Given the week that is in it, we at The Garden Shop have decided to clear up some of the confusion around our recycling bins and figure what exactly what can and can’t be recycling and disposed of in our recycling bins at home.
In Ireland each person accumulates around 35Kg of plastic waste each year, this equates to approx. 169000 tonnes of plastic waste for the entire population of Ireland. All of this plastic can be recycled and refashioned into an endless amount of consumer goods from garden patio furniture to roadside kerbs.
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- Don’t Bin
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- Razor blades
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- Don’t Bin
In general we like to see ourselves as a green-conscious nation, but more can be done to ensure that all this plastic does not end up in landfills as along 35% of all plastic waste is recycled in Ireland
While we aim to become better at recycling there are those who have taken it a bit too far with 2% of people admitting to recycling used nappies, while 8% of people claim to have recycled old razors. Below is a list of items that can and can’t be recycled in green bins. It is important first to remember that all items should be washed & squashed before disposing in the recycle bin
Do Bin
- Paper – Newspapers & Magazines – Cardboard (clean & dry) – Phonebooks & Catalogues – Cereal boxes
- Steel food cans – Aluminium drink cans
- Plastic bottles – Plastic containers (see below)
- Tetra paks (juice & milk cartons)
- Acceptable plastic types in green bin: All Plastic Bottles including mineral milk and detergent bottles
- Plastic bags (empty bags only. Do not place other recyclables in bags)
- Plastic film wrap (free from any food contamination)
Don’t Bin
- Glass
- General refuse
- Food waste – Green or Garden waste – Wet waste – Tea bags
- Nappies
- Polystyrene
- Wallpaper
- Aero-board / Styrofoam
- Plastic film/bags – Plastic food wrappings
- Oh, & Razor Blades!
Because plastic doesn’t just mean plastic, we have a list below of the different types and those that can be recycled and those that cannot be:
Do Bin
- All plastics numbers 1-7 (NO styrofoam, which is sometimes labeled #5)
- This includes PE, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS
- Food & Drink containers
- Screw top jars
- Deli-style containers
- Plastic cups (lids and straws removed)
- Detergent bottles
- Plastic jugs/bottles: soda bottles, laundry detergent jugs
Don’t Bin
- Plastic tableware
- Styrofoam containers
- Garden Plant Pots
- Cable Ties
- Plastic bags
- Crisp Packets
- CD cases