Global Recycling Day: 18 March 2020

Global Recycling Day was created in 2018 to recognise and celebrate the important part recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet. It is a day for the world to come together and put the planet first.

Recycling is key to protecting our natural resources. Each year recycling saves over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions and this is projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. Recycling is crucial in the fight to secure the future of our planet and humanity.

The Global Recycling Foundation created Global Recycling Day and is pleased to announce the 2020 theme as #RecyclingHeroes. This will recognise the people, places and activities that showcase the important role recycling plays in contributing to an environmentally stable planet.

The mission of Global Recycling Day is to:

• Tell world leaders that recycling is too important not to be a global issue and that a common, joined up approach to recycling is urgently needed.
• Ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until this happens, we simply won’t award recycled goods the true value and repurpose they deserve.

Find out more about the event and how you can get involved.

What materials can be recycled?

• Paper and cardboard
• Tins and cans
• Aerosols
• Plastic bottles
• Other plastics
• Glass
• Clothing
• Metal
• Wood

Top recycling tips

• Make sure you rinse all food and drinks containers so they go into the bin clean and dry, both at home and in the workplace.
• Take all lids off as these cannot be recycled along with your bottles.
• Be careful not to contaminate the recycling by putting in non-recyclable items such as yogurt pots, margarine tubs and plastic bags.
• Glass and clothing can be recycled at a bring bank near you. These are usually situated near convenience stores or parades of shops.
• Things like metal and wood can be recycled and reused – TJ will find an avenue for it!
• Think carefully about throwing away things you simply don’t want any more – if they’re still in usable condition donate them to a charity shop, advertise on Freecycle or hand it over to the salvage area of your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.
• Some shops and supermarkets are opting for paper bags now for environmental reasons so go for those or your own canvas bags wherever you can – anything’s better than plastic!

Refuse-derived fuel

Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is a fuel produced from various types of waste such as municipal solid waste, industrial waste or commercial waste. RDF can be incinerated to produce energy from waste (EfW), which is the final treatment process of recovering energy from waste. This landfill diversion activity supports the government’s 2025 Revised Waste Framework Directive, which effectively bans recyclable material from going to landfill.

TJ’s materials recovery facilities

TJ has four materials recovery facilities dotted along the south coast, two in Portsmouth, one in Southampton and one in Yapton.

All of the waste that comes into the facilities is sorted into categories to ensure that as much as possible is recycled or reused. TJ recycles up to 100% of the waste that comes through their doors, demonstrating their commitment to diverting waste from landfill. TJ’s extensive knowledge of a range of recycling centres in and outside of Hampshire helps make all this recycling possible.

Stats

• In 2019, TJ Waste received and processed over 100,000 tonnes of waste through their network of materials recovery facilities in Hampshire and West Sussex
• As an alternative to landfill, the use of energy recovery has increased by 375% from 2014 to 2016 in the UK
• During the same period, the use of recycling and other recovery has only increased by 6.2% in England
• Between 14% and 40% of the UK’s RDF is exported each year

Find out where our materials recovery facilities are and discover the waste and recycling services we can offer your business.