Did you know that one tonne of rubbish is produced by each household every year? And with an estimated 25.7 million households in the UK, that is a scary thought! It all has to go somewhere…
Obviously, there is a number of items of rubbish that are unable to be recycled, but you would be surprised just how much can be reused if we all just took a few extra moments to separate our waste.
The government has provided many of us with bins that help take the pressure off, which is a start. All we have to do is put the right item in the right container and then they will be collected.
Here are a few things that you may not have known to help you recycle other items at home:
Bras: Donate them to charity or to www.breasttalk.co.uk. Alternatively, don your old bra and raise money on the moon walk! See www.walkthewalk.org
Cars: Metrosalvage.co.uk can offer help on recycling and de-polluting cars. Fly tipping cars is against the law!
CDs: Reuse your old CDs and make retro coasters!
Engine Oils: Do not pour oil into your sinks and drains. Apparently, oil contributes to 25% of all pollutions visit www.oilbankline.org.uk for your nearest bank.
Hot Water Bottles: Cut up and use as jar openers to grip those lids or fill with foam chips to create a kneeler for when you are in the garden!
Printer Cartridges: Most cartridge packets have a freepost envelope inside the packaging so you can return the empty cartridge once it is finished with and they will return it to you.
Stamps: Did you know that the RNIB, Help the Aged and Oxfam all collect and recycle unwanted stamps. Visit their websites at www.rnib.org.uk, www.helptheaged.org.uk and www.oxfam.org.uk .
Tights: Donate your unwanted hosiery to Tights Please www.tightsplease.co.uk and they will be sent to Ethiopia. This includes the ones with ladders! They are used to help with bandaging and some are even woven into rugs.
If we all work together, we can help create a happier healthier greener planet for generations and generations to enjoy.
Katherine is part of the Relax Kids team. Relax Kids create resources including CDs, books and other products to promote positive thinking in children. RK also run teacher training in its relaxation programmes, see www.relaxkids.com 
