Recyclometer

Recyclometer

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Calculate how much energy you could save by recycling everyday household waste

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        You have saved enough energy to power:

          If everyone if the UK recycled this, we'd save enough energy to power for a year:

          Recycling facts

          • Wrapping paper

            Wrapping paper

            Wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated or decorated with non-paper material like glitter, which means some paper mills can't accept it. Use Recycle Now's postcode finder to get in touch with your local authority and find out if you can recycle wrapping paper where you live.

          • Christmas trees

            Christmas trees

            Once you've taken down the tinsel and baubles, you can recycle your Christmas tree - if it's a real one! Find out if and when your local council is collecting trees after Christmas. Artificial trees aren't recyclable, but why not pass your unwanted tree on to friends, family or a charity?

          • Food waste

            Food waste

            Some local councils collect food waste for commercial composting, but if yours doesn't why not start your own home compost heap? . Also, take a look at lovefoodhatewaste.com for food-saving tips and recipes ideas - like these ways to reinvent your leftover turkey.

          • Glass

            Glass

            Glass is one of the easiest things to recycle and can be turned into all kinds of products, such as sand in golf bunkers, road surfacing and shiny new bottles and jars.

          • Aluminium

            Aluminium

            Recycling aluminium cans uses just a tiny five per cent of the energy that would be required to make new cans from scratch. The hardy material can be recycled again and again.

          • Plastic

            Plastic

            Recycling plastic bottles back into new items uses much less energy than making new ones, conserves fossil fuels and reduces harmful gas emissions. Bottles in Coca-Cola's innovative PlantBottle range are made from up to 22.5% plant material and up to 25% recycled plastic and are completely recyclable, just like regular plastic.

          • Watch videos

            Watch videos

            Watch videos from WRAP's Recycle Now website to learn what happens to glass, plastic, cans and other materials when they are recycled.

          Recycling tips

          • Click the button for handy tips on recycling and reducing your waste at home.

          • Old shoes... Egg shells... Batteries...
            Unsure what to recycle? Use Recycle Now's
            'Can it be recycled' widget.

          • Type in your postcode on WRAP's Recycle Now website to get the local lowdown on recycling.

          • Recycle plastic drink bottles on the go at Coca-Cola's Recycle Zones.

          • Make sorting rubbish easy by placing your recycle bin next to your general waste bin.

          • Use old washing up water to rinse milk bottles and other food containers before recycling.

          • Always end up with leftover rice on curry night? Cooked too much mash? Find out how much to throw in
            the pan with WRAP's perfect portion calculator.

          • Consider buying concentrated products when you shop. Tomato puree, condensed soups and concentrated liquid detergents use less water and packaging per dosage.

          • Get in touch with your local council and request a recycling box or bin, if available.

          • Check what popular brands are doing to reduce their packaging and waste, including Coca-Cola and our ultra light glass bottles and ultra thin aluminium cans.

          • Consider buying refills of hand soap, coffee granules, tissues etc... not only do they use less packaging, they can save you money in the long run, too.

          • Understand the recycling symbols on packaging with this easy-to-use key.

          • Find out ways to revive ingredients on the brink of going off with these handy tips. Share yours too!

          • When out shopping, roll up an eco-friendly shopping tote in your handbag to use instead of plastic carrier bags.

          • Buying ready-measured products, such as dishwasher tablets, can help reduce waste.

          • Fresh food will keep for longer if your fridge's temperature is always at 1-5 degrees.

          Calculations based on statistics provided by WRAP and the Annual Mid-year
          Population Estimates (2010) from the Office of National Statistics
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