Recycling Litter

 

Recycling the litter that you collect is not, we have to confess, an easy undertaking – but it is worth it if you can find a way of making it work for you – anything we can save from going to landfill has got to be good for the planet

If you are an individual collecting a small amount of litter on each outing, then it is probably relatively easy for you to separate the main recyclable items and to put them in your council recycling bin – glass, cans and, if your council provides a recycling facility for them, plastic bottles are the obvious candidates

 

If you are undertaking a group litter pick, then, to be honest, it requires a certain amount of determination and planning ahead to recycle the litter you have collected. Here are some simple ideas :

  1. it’s probably a good idea to collect glass separately in any case as it can easily break and injure people – and it could be dangerous for the council team who might be collecting the bin bags you have filled, if you leave glass mixed in with the other litter
  2. perhaps the simplest, easiest option is the two-bag approach – place all recyclable litter in one bag and all non-recyclables in a different bag; then all you have to do when you finish is to focus on sorting the recyclable stuf
  3. if there are enough of you on the litter-pick, nominate different people to collect different types of litter – take a fold-up, canvas wheelbarrow (or some other kind of trolley) with you if you can – it can be a huge help for the heavier stuff (e.g. glass)
  4. you can collect aluminium cans and sell them to the local scrap merchant – you might get £30 or so per carful (thank you to John Edwards of Winchester Litterpickers for this information – he has worked it out at ½p per can!)