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Become a Recycling Myth Buster.
We need you to be on your guard. Apparently there are some people out there that don’t know the facts about how great recycling is. Fortunately we know you do. For a start it reduces landfill. Cuts greenhouse gas emissions. And minimises the need to extract, refine and process raw materials. That’s why you’ve been carefully chosen. We’re going to send you out into the field armed with some myth-busting facts.
Send us your myths
We do not aim this website to minors, but the content may be used by families and children. We encourage the use only if and to the extent that consent is given or authorized by the holder of parental responsibility over the child.
Please also note Redrow are not responsible or accountable for any information or imagery submitted other than for the purpose stated to share them as consented to inform other users of this site of their participation in those activities.
See our policy for further information here.
Strap yourself in and get ready to bust some recycling myths
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“Recycling just gets thrown away with the rubbish anyway.”
The material you pop in your recycling bin is valuable. So it makes no sense to bury it in landfill with your other rubbish.
After it’s collected, it’s sorted, bailed and transported to factories to be made into new products. Like playground equipment, water bottles – and possibly the device you are reading this on.
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“Recycling doesn’t make a difference, so there’s no point.”
Recycling saves 10–15 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year in the UK alone. That’s like taking 3.5 million cars off the road.
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"Paper can only be recycled a few times."
After it’s been recycled five to six times, paper fibres do start to break down. The thing is, it can still be put to good use like: loft insulation, paint, egg cartons – and even new road surfaces. That might explain all the potholes.
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“I don’t need to use food waste collection because I don’t waste food.”
Even if you finish every scrap on your plate every time, some food waste is unavoidable. Such as the potato peelings to make your chips. The egg shells after you’ve cooked an omelette. And the teabags to make a refreshing cuppa.
If you have a food waste collection service, it’s important to use it. The waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, where the magic of science turns it into biogas. This is then converted into electricity (science again) to power TVs, computers, hairdryers… the list goes on.
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"Recycling metal uses more energy than extracting the raw material.”
Mining and processing metal uses huge amounts of resources and energy compared to recycling it.
Recycled cans are a great example. They save… wait for it… up to 95% of the energy needed to make new cans. That’s impressive.
Now you know the truth about recycling, the next time you hear a person say something wrong about it, who are you going to call?
The Recycling Myth Busters. That’s you by the way.
Recycling boss
If you haven't already why not gain your recycle badge by collecting all the hidden litter on this site?
We do not aim this website to minors, but the content may be used by families and children. We encourage the use only if and to the extent that consent is given or authorized by the holder of parental responsibility over the child.
Please also note Redrow are not responsible or accountable for any information or imagery submitted other than for the purpose stated to share them as consented to inform other users of this site of their participation in those activities.
See our policy for further information here.
