Recycling and reusing materials as much as we can is important. Even skip companies recycle as much waste as possible.

Unsure of what you can recycle? You may feel like you are in a minefield. In fact, many people recycle the wrong things and there are some items that cannot be recycled.

Most people will throw an item in the recycling bin, regardless of whether they know it’s recyclable. The hope is that the item will be handled sustainably but it’s not the responsible thing to do.

Here are some items that cannot currently be recycled:

Plastics in dark and black

Plastic that is black or dark cannot be recycled due to its colour. The dye pigments used to colour it confuse the automated recycling machines that are designed to sort and identify recyclables in a specific way. Unfortunately, there is not a simple solution to this problem. As it stands, these items can’t be recycled.

Cardboard or plastic that is dirty

Many people recycle cardboard takeaway packaging, assuming it is recyclable because it is cardboard. Almost all councils only accept plastic and cardboard that is clean and unsoiled for processing. Unfortunately, anything that has been soiled with grease or food will end up in landfill.

Miscellaneous plastic

Plastics come in so many varieties that it is almost impossible to classify and process them all. Some plastics are currently not recyclable.

Soup pots

Hummus pots

Fruit and vegetable punnets

Yoghurt pots

Takeaway boxes

If you haven’t heard of Tetra packs, they are the plastic used to package sandwich products. The mix of materials makes it impossible to recycle.

It works both ways. Here are some items you may think aren’t recyclable but are actually:

Confidential paper waste

To find out more about Swindon recycling and waste management, go to Printwaste who can take care of your Swindon recycling and waste management needs.

Empty aerosol cans of deodorant, hairspray and deodorant

Many people believe that these can’t be recycled. However, many recycling services will accept them if they are empty. You can recycle it if you hear a hissing sound when you press down the activator.

Bleach sprays and bottles

The use of bleach is not environmentally friendly, but plastic bottles that contain it can be recycled after they are empty and rinsed. Once empty, window and surface cleaners with trigger-activation can be recycled.

Foil trays and kitchen foil

These must also be clean, but as long as they are and there is no food or grease on the metal lids, or foil, then these can be recycled and made into new products.