Look good and feel good this Recycle Week

Cannock Chase Council is teaming up with Recycle Now this Recycle Week to encourage the District to recycle bathroom items like empty deodorant cans and perfume bottles.

Whilst we do well in Cannock Chase to recycle what we can, certain items around the house somehow evade the recycling bin.  Recycling just a few more items can make a big difference and the bathroom is a good place to start.  In the UK, almost 90% of packaging is recycled in our kitchens, while just over half (52%) of items are recycled in the bathroom.

New research from Recycle Now found that nearly half (49%) of the UK population admit to not always recycling their aerosols including deodorant and hairspray from the bedroom or bathroom.  The research also found that over a third (38%) of the UK population say they don’t always recycle glass items in the bedroom such as aftershave and perfume bottles once they are empty.

Although recycling may feel like a chore, the benefits of recycling are endless as highlighted in the Recycle Week theme– ‘what goes around comes around’!  That’s why this Recycle Week, Cannock Chase Council is highlighting the benefits of recycling, for the environment and for the local community.

Recycle Now has calculated that if everyone in Cannock Chase recycled one more deodorant spray, it would save enough energy to power a typical primary school for 40 days.

When we say ‘what goes around comes around’, we really mean it!  Did you know that aerosols such as deodorants and hair sprays can be recycled again and again without any loss in quality?  So you may see them come back in items such as parts of your mobile phones, dishwashers or even another aerosol.

Or by recycling three empty deodorant cans, you could save enough energy to power a shower for eight minutes, or a home sound system for 32 hours!

Councillor John Preece, Portfolio Leader for Environment said “Many of us have our daily bathroom routines in place, whether we’re getting ready to go to work, out socially, or just settling down for a night in.  During Recycle Week, we are looking to shake up these old routines and let people know that they can help the environment they live in, in the process of making themselves look and smell good.  One tip is to put a recycling bag or bin in your bathroom or bedroom to make recycling an easy part of your routine.”

You may be wondering exactly how best to recycle bathroom items?  Well, we asked Recycle Now their top bathroom recycling tips and these are listed below:

• Where possible empty and rinse containers before they go in the recycling bin
• Put caps and lids back on your glass containers before recycling
• Remove plastic lids and caps from air-fresheners, deodorants and shaving foam aerosols where easy to do so and place separately in the recycling
• Don’t put mirrors and nail varnish bottles in, as they cannot be recycled yet.  Instead they should be disposed of in with your general waste

Don’t forget, if you aren’t sure about what you can recycle at home you can use our online search facility at http://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/residents/recycling-waste/which-items-go-which-bin