A Homeowner's Guide to Recycling

If you do your bit and recycle materials in the home, you'll be doing the planet a big favour. Recycling reduces waste and preserves natural resources. Let's take a look at a few examples.

You can use Nickel extracted from discarded batteries to manufacture stainless steel products. Similarly, recycled stacks of newspaper can save hundreds of trees. Even if you just recycle 500 grams of paper, you’ll reduce the production of greenhouses gases by 500 gm. So sort your waste wisely and bear in mind the following tips.

Plastic –  What’s Acceptable and What’s Not

Plastics come in the form of bags, containers, toys and goods. Not all are recyclable, though. When purchasing plastic items, look for the number inscribed on the back. Plastics labelled #1 or #2 are highly recyclable. #5 plastics, on the other hand, are the hardest to recycle. When you're shopping for yoghurt or butter, flip the container over to check the number listed. Try as much as possible, to avoid purchasing products filled in plastic containers marked #5.

Polystyrene

Hosting a party and need disposable cups? Ditch the polystyrene and opt for paper or reusable cups instead. The polystyrene that’s currently sitting in landfills is likely to last another 500 years. Instead of adding more polystyrene to this pile, look for greener alternatives.

Glass

Glass bottles take up to a million years to disintegrate. Instead of throwing your bottles into general waste, set them aside and sort them by colour if you have the time. This makes recycling a lot easier. You don’t even have to pull out the paper labels on the bottles. Simply sort and take them to your nearest recycling centre.

Not all items made from glass are recyclable, though. Light bulbs are an example. They contain a mix of other materials and require a higher temperature to melt. If you have incandescent light bulbs you can’t recycle them but if you have energy efficient light bulbs you can.

Other Metals

Aluminium, bronze, copper and brass are all recyclable. Instead of dumping foil into your general waste, put it into a recycle bin. Companies reuse your waste to manufacture mechanical parts.

The EPA classifies some items as hazardous waste. You have to handle these items with care so you don’t endanger the lives of others. Paints, inflammable items, aerosol cans, oils, and asbestos are a few examples of hazardous waste. If you don’t know how to dispose of them, talk to your local council.  Also, consider hiring the services of a waste removal company if you have large quantities of hazardous waste to discard.

Using Skip Bins to Discard Waste

Skip bins come in handy during home renovations. If you’re going to generate rubble, soil and garden waste, hire a skip bin to manage your waste. Look for an eco-friendly skip bin provider who will recycle the rubbish and make sure you don’t throw prohibited items into the skip bin. You can also arrange for a specialist removal service to get rid of unwanted toxic items from your home.

Skip Bins in Brisbane

Smartskip offers skip hire in Brisbane and throughout South East Queensland. We have partnered with the Toxfree Group to make sure your waste doesn’t just end up in landfills. If you hire a skip on the Gold Coast or in neighbouring cities, we’ll transport your waste to our nearest recycling facility and generate reusable products. 

We also offer portable toilets and fence hire. Instead of buying fences and discarding them later, get fences on hire. By following all of these steps, you can do your part to save the environment and make life easier for future generations.