RECYCLE what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse and learn how to recycle properly!

In the past, without the proper thought and care we have recycled things that we assumed were okay, but then realised that this is not always the best practice.

Plastic Bottles – twist off the cap and ring of your plastic bottle before recycling. These two plastic bottle components are not recyclable. Bottles that arrive at recycling depots with the caps still on are often sent to the landfill.

Food Packaging – Remove all food residue before recycling. This goes for paper towels, paper plates, food packaging such as pizza boxes, and food containers. Food waste impurities are one of the main reasons China stopped taking recyclables. Contaminated recyclables are rendered useless, so do your best to clean them; give hummus and peanut butter containers a good clean before putting in the bin.
Toothpaste tubes cannot always be recycled on their own. This is one item to check with your local recycling provider if it is allowed in your blue bin. There are a couple ways the tube may be recycled:
1) cut open and rinse out the package.
2) squeeze as much paste out of the tube as possible, leave the cap on and put in the blue bin.

Paper – You cannot recycle shredded paper. The long fibers are not easily used in making good recycled paper products, so shreds are a paper product better off composted rather than recycled.