History

 Recycling and rubbish bin in a German

railway station.
Recycling has been a common practice
throughout human history. In pre-
industrial times, scrap made of bronze
and other precious metals were collected
in Europe and melted down for perpetual
reuse, and in Britain dust and ash from
wood and coal fires was downcycled as a
base material in brick making.
 Benefits
Recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy
cost of processing new aluminium because
the melting temperature is reduced from
900 °C to 600 °C. Recycling plastic saves
70% of the energy used in creating new
plastic, and paper recycling saves 40% of the
energy required to make a new product.
 Asbestos
 Asbestos is a building insulation material used before
the 1970’s.
 There are 3 types – white, blue and brown.
 Removal of asbestos can disturb the fibres of which it is
made; these fibres can be harmful if they are breathed
in.
 Use a facemask and gloves when handling asbestos.
 Keep asbestos damp and contained in a plastic bag
when transporting, this will reduce airborne fibres.
 Some skip companies will safely remove asbestos, such
as SkipHireUK.
 Some councils will accept asbestos at their household
waste recycling centres.
 Contact your local council for further advice on the
removal of asbestos.
 Batteries
Rechargeable batteries contain
harmful metals, so should never
be thrown away with daily rubbish,
they should be returned to
manufacturer for disposal or
recycled elsewhere.
Ordinary batteries require a lot of
energy to make, so in order to
save energy, use rechargeable
batteries and electricity mains
instead of ordinary batteries.
 Building materials

 Buildings are made from many

materials, many of which are
recyclable such as metal, wood,
glass, etc. Recycle these materials
accordingly.
 Architectural salvage yards may
take some items for reselling.
 Many building materials can be
reused, such as bricks and wood.
Clinical waste recycling
 Clinical waste such as nappies,
sanitary waste and medical
supplies have the potential to be
infectious so must be disposed of
using special methods.
 Look for doctors or manufacturer
instructions of how to dispose of
medical waste on the packaging
containers.
 Medicine containers can be
recycled accordingly once it is
empty.
 Composting
Composting is an
excellent way to recycle
kitchen and garden
waste. It is very easy to
build your own compost
bin and use the compost
to help your garden
grow.
composting
works
Composting is the decomposition of
materials that originated from
animals and plants. These organic
materials can be things such as plant
trimmings, vegetable cuttings,
eggshells and teabags. This causes
the compost pile to heat to around
60°C. This is the ideal temperature
for micro-organisms to work at.
The compost pile then cools to below
Computer recycling and
disposal
Electronic rubbish, and computer
equipment in particular, is a rapidly
expanding stream of UK waste. Low
prices allow consumers to replace
"gadgets" often, and rapid technological
change means there are always newer,
better, more powerful products on the
market. Up to 20 million “obsolete” PCs
are discarded annually in the USA alone.
Electrical equipment
Most electrical equipment can be reused or
broken down into parts.
If the electrical equipment is still in full
working order, sell it in a car boot sale or
donate it to a charity shop.
Contact your retailer as they may take back
old products.
Always try to repair items rather than
throwing them away, others may find a use
for the item when you no longer want it.
Try to buy electrical items that have a long
life span.
 Furniture
recycling
Donate usable furniture to charity shops,
schools, community centres, friends or
neighbours.
Sell furniture at garage sales or in
auctions.
Clean and repair broken furniture before
you sell/donate it.
Before you sell/donate your furniture,
make sure it has the kite mark of approval
to show that it meets British safety
standards.
 Glass recycling
Glass is separated into 3 colours:
green, brown and clear.
Deposit glass at your nearest recycling
bank by throwing them into the
appropriate container.
Reuse glass whenever possible. Jars
can be used as small containers and
bottles can be used as vases.
 Metal recycling -
aluminium and steel
Metal is usually separated
into 2 groups: aluminium
and steel.
You can test which metal
your waste is by using a
magnet. Aluminium metal is
non-magnetic whereas steel
is magnetic.
Find out if there is a ‘cash
 How to recycle mobile
phones
Most people in the UK now own a mobile
phone and they can be recycled.
Donate old mobile phones to friends or
family.
Many manufacturers take back old mobile
phones for recycling.
Some companies have set up mobile
phone recycling schemes.
Recycle paint
and
Waste such oil
as paint,
paintbrushes, car oil and oil filters
have to be carefully disposed of,
as they can be very damaging to
the environment.
Don't pour oil or paint down the
drain.
Donate unwanted paints and
varnishes, as others can reuse
them.
Use eco-friendly alternatives
 Recycle paper
Paper is separated into the following
groups:
– Magazines
– Newspapers
– Office paper
– Cardboard
– Phone directories
Deposit used paper at your local recycling
bank.
Most home recycling bins, provided by
your local council, usually accept paper
products.
 Recycle plastic
There are about 50 different types of
plastic. The main types include:
– HDPE – Opaque bottles
– PVC – Transparent bottles, with a seam
running across the base
– PET – Transparent bottles, with a hard
moulded spot in the centre of the base
If your home recycling bin doesn’t take
plastic bottles, then deposit them at your
local recycling bank.
 Printer Cartridges
Recycling printer cartridges really is
worthwhile as cartridges can be
expensive and remanufactured printer
cartridges can cost as little as 10% of
what original cartridges do. By lessening
the amount of cartridges ending up in
landfill sites, you are being kinder to the
environment too.
The Recycling Appeal collects printer
cartridges mobile for reuse and recycling.
They raise funds for charity whilst helping
the environment at the same time. The
Recycling Appeal has generated over £2
million for partner organisations since
1999.
 Recycling banks
They are located on streets
across the UK as well as in
supermarkets and outside
housing estates.
Most recycling banks are
emptied on a regular basis.
However, if you do come across
one that is over-flowing, contact
your local council who will
arrange for the bank to be
emptied. You can also contact
Recycling clothes
Most home recycling bins,
provided by your local council,
accept old clothes and textiles.
Recycling banks may also accept
old clothes.
Only donate clothes that are still
usable.
Old clothes can be used to make
other textile items, such as
cushion covers or cleaning cloths.
 Vehicle recycling
Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled,
see below for where to take your vehicle
for recycling.
Try and fix your vehicle instead of
throwing it away.
Sell unwanted vehicles.
Report abandoned vehicles to your local
council for removal.
There are hundreds of approved vehicle
dismantlers, recyclers and salvage sites
across the UK. Find your nearest site
here.
Read about the new EU legislation which
has recently come into force and aims to
Wood recycling
Take wood to civic amenity sites
for recycling.
Wood can often be reused to make
other items, such as a bird table for
your garden.
Wood can often be added to your
compost heap, such as sawdust
and wood shavings.
Buy recycled wood whenever
possible.
Trabalho realizado por:
Sofia Órfão Nº2

Fátima Carvalho Nº13

Vera Matos Nº18

Zélia Nunes Nº19