The answer is yes! All of these items are part of a big loop, meaning they can be recycled again and again. Recycling is a vital part of the circular economy which is about reducing waste by keeping things in use as long as possible. When you recycle your stuff in the correct bin at home, you’re part of the circular economy and #InTheLoop.
Discover the importance of keeping everyday items in the loop:
Glass can be recycled over and over again, part or a recycled bottle or jar could be 45 years old.
An average family will throw away 6 trees worth of paper every year. It takes just 7 days to recycle a newspaper into a new one.
50% of all food waste is still edible. It takes a hundred buckets of water to create just one loaf of bread, and six buckets of water to grow one potato.
Cardboard can be recycled 25 times. Keep your pizza and delivery boxes in the loop by putting them in your paper and card bin.
An aluminium drinks can gets recycled and back on the shelves in just 6 weeks and part of the can could be 22 years old.
Recycling steel reduces CO2 emissions by 80%, it’s infinitely recyclable so can be melted down and reused over and over.
Never heard of the phrase? You’re not alone, 9 in 10 adults don’t know what the circular economy is. Although the phrase might be new, you’re probably familiar with the concept. A circular economy focuses on reducing the amount of waste we produce by repairing and reusing to get the maximum value out of everything we buy and use, finally recycling everything fully.
We are using more resources than the Earth can replenish and soon we’re going to run out. The way we consume isn’t sustainable, every year we use up 1.8 earths worth of resources. We must change how we think about waste to protect the planet’s future.
The current economy is linear, we take things from the Earth, make things and throw them away. The circular economy is designed to reduce consumption and waste, understanding that everything we use has value and extracting the full value from everything.
As well as helping create a healthy more sustainable place to live, the circular economy can benefit you financially. Reducing how much we buy, choosing more sustainable products or shopping pre-owned can lead to big savings. Repairing things and using things to the maximum is going to save you money.
If you recycle, donate unwanted things to charity or have ever tried to fix something before throwing it away, you’ve contributed to the circular economy.
If we all make small changes, we have the power to make a big difference:
We’ve put together a list of schemes and business that will help you stay in the loop.
Why you need to be
‘In The Loop’
6 sustainable swaps to save yourself some cash
Before you buy a new microwave, can you fix it?
5 Greater Manchester businesses that’re In The Loop
If you're recycling, you're already #InTheLoopGM No idea what we're talking about? Watch this 👇 pic.twitter.com/UIjowc3rgO
