some items that it seems impossible not to fill the general waste bin with such as crisp packs, sweetie/ biscuit wrappers, pringle tubes and cigarette ends.
A friend has pointed out to me that there is a collection point 20 miles drive from where we live which will accept these items for recycling and that I should take anything I cant recycle there. I visit this town maybe once a month, sometimes less frequently and to be perfectly honest I dont fancy hoarding rubbish in my home until then.
She seemed a bit miffed that I didn't agree with her that it's a good idea.
Also, if its relevant, and I know its not a competition, I am certain she is not half as conscious as me about the amount of unecessary crap we bring into our homes in the form of packaging although she is vocal about it I'm not sure she acts on it.
Am I being selfish not to take this extra step? Im not even sure how they manage to recycle the items in question when nobody else does.