A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

Rinse and squash all cans (steel and aluminium) and recycle them through your green recycling bin. These items are used in metal smelters and made into new metal products.

Cardboard sheets can be used in the garden as a mulch to suppress weeds or ripped up can be added to your compost heap. It can also be shredded and used for animal bedding. All cardboard such as brown card, cereal boxes, egg boxes and toilet roll tubes can be placed in your green recycling bin. Larger corrugated cardboard boxes should be flattened and deposited in the cardboard skips at your nearest recycling centre. This is recycled back into cardboard products such as packaging materials, cat litter and more.

Remove any glittery or metallic parts from cards and recycle the rest in your green bin. You could reuse glittery or metallic parts by making them into gift tags. These items are recycled back into cardboard products such as packaging materials and cat litter.

Remember to take out a shopping bag or few carrier bags with you so that you don't need to accept anymore. Save money by using carrier bags as bin liners at home. Carrier bags, bread bags and stretchy fresh or frozen fruit and vegetable bags can be recycled in your green bin.

Food and beverage cartons (Tetra Paks) are used to carry products such as milk, soft drinks and fruit juices and can be recycled in your green bin. The fibre from the cartons is recycled in to coreboard which is then converted into industrial tubes and cores. The plastic is recycled into new polymer products such as children’s play mats and the aluminium is used in products such as breeze blocks.

Consider donating unwanted magazines and comics to your friends and relatives, colleagues or your local doctors surgery. You may even find that some comics have resale value. They can be recycled in your green recycling bin or at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. They will be made into new paper products.