Hard-to-recycle household waste

[alison]

Since we've all by now, I think, become far more aware of the problems caused by plastic and other types of domestic waste which can't easily be recycled, especially as a result of various TV programmes, I thought you might like to know about the following programme:

 

https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/

 

I signed up with it years ago to recycle old biscuit wrappers, but it's obviously expanded WAY beyond that now.  If you've ever looked at an empty piece of packaging and thought "Surely someone somewhere recycles that?", why not have a look on here and see if there's a local collection facility (contact lenses, water filters, pens, plastic pouches, disposable gloves are some of the more unexpected items)?  I believe quite a lot of them are in schools and other such places.

[lakeylakes]

Really helpful.

Thanks

[JohnS]

Thanks Alison.  I was very surprised years ago when fast acting insulin suddenly came in through away pens rather than cartridges to fit into pens.  Long acting insulin is still dispensed in cartridges and my old pen remains in excellent order after 30 years.  I guess in the last 10 years  I’ll have thrown away perhaps 500 pens.  As far as I know there’s no recycling facility.

[AnneMarriott]

11 hours ago, JohnS said:

Thanks Alison.  I was very surprised years ago when fast acting insulin suddenly came in through away pens rather than cartridges to fit into pens.  Long acting insulin is still dispensed in cartridges and my old pen remains in excellent order after 30 years.  I guess in the last 10 years  I’ll have thrown away perhaps 500 pens.  As far as I know there’s no recycling facility.

I have a sharps box with blood testing equipment for Type II diabetics.  Testing is no longer required and when I tried to return the box to the pharmacy they gave me a form to fill in and send to somewhere in Maidenhead  (we live in Datchet) who would apparently arrange to come and collect the box from our house.  I must confess I still have the box under the kitchen sink!  What with all the confusion over what can be recycled and how, plus some Councils' extortionate charges, I'm not surprised some people resort to fly tipping.