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Tips for a greener bathroom at home

lsps blog 110 - tips for a greener bathroom at homeFrom toothpaste tubes and wet wipes to shampoo bottles – lots of our household waste originates from the bathroom. However, with less than 10% of plastic products ever being recycled, it’s important to brush up on exactly what can and cannot be recycled from our homes and the bathroom is no exception.

1 – Bulk buy

One key way to reduce your plastic waste in the bathroom is to bulk by products. Rather than buying a new bottle of shampoo once a month you should buy a larger bottle that will last you longer. Some brands even use recycled plastic for their packaging so be sure to study the packaging closely.

2 – Try alternative dental products

Dental products like toothbrushes and tooth paste tubes are perhaps the biggest offender when it comes to plastic waste. The complex makeup of these products and varying materials make it hard to recycle so a large proportion end up in landfill each year. To try and combat this trend there are many new products appearing on the market that use simple materials that are easy to recycle. Look out for Bamboo and other wooden toothbrushes which are compostable and biodegradable.

3 – Switch to solids

While you may want to make your bathroom greener – this doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your beauty regime. There are ways of making slight adjustments to your daily habits that can have a profound impact. Take shampoo for instance. Shampoo bottles are often made from single-use plastics that are hard to recycle. A much eco-friendlier option is to use sulphate-free bars of soap. You can even buy soap bars made specifically for washing and nourishing your hair.

4 – Dual bins

While having two bins in our kitchens has become a common practice in the UK – helping to raise household recycling rates, many of us are yet to adopt this same system in our bathrooms. This means that in the rush of daily life we often lump all our waste in together and end up with no time to separate out the recyclables and non-recyclables. Having two bins takes away this headache.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

Recycling symbols for packaging explained

One of the biggest barriers to improving recycling rates in the UK is an understanding of the often-complex systems, schemes and signage involved. Most people are keen to make a difference by recycling their household and daily waste – but the actual methods of doing so can be confusing and misleading.

Here are some of the most commonly used symbols on products you’ll see in shops and in the supermarkets to help point you in the right direction.

Widely recycled

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This green symbol with a clockwise arrow means that the item you are looking at is easily and widely recycled. This means you can be confident that your purchase will go on to be reused after it’s served its purpose for you.

There are several variations of this symbol – some may have extra instructions and caveats attached such as ‘rinse’, ‘rinse/lid on’ or ‘flatten’. Be careful to follow these instructions as often forgetting to remove a cap or wash out a jar for instance can lead to the item being rejected from the recycling process.

Check locally

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This symbol featuring the same clockwise arrow but with a black background means that between 25-75% of local authorities will collect and recycle this form of packaging but that there may be a chance they don’t – so you should check on your local authority website for clarification before putting it in your recycling bin.

Not Yet Recycled

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The Not Yet Recycled symbol is a sign that (as the name suggests) this particular item can not yet be recycled. This might include a form of packaging like crisp packets. However, just because the item is not recyclable doesn’t mean that you can’t reuse it yourself. So, try and think of a creative or useful way that you can avoid sending the item to landfill.

Other variations

Other variations of the symbol include ‘Widely Recycled at Recycling Centres’ informing you to take the item to your local recycling centre, ‘Recycle With Bags At Larger Stores’ which means some supermarkets will take in the item (wrapping from toilet rolls, magazine wraps, etc) and often some items won’t yet feature any recycle information. In those circumstances you should seek clarification either with the product manufacturer or your local authority for details on what to do.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

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