One major contributor to the amount of waste created is the lack of guidance on how to dispose of everyday household items. Many of us are unsure if the things we use day in day out can be recycled or not, and with the overwhelming information online it's sometimes difficult to sieve through and find a simple answer. Therefore, we unwillingly resort to putting items we are unsure about into our general household waste bins which usually end up at a landfill.
So, to give you a helping hand we have put together some tips and tricks on how to dispose of everyday items in the greenest way. At Halo, we are constantly striving for a greener world, so we are not stopping there. In the guide below you will find a few pointers helping you to discover more sustainable alternatives too.
According to Google search data these 10 items are causing people around the globe the most confusion when it comes to recycling:
1. Polystyrene Packaging
How to dispose:
Polystyrene is voted as the number one item causing lots of panic. Thousands of people take to Google every day to figure out if the popular food packaging material can in fact be recycled. The general answer is usually no, it cannot be popped in your household recycling bin with the rest of your waste. However, it is always best to double check with your local authority as some do accept it. Instead, the more sustainable choice is to opt for a greener alternative.
Sustainable alternatives:
Polystyrene is frequently used to package fast food and takeaways, one popular option now widely used by many hospitality businesses is Kraft Paper boxes. Kraft Paper is the more sustainable choice because it is made from a range of natural wood materials and does not rely on only one type of wood, unlike other paper packaging.
Failing that, the most sustainable option is to provide your own reusable packaging. Just as we have infiltrated coffee shops using our own mugs and containers for our morning coffee, this same process can be applied to our lunch and snacks on the go.
2. Coffee Pods
How to dispose:
On the whole standardised single use coffee pods used in coffee machines cannot be recycled at home. Some coffee pods are made from compostable materials, however, this could either be at-home or industrial compostable plastics. So, it’s best to triple check the information on the packaging. If this is not specified and it is simply labelled as compostable, check with your local authority to see if they are accepted in your compost bin at home.
Some brands offer an at-home collection service, using the widely known recycling company Terra Cycle. However, on the whole coffee pods are deemed difficult to recycle.
Sustainable alternative:
Halo Coffee pods are a great green alternative, the world’s first 100% compostable coffee pod made from sugar cane. Halo Coffee pods are proven to entirely disintegrate in normal, loam garden soil in just 60 days, meaning after use they can be planted in your very own garden.
3. Mattresses
How to dispose:
Good news - most mattresses are 100% recyclable. Yet, (you guessed it) it’s not as simple as throwing it out with your everyday recycling waste. Some large retailers offer an at home collection when you purchase a new one and this is both a cost and time effective solution. Otherwise, our advice is to manually dismantle your mattress, sort out all the different materials and take them to your local waste recycling centre.
Sustainable alternatives:
When looking for a new mattress it’s always best to consider which has the least impact on the planet. We’ve done some digging so you don’t have to and here is a more sustainable option. Silent Night’s Eco Comfort range has some great choices, claiming to be fully recyclable and naturally flame retardant without the use of chemical treatment, already preventing over 100 million plastic bottles from entering the sea. Or, even better, find your mattress a new home by donating it.
4. Crisp Packets
How to dispose:
Despite its shiny silver interior, most common crisp packets are made from metalised plastic, meaning they are not recyclable at home. More recently, Walker's, launched a nationwide campaign encouraging people to drop off their used crisps packets at local recycling points, and you can still use this today.
Sustainable alternatives:
Dropping off at your local TerraCycle recycling point is still the best way to recycle your used crisp packets. For the time being Walkers has a pledge to create a biodegradable packet by 2025. Another brand, KP also has an initiative with TerraCycle and is using 23% less plastic packaging in its Hula Hoop multipacks.
5. Books
How to dispose:
Unfortunately, most hardback and paperback books cannot be recycled due to the glue used to bind them. The best way to dispose of them consciously is to give them a new lease of life by gifting them to a friend, re-selling or donating.
Sustainable alternatives:
Increasing in popularity over the past decade, electronic books or smart devices such as the Kindle are a savvy way of reducing the amount of paper produced. Equally, many of us already have access to a smart phone and can download millions of our favourite books already, through popular apps such as Apple Books and Bookly.
6. Mobile Phones
How to dispose:
One item that we are all very familiar with however, not so clued up on when it comes to disposing of is a mobile phone. Nearly all of us own one, but do we really know what to do when we’re finished using it? Today, smartphones are made of a variety of materials some recyclable some not. Common materials such as metal and plastic can be extracted and recycled but the process isn’t usually straightforward to complete at home.
When purchasing a new device, many large retailers accept your old phone and will break it down into parts to ensure it is reused.
Sustainable alternatives:
The best way to be certain that your mobile phone has the longest life cycle possible is to give it a new owner. You can do this by gifting it a friend, donating it to charity or reselling it on a host of independent sites such as Music Magpie and Mazuma.
7. Batteries
How to dispose:
Like most electrical items, batteries can not be recycled at home. Luckily most major supermarkets have a battery drop off point located in store. This means you can safely and conveniently drop any used batteries that are out of juice whilst doing your weekly shop. Failing that, you can take them to your local waste recycling site and dispose of them there.
Sustainable alternatives:
Luckily for us, there are many ways we can reduce the amount of batteries we are throwing away. One less wasteful way is to purchase rechargeable batteries and a charging point, such as Energizer Rechargeable Batteries. You can also look to buy appliances that require no batteries at all and plug straight into the mains electricity, or even better products that use renewable energy. For example, a wind-up radio or torch, dynamo bicycle lights or a solar powered calculator.
8. Foil
How to dispose:
Like many household items, clean household foil and aluminium is able to be recycled at home, however it is best to check with your local recycling centre. In order to recycle, any crumbs or food residue must be removed and the foil should be scrunched into a loose ball before being thrown in the recycling bin.
Sustainable alternatives:
Thankfully, there are sustainable ways of mimicking the effects of foil. To keep food covered and therefore fresher for longer, The Beeswax Wrap Co provides wax coated cloth that can be washed time after time, and moulded around crockery in a similar way to foil. For cooking, placing an oven safe dish upside down over pots and pans creates a similar cooking environment, with little to no waste.
9. Ink Cartridges
Despite frequent use in both homes and offices, the majority of ink cartridges are still unable to be recycled. Though much like batteries, many local retailers or supermarkets offer cartridge recycling services where you can drop off your used cartridges, or send them via post.
Sustainable alternatives:
Many DIY stores will refill your existing cartridges for you with ink and a syringe. It is also possible to do this yourself without visiting a DIY store, and there are many online tutorials demonstrating this. Of course, it is also important to ensure you are only printing whatever is necessary, to extend the life of your ink cartridges - this will also save you money!
10. Carrier bags
How to dispose:
Carrier bags are now widely accepted in most household recycling collections, however it is always best to check directly with your local service. Most carrier bags are designed for more than one use, but any that arent can usually be taken back to the supermarket to be recycled.
Sustainable alternatives:
Since a change in the law, many supermarkets now provide reusable carrier bags (bags for life), and will accept and exchange these for new should they break at no extra cost. Although bags for life are a step towards a reduction in plastic waste, a fabric tote bag provides a longer lasting solution - and are often made using recycled fabrics, and come in a wide range of designs.