RECYCLE the right way

MAKE SURE YOU’RE GETTING RID OF WASTE PROPERLY

- Zoe Snell

Most of us have good intentions when it comes to recycling, but many aren’t doing it quite right – with hopeful attempts doing more harm than good to the earth. Jacky Nordsvan, Head of Packaging at Nestlé, describes this as “wish cycling”.

“Wishcycling is when people place their waste in the recycling bin in the hope that it will be recycled, even if they’re not 100 per cent sure that it’s recyclable,” she says.

According to research from Nestlé, over half of us are guilty of doing this. And it turns out there are some alarming consequences.

“While wish-cycling is done with the best of intentions, it can lead to genuinely recyclable materials being so contaminated that they end up being sent to landfill, resulting in a lost opportunity for the waste to be turned into a resource,” Jacky explains.