Join us for Great British Bin Week
With Spring upon us, there’s no better time to hit refresh and look for ways that we can make small changes that can help make a positive difference to the people and world around us. That’s why, from 5th-11th April 2021, we’ll be hosting the nation’s first ever Great British Bin Week.
Created to not only celebrate the nation’s love affair with its wheelie bins, Great British Bin Week is throwing the spotlight on the unsung heroes of the pandemic, the hard-working collection crews up and down the country, who have been there for us week after week, come rain or shine.
Whether you use the weekly trip from doorstep to kerb to show off your fanciest outfit, have a socially-distanced natter with a neighbour or revel in the mad dash in your pyjamas, we think it’s worth celebrating.
As well as bringing a little bit of magic to the mundane, Great British Bin Week is also about helping the planet by doing your bit and recycling as much household waste as possible. A small change can make a big difference to the environment, so it’s a great time to lend a hand by getting to grips with how you can responsibly dispose of your rubbish!
To help you, we’ve put together a handy guide of all our best recycling tips.
Get organised
Lots of councils ask for different things when it comes to recycling; some favour the all-in-one approach of putting all recyclable materials into one bag or bin, others ask for rubbish to be separated into categories prior to collection. Whatever the system in your area, keeping your rubbish organised in both your home and at the kerbside can help. Try using colour-coded bins, labelled boxes or even baskets for separating rubbish inside, as soon as you’ve finished using it (and given it a good wash!). Using a bin store for those outside wheelie bins can also help to keeping things tidy and saving time when it comes to bin collection day.
Change up your recycling routine
If you’ve found yourself getting into bad bin habits, now’s the time to switch it up and keep things clean. Give any dirty food packaging a good rinse with hot soapy water, or even pop it in the dishwasher with your plates before putting it in the bin. This will not only ensure no other recyclables are contaminated, but will also keep any unwanted odours at bay. And speaking of odours, using bin perfume is another idea to keep your bin smelling fresh.
Another good habit to get into is to cut down on producing unnecessary waste in the first place, by making the switch to reusables, such as opting for reusable dish cloths instead of paper towels and keeping a tote bag in the car or by the front door, to avoid using plastic bags for the weekly shop. Going paperless by opting out of any unwanted mailing lists and receiving bills or statements online are also simple ways to reduce paper coming through the letterbox.
Think outside the box
More things are recyclable than you might think, and with more and more recyclable packaging being used, there’s no need for it to end up in landfill. Most paper waste is recyclable, from birthday cards and envelopes to newspapers and cardboard boxes. There are a handful of paper-based items that can't be recycled, like cards with glitter, certain gloss or foiled, so be sure to check before throwing them away. Flattening your cardboard boxes will also create extra space in your recycling bin, so you won’t have to squash everything down.
Don’t forget about your bathroom toiletries too, things like shampoo bottles are often recyclable and finally, there’s your food waste. This can also be recycled, either in your own garden composter or in your food bin.
To find out more on Great British Bin Week and how to get involved, head over to our Facebook event page, where you’ll find even more recycling tips and the opportunity to win £500 to spend at Dunelm with our Bin Day Runway competition!