The first ever National Recycling Guidelines have been produced by WRAP.
Put together by WRAP with recyclers, local authorities and waste management companies, the guidelines will make it easier for households to recycle more across the UK.
It should also make it easier to communicate messages to make it easier to recycle.
The guidelines cover paper, card, cartons, metal, plastic, glass packaging and food waste and for each material outline:
- · What items can be included in a collection and what should not
- · How the materials can be presented for recycling (rinsing, lids off etc)
- · Concise reasons why certain items cannot be accepted or should be presented in a certain way
This is the first action to be delivered in support of greater consistency in recycling, following the publication of the industry’s Framework for England in September.
WRAP head of resource management Linda Crichton said: “For as long as I have been at WRAP there has been a desire to have clarity across the country on what can be recycled and how items should be presented for recycling.
“We now have that – labels and tops can be left on bottles, envelopes can be recycled, trigger sprays don’t need to be removed!
“We wish to thank all those involved for coming together to enable this ground-breaking work to happen. It has been a truly collaborative effort without which, the guidelines would not have been produced. We all have an interest in increasing recycling and making it less confusing for people.
“As such we encourage all organisations to consider the guidelines and adopt the information and messages that are relevant to them. WRAP will keep the guidelines under review and incorporate additional materials and advice as practices and technology develops.”
