How Is It Recycled? 

The animations below have been produced by Recycle Now. Each is less than a minute long, and shows how the materials we collect are recycled.

Flash Player 10.1 is usually required to view the animations. If they don't display correctly, try viewing the web-page in Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla Firefox.

Cans:

 

Recycling aluminium uses only 5% of the energy needed to make it from raw materials, and recycling 1 tonne can save 10 tonnes of CO₂e. Recycling 1 tonne of steel can save 1.5 tonnes CO₂e.

Drinks Cartons (Tetrapak):

 

Glass Bottles:

 

Recycling 1 tonne of glass packaging can save 0.5 tonnes CO₂e, compared to landfilling and making new glass from raw materials.

Paper:

 

Recycling 1 tonne of paper or card can save 1.5 tonnes CO₂e.

Plastic Bottles:

 

Recycling 1 tonne of plastic packaging can save 2 tonnes CO₂e.

N.B. CO₂e is a measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based on their 'global warming potential', or their ability to contribute to global climate change. The figures quoted here are drawn from the WRAP report 'Environmental Benefits of Recycling'.

Return to Waste and Recycling page.