Mindful Waste Management: The Importance of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling

Today, many of us are tuning in to the environmental effects of our waste. It’s a more serious issue than you might first imagine, going beyond cases of vermin and bad smells generated by landfill sites. Did you know that a build-up of waste can start to generate methane gas, contributing to the greenhouse gas effect and global warming? If not, it’s time to wake up to the benefits of recycling and generally, creating less waste and how you can insert such practices into your everyday life. Our experts are Total Support Services Limited have created this guide to help.

What are the different types of recycling?
There are a few different types of recycling: dry mixed recycling, cardboard/paper recycling and food waste recycling. It’s important to know the difference between all of these types because if any waste is contaminated, it can’t be recycled. Instead, it goes into general waste, with the majority of it, then going to a landfill site where it sits decomposing, harming the earth’s atmosphere.

Dry Mixed Recycling
Dry mixed recycling (DMR) is a term given to clean waste such as glass, plastic bottles, tin cans and containers that can be turned straight into something new. They’re easy to collect around the house; simply wash them out and put them in a separate bin. If they are not clean, they can’t be recycled and sometimes lead to the entire bin being considered contaminated waste and, as such, being put into general waste. It’s really important to make sure anything being put in DMR is clean and dry.

Tetra Packs – please check that your waste provider can recycle these as, in most cases, they cannot and should be put into the general waste stream.

General Waste
General waste is the term given to objects that can’t be recycled or are soiled, such as those made from polythene or greasy, food contaminated containers.

Cardboard and Paper Recycling
Cardboard and paper recycling is one of the most fruitful. Whether it’s an empty loo roll or a wad of scrappy paper, set this aside in another bin so that they can be shredded and turned into something new.

Food Waste
It’s a well-known fact that https://www.wwf.org.uk/reduce-waste/” each day, around 1/3 of food produced for human consumption is wasted and ends up in a landfill. Try to curb food waste by freezing leftover bits of food you can’t immediately eat and buy loose foodstuffs so that you only buy what you’ll use.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
With the increase in waste items such as PEE and lateral flow tests that the pandemic has created, it is now ever more important to transition to a more sustainable mindset with regards to waste production and disposal. We cannot stop waste production entirely, but everyone can make a significant contribution. Think before you bin!

Here is a simple yet effective method known as the 3R’s.

  • Reduce the amount of waste you produce – Respect the planet’s natural resources, only use what you need. Refuse unnecessary excess.
  • Reuse items as much as you can before replacing them – Repair or upcycle old items to give them a new lease of life.
  • Recycle items wherever possible – Waste generation is inevitable in today’s society, but ensure you know how to correctly dispose of recyclable items.

The UK produces more than 100 million tonnes of waste every year

https://www.cbenvironmental.co.uk/docs/Recycling%20Activity%20Pack%20v2%20.pdf  so think carefully about what you can do to help reduce this figure. For more information on how everyone can minimise their waste, don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team at Total Support Services Limited today.