5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

These days most householders recycle a good proportion of their waste. Councils are increasingly pushing for reduction as well as recycling, by providing smaller capacity bins for your ordinary refuse. To help you keep up with such measures, here are a few greener ideas you might not have had for getting rid of waste.

Carpets

Specialised carpet recycling companies are on the lookout for used and even unsold carpets. They turn them into anything from nylon yarns, to plant pots or buckets if made from plastics, and depending on the type they are made from. Carpet manufacturers often have their own recycling programmes. Some recyclers offer a bulk collection service if you have large amounts to collect from your site. Others clean and re-lay carpet tiles depending on their condition.

Ink Cartridges

There are the deposit bins in different supermarkets where you can dispose of ink cartridges for free. But they are also a way to generate some spare cash for yourself; if you save them up, search out some companies to sell them on to, for up to £1 each depending on the model. Some examples are Cash For Cartridges and Ink2U.

Wine Corks

Entire hobbies and businesses have been built on the move away from “planned obsolescence” buying, as people look to invest in household goods durable for lifetime usage, in anything from furniture to cookware. But thanks to the trend towards upcycling, arts and crafts, the most disposable items are also being used to craft entirely new items from wedding place favours to jewellery. This is why wine corks, which we get through hundreds of thousands of a day, are available in bulk buy on Ebay and which you could save to sell.

Mattresses

Many people forget that there are alternatives to sending these to the skip only to wallow for years on end in a landfill. Sites such as Freecycle are great for those with some mileage left, and we have discovered Bedstar.co.uk and other bed furniture sites often provide a recycle and removal for your old mattress when you buy from their from their ranges.

Energy Saver Lightbulbs

We know the glass and metal of ordinary lightbulbs can be recycled, but energy saver bulbs are harder to dispose of safely, due to their high accumulative mercury content. But your local Homebase has a drop off facility that allows you to safely dispose of them. Anywhere from Sainsbury’s to Ikea also offer collection points, since retailers are required to help consumers recycle old bulbs for free.