subject: Recycle Nows Recycle Week Make A Pledge [print this page] Recycle your old toaster, your drawer full of old mobile phones, your washing machine or whatever else needs a damn good replacing! Its easy to recycle all of these things throughout the year but Recycle Now is an annual week of electrical recycling awareness that makes it even easier by having a free recycling centre finder, a make a pledge section and a whole host of reasons why you should recycle. Everyone can get involved and its not just about recycling, its also about making your home more efficient by getting rid of the old, energy munching home appliances and buying in tried and tested eco-appliances that will save you money on your bills.
If youre not sure what can or cant be recycled, follow the simple rule that anything which uses a battery or has a plug can be recycled. The other thing to look out for is the image of the crossed out wheelie bin which is used to encourage you to separate out items that can be recycled from other household waste. While this symbol doesnt mean that you cant simply throw away the item it should have this effect because the owner is essentially being told that if the item is not disposed of correctly it may cause harm to the environment.
Recycling helps to conserve precious natural resources both that are used as components parts but also that are used to manufacture the parts, in other words the energy, water and fuel. Recycling figures arent too bad in the UK but they could be a lot better for most materials too. Wood is the only material 100% of which is recycled in the UK, 81% of glass is manufactured in the UK and the rest abroad. The worst performer is plastic of which only 33% is recycled here and 67% is recycled abroad in countries such as China which is prepared to pay a higher price for recycled materials because they dont have the same level of access to natural resources or manufacturing plants as we do.
It is everybodys responsibility to dispose of home appliances correctly so whether its time to get rid of your washing machine, your dishwasher or your fridge freezer, log onto the Recycle Now website, enter your postcode and youll be given the address and location map of your nearest recycling centre. Remember that it costs you nothing to recycle your home appliances but it costs the earth not to.
