Recycling top tips

Recycling waste lessens the demand for raw materials in the manufacture of new products. We are running out of these raw materials!

Approximately 80% of the waste in your dustbin could be recycled and composted.

Here are some tips on recycling:

• Kent County Council and the district/borough councils of Kent provide a range of facilities for you to recycle your waste:
• • Household waste recycling centres accept a range of items for reuse and recycling.
  • You will also see recycling facilities in places such as car parks - these are known as bring banks.
  • Your local district/borough council may also provide a kerbside recycling service where a bin, bag or box may be provided and recyclables collected weekly or fortnightly.

• Get organised for recycling - sort out areas or containers to store and separate your items when you are finished with them. Make sure the whole family knows what goes where.
• If your district/borough council operates a kerbside collection scheme, please use it.
• "Shop and Drop" - take your recyclables when you go to the supermarket. Many have recycling facilities - this way you're not making a special to journey to recycle.
• Make recycling part of your regular routine.
• Use the information on the side of bring bank recycling facilities. They will tell you if something can be accepted for recycling.
• Buy products packaged in material that can be reused or recycled.
• Empty aerosol cans can often can be recycled along with food tins and drink cans. Please remove the plastic lid, but don't worry about the plastic nozzle - this will be removed during the recycling process.

• Window envelopes - can they be recycled with that plastic window? Yes they can. The plastic window will be removed at the recycling plant.
• Blue glass bottles should be placed in the green bottle bank for recycling. This is because the colour is more easily absorbed than if it were placed in with the clear or brown glass. We also accept more green glass for recycling than the other colours.
• Yellow pages can be recycled at all Kent County Council household waste recycling centres - please place them in the cardboard containers. They may also be accepted at some bring banks.
• The "scrunch test" is a really good way of telling if something is aluminium.
• • Hold the item in the palm of your hand.
  • Clench your fist - scrunching the waste in your hand
  • Release your grip so the item is lying in your palm again.
  • If the foil has stayed 'scrunched' it's aluminium and can be recycled in the special containers.
  • If it pops out into its original form, it's not aluminium.
  • Crisp packets catch us out like that. They look like aluminium, but they're not - they're a metallised plastic.
• Have a look at the Recycle Now web site (opens in a new window) for fun facts!