Reduce or reuse your waste at home
Buy recycled
Reduce or reuse your waste at home
All the items you put out for recycling are made into new products, many of which you can buy recycled paper, toilet roll, newspapers and plastic recycling boxes. A lot of glass bottles and cans have recycled content too.
Traditionally glass bottles were made back into glass bottles and paper into newspaper. Now there are also more unusual recycled products available.
Ask in your local shops for the recycled option.
Why buy recycled
- Buying items made from recycled material helps create a market for recycling in the UK, which means more items can be recycled in future.
- Fewer items will be sent to landfill.
- Recycled products are just as good as ones made from non-recycled materials.
The myths
| Myth: | Recycle products are poor quality |
|---|---|
| Reality: | Aluminium, steel and glass can all be melted down and made into new items over and over again without a loss in quality. Paper can be recycled several times without losing quality. |
| Myth: | Recycled products are expensive |
| Reality: | When you compare the price of recycled and non-recycled there is often little difference and some products are cheaper. This varies between products. For more unusual items it is their novelty that gives them value. |
| Myth: | Recycled products are hard to find |
| Reality: | There are more and more recycled products available – most big retailers stock them and there are speciality on-line shops selling them. |
| Myth: | Recycle products are ugly |
| Reality: | For a lot of products you cannot tell the difference. |
| Myth: | Making recycled products uses more energy and resources than a product made from primary materials |
| Reality: | Lots of research has shown that many recycled products save energy, water, raw material and carbon savings compared to new products. |