5 Hacks to Home Recycling

Your home is likely crammed full of a wide range of items that you can reuse and recycle. Often things at home stop functioning after a certain point of time and you would want to get rid of them. Throwing them straight to the bin is never a good idea. Instead, some eco-friendly ways to de-clutter and recycle is a new way forward that not only does good to the environment but also a step towards a sustainable future.

Here are some hacks which can breathe life into everyday household items.

Philosophy of the 3 R’s’

There are several steps that you need to look at before recycling. Start from reducing the number of products you consume. Then gradually shift to consumption of well-designed products. As a first step, if you have a product that is broken consider repairing it rather than replacing. After the product has reached the end of its life, the next step should be to find out constructive ways of using the waste material. An example of this would be to reuse the disposable water bottles for keeping plants or storing other liquids rather than throwing it in the bin.

Stay up to date on what can be recycled

Knowledge about the things that could be recycled is an important area. You should know the items that can be recycled so that you don’t send something to the recycling centre that cannot be processed. Read the guidelines carefully to make sure you address the specific requirements of each recycling centre.

Recycle what is green

Waste is generally divided into two categories. Technical nutrients and biological nutrients. The biological nutrients are those that, at the end of their shelf life, can safely and readily be decomposed and returned to the soil. Here in this case composting is one of the simplest and yet the most effective recycling methods. The kitchen waste which includes vegetables, fruits peels and your garden cuttings could go together into an indoor or outdoor composter.

A composter ensures that your regular kitchen wastebasket fills slowly and doesn’t smell.

In your home lot of water goes waste and is not effectively utilised. Many families these days are hiring a plumber to implement a system where rainwater or wastewater from your shower and kitchen could be used to flush your toilet. If you have a garden, consider watering it with the leftover bathwater or the dishwashing water.

Let go of the things that you don’t need

Ensure everything that you own is useful to you. Donate or give away anything that could be useful to someone else. For example, with your clothes. Give away clothes that don’t fit rather than throwing it. Make a rule that nothing goes waste in your house or nothing usable goes to trash. Don’t hang on to something that has no use for you. Companies like A A skip hire will take care of all your disposal related requirements so that you can sit back and leave everything to them.  

Buy recycled product

The very essence of recycling is eliminating waste and the need to extract fresh materials. These days high quality recycled material is available in the market from printer paper to chairs. However, know the difference between recyclable and recycled. For example, TETRA packaging involves the use of recycled material, but tetra packaging itself is not recyclable.

Final thoughts

Recycling is not always green and sometimes may not be energy efficient. But in the long run, it will promote and preserve our environment. That’s what counts.

Author Bio : Rebecca Pryor is managing director of A&A Skip Hire –one of North London’s leading provider of domestic and commercial skips.