How To Recycle - Aerosols

How to Recycle...Aerosols

Every year we use 600 million aerosols in the UK, which equates to about 10 cans per person. Around 65% of these are made from tin-plated steel and the remainder are made from aluminium, both of which are recyclable. If everyone in UK recycled just 1 can of air freshener, there would be enough energy saved to power 273,000 TVs for a year!

Aerosols also contain plastic and rubber components that make up the lid, valve, and dip tube. These are all extracted when the aerosols are recycled.

Lack of awareness

Many people aren’t aware that recycled aerosol containers can be turned into something useful, like mobile phone parts, for example. In a survey, 8 out of 10 people didn’t know this.

Can I recycle aerosols?

You can recycle aerosols as they are made of tin-plated steel and aluminium, and these are both recyclable materials.

In the UK, there are over 2000 banks where you can recycle aerosols, and 75% of local authorities accept them as part of kerbside recycling collections.

How to recycle aerosols

You might not be recycling aerosols if you don’t think you should, but here’s how to make sure aerosols are safe and ready to recycle:

• Make sure the container is completely empty before you put it in the recycling
• Don’t pierce or crush aerosol cans-they are pressurised
• Remove any removable parts like the lid and dispose of it separately
• Detach any loose or easily removable parts, such as the lid, and dispose of them with the rest of your rubbish

Head to the bathroom!

You might think that by putting your glass bottles and bean tins in the recycling, that you’re doing great, and you are, kind of. There are some items in your home that maybe you forget to recycle, or that you don’t realise that you can recycle, and over half of these items are things we use in the bathroom.

Research from the recycling campaign Recycle Now found that almost half of people in the UK don’t recycle hairspray or deodorant, and more than a third of people don’t recycle glass perfume or aftershave bottles when they are empty.

What goes around comes around

Recycling does take a bit of effort, but there are many benefits, both for the environment and closer to home. When you recycle items like deodorants and hairspray, they can be used again and again, and there is no loss of quality. The metals can be used to make completely new products like mobile phone parts or dishwashers.

Do your bit

Everyone has their own bathroom routine, and now is your chance to do some good by combining it with a recycling routine. Keep a recycling bag in your bathroom where you can put empty plastic bottles or aerosol cans when they run out and the bag will serve as a reminder to put those items in to the recycling. You may think a few extra bottles here and there won’t make a difference to the planet, but they will, as long as we all make an effort in our small part of the world.