With a reported 80% of UK households unclear about how to recycle effectively, many of us are putting inappropriate items out for recycling.
So-called “wishcycling” – putting stuff in the recycling because we wish, or hope, it can be recycled – causes more problems than putting it in the bin, warns Libby Peake of the Green Alliance.
Recycling is supposed to be a last resort, she argues, and we shouldn’t get fixated on it. Instead, we should be reducing the amount of waste we produce and reusing things where possible.
That said, if you’re wondering how best to dispose of items such as contact lenses, cosmetics, pill blister packs, pizza boxes, coffee pods, polystyrene packaging or single-use vapes, it’s worth reading this article in The Guardian: Stop ‘wishcycling’ and get wise: how to recycle (almost) everything.
