In Lower Hutt, only plastics 1 and 2 can be recycled, and even these need special preparation. It can be tempting to throw items straight into your recycling bin in the hope that they can be recycled, but this isn’t always the case.
Check out the items below that can’t be recycled:

1)     Food-contaminated containers

Always rinse or scrape food off of jars, cans and plastic containers to make sure they can be recycled. Paper with oily residue such as greasy pizza boxes can’t be recycled, and should go in the compost or waste bin.  

2)     Soft plastics

Soft plastics can’t be recycled at kerbside collections because they jam the automated sorting machines at recycling centres. Avoid this kind of packaging when you can.

3)     Anything that fits in the palm of your hand

Any piece of rubbish that’s smaller than a Post-It note, regardless of whether it is made from a recyclable material, can’t be processed by a sorting machine. Try bunching your tin foil into a ball, and keeping paper in large pieces.

4)     Coffee cups

Coffee cups may look like they’re made of cardboard, but the chemical that makes them waterproof also means they can’t be recycled. This also includes biodegradable coffee cups. Reusable keep cups or drinking your coffee in the cafe is the way to go.

5)     Receipts

They may look like paper, but in most cases shopping receipts are made from an unrecyclable thermal material.

6)     Incandescent light bulbs

They aren’t glass, and can’t be recycled. Choose energy-efficient bulbs to save money and reduce the number of bulbs going to landfill.

7)     Gift wrap

Unwrap your presents carefully to reuse the paper again, as the gloss means it can’t be recycled.

Choose to purchase recyclable items and prepare them carefully for processing. Start small with your recycling bin. Every little bit counts!