Sort your recycling – it’s as easy as 1, 2, 4!

Leeds residents will be sorted when it comes to recycling after the council has responded to citywide feedback suggesting people want to know more about how they can recycle more.

Cllr Mohammed Rafique sorting plastic for the green bin

A new handy guide produced by the council will be going out to all households in the city over the coming weeks explaining exactly what kind of plastics you can recycle in your green bin and a simple way to remember, as well as handy advice being posted across the Recycle for Leeds Facebook and Twitter pages.

Any plastic with the number 1, 2 or 4 in the triangle symbol on the packaging means it can go in a green bin in Leeds. Whereas if the numbers 3,5,6 or 7 are in the triangle this means the item cannot currently be recycled in the city. Items such as drinks bottles, milk bottles, skincare bottles, clear meat and vegetable trays and shampoo bottles can all go in the green bin, along with a number of other items.

By recycling these simple household items, new products can be created, along with helping the environment. For example plastic bottles that were used for drinks can be remade again as a drinks bottle or, alternatively, remade into something completely different such as a children’s toy or football shirt. Other bottles such as shower gels or fabric conditioners will not be recycled into drinks bottles but could be reborn as a picnic bench or a chair.

Cllr Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council executive member with responsibility for the environment said:

“Feedback from residents across the city has been that we need to make recycling as easy as possible to help people realise how easy it can be once you get the hang of it.

“On average plastic makes up just over 11% of the average Leeds household’s black bin content – and therefore an additional 17,000 tonnes of plastic that could be recycled across the city each year.

“Recycling offers so many benefits to the environment and to the city, and when you learn simple facts such as it only take 25 drinks bottles to make a fleece jumper – then paying more attention to what we put in our green bins is really worthwhile. I hope our latest guide and advice will help people get on board with doing their bit.”

For more information about what you can recycle in your green bin visit www.leeds.gov.uk/greenbin or download the Leeds Bins app on the Apple App store or via the Google Play store for android phones.