5 things you probably mistakenly think you can recycle

Recycling household products can be a simple way to help the environment - but it's not always straightforward and often people get it wrong.

A recent survey revealed that more than three quarters of British consumers (78 per cent) are unaware of basic recycling rules.

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The research conducted by coffee capsule manufacturer, Halo Coffee found that Pizza boxes, plastic coffee pods and paper receipts are among the most common items mistakenly put into recycling bins in the UK,

In this survey, 2,500 participants were asked to list the items they typically placed in the recycling bin.

Here are the 5 most common recycling mistakes

Pizza boxes

Although made from cardboard, pizza boxes cannot be recycled due to contamination from grease and other food residue, which cause issues during the recycling process.

Plastic coffee pods

Due to their small size and the mixture of materials used to make them, the majority of mainstream, plastic coffee pods simply cannot be recycled and litter landfill sites in their millions.

Paper receipts

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Receipts printed on thermal paper contain BPA and BPS chemicals that are not only toxic to people in large quantities, but to the environment as well.

Miniature travel products

While many consumers assume it is safe to recycle miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, these toiletries cannot in fact be recycled and are a big contributor to single-use plastic waste.

Shredded paper

Shredding may be unavoidable when it comes to private documents, however some recycling centres will reject pieces of paper that are too small, as the length of paper fibres will determine if it can be recycled.

Other items on the list include shredded paper, takeaway coffee cups, old photographs and broken glass.

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If you are unsure of which items you can recycle, check your local council website as different areas across the UK have different rules and recycling procedures.

Other tips the company shared include - wash containers before throwing them away, donate your clothes, avoid crushing cans before recycling them and have a recycling bin in every room.