‘Step it up’ this Recycle Week

Published20th September 2021

The Suffolk Waste Partnership is proud to Step It Up this Recycle Week in what organisers hope will be the biggest week-long event to date.

Recycle Now and the Suffolk Waste Partnership are asking residents to take action to protect our environment by actively considering the way in which they dispose of their household waste and increase positive recycling habits.

The latest research from Recycle Now reveals that almost 9 out of 10 people in the UK now recycle their household waste which is a really positive achievement.

However, 55% of households continue to put items in the general rubbish bin that could be recycled. Such materials include foil, aerosols, and plastic toiletry (shampoo and conditioner bottles), plastic trays and cleaning and bleach bottles.

We can all help fight climate change by recycling because recycling currently saves 18 million tonnes of CO2 every year in the UK, which is the same as taking 12 million cars off the road.

Cllr James Mallinder, Chair of the Suffolk Waste Partnership said: “People across Suffolk already recycle a great deal of their waste, either in their bins at home or by taking recyclable or reusable items to their local Recycling Centre, bottles banks or by donating to charities.

“This superb effort will not only make the most of the planet’s precious resources, but it is an effective way to help tackle the climate emergency that all local authorities have signed up to address in Suffolk.

“Of course, we can always do more and supporting this year’s Recycle Week is a wonderful way to achieve this. I encourage everyone; family, friends and neighbours, to recycle even more this year. If everyone can Step It Up, I believe the small changes can make a big difference over time”

Whilst the Suffolk Waste Partnership encourages everyone to recycle, please also remember that putting the wrong items into your recycling bin means that good items will become ‘spoiled’ and won’t get recycled. In Suffolk, currently around 10,000 tonnes (about 20%) of the items collected from Suffolk households get rejected every year.

Information on what and how to recycle your household waste can be found here: https://www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk/my-bins/together-we-can-get-our-recy...

Recycle week competition

To celebrate Recycle Week 2021, The Suffolk Waste Partnership is offering Suffolk residents the chance to win £100 to spend at EcoHug – a Suffolk based shop, supplying lots of products such as beeswax wraps, stainless steel lunchboxes, reusable drinking bottles, wooden kitchen brushes and much more!

For your chance to win, head to our website www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk to test your knowledge about recycling in Suffolk.

Buildings around the country will be lit up green to mark Recycle Week 2021. Across Suffolk the following buildings will be lit up during the week to highlight the importance of recycling:

  • Felixstowe Pier
  • Ipswich Town Hall
  • The Apex, Bury St Edmunds (Tue 21st and Wed 22nd)