Few know benefits of recycyling can end up in phone

MOST PEOPLE are not aware their recycled aerosol cans could find new life in a mobile phone or that recycling glass can save electricity, research published today has revealed.

The majority of people surveyed recognised the benefits to recycling, saying items got a second life as a new product, saved their council money or even meant cheaper items – although a quarter said they did not see a direct benefit.

But there was a lack of knowledge about what the items people recycled could be used to make, the poll for recycling campaign Recycle Now revealed.

More than eight out of 10 people were unaware that empty aerosol cans could come back as part of their mobile phone, while twothirds did not believe plastic bottles could be turned into football shirts. And two-thirds did not realise recycled shampoo bottles could come back as a children’s outdoor play set. Almost as many did not know recycling glass jars can save electricity.

The survey by Censuswide is being released at the start of Recycle Week, which this year aims to encourage people to recycle by showing them the benefits of the process. Overall, the poll found 82 per cent of people thought recycling does make a difference.

Linda Crichton, the head of Recycle Now, said: “We know that understanding the recycling process motivates people to recycle.

“Our aim this Recycle Week is for more people to find out their deodorant could come back in a mobile phone, or their sweetie box as a toothpaste box – and as a result, be encouraged to recycle more because they can see it’s worth it.”

She added that nearly half the plastic bottles used in the UK are not put in the recycling, which means 29bn bottles could evade being recycled in the four years up to 2020.

Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill and saves energy – which in turn cuts greenhouse gases which cause climate change. Making an item from recycled plastic takes 75 per cent less energy than from scratch, and a item made from recycled metal uses 95 per cent less energy than a product from fresh material.