Not all paper, plastics, glass and metals are created equal. Most products made from these materials can be recycled but some can’t, so here’s a general guide to which products you can and can’t recycle and how to prepare packaging for recycling.
Preparing items for recycling
As a general rule, clean all containers – whatever they are made from – of food or liquids before recycling. Remove staples or any other non-paper materials such as plastic binders when recycling paper.
Recycling paper
When recycling paper, in general, dyed or waxed papers cannot be recycled while boxes, office paper and books can. Check the table below to see what types of paper you should and should not recycle.
| Recycle | Don’t recycle |
| Computer paper | Paper cups and plates |
| Used photocopy paper | Yoghurt cartons |
| Windowless envelopes | Sweet wrappers and chip packets |
| Old books | Blueprint paper |
| Pale coloured paper, such as invoices | Cigarette ends |
| Newspapers | Tissues and paper towels |
| Magazines | Carbon paper |
| Flattened cardboard and corrugated cardboard such as boxes | Post-it notes |
| Telephone books | Waxed cartons or boxes |
| Paperboard boxes, such as cereal and other packaged food | Waxed paper
Mixed metal and paper |
| Office and school paper | Food-contaminated paper |
| Egg cartons | Nappies |
| Food and seed bags | |
| Tissue paper or foil gift wrap | |
| Hardback books |
Recycling glass
Recycling glass has significant cost- and energy-saving benefits; glass can be repeatedly recycled with no loss of quality, and for every 10% of recycled glass used to make new glass containers, energy costs drop by 2% to 3%. Every ton of glass containers recycled saves over a ton of natural resources, and the energy saved by recycling one glass bottle can light a 100 watt light bulb for four hours, or run a computer for 30 minutes. Here’s what glass you can and can’t recycle:
| Recycle | Don’t recycle |
| Clear, brown and green glass jars and drinks bottles | Broken glass |
| Mirror or window glass | |
| Glass plates | |
| Light bulbs | |
| Heat-resistant glass, such as Pyrex | |
| Ceramics such as dishware, ovenware, and decorative items |
Recycling plastic
Over one million tons of plastic are thrown away in South Africa each year, and because the material is not biodegradable, the polluting effects on the environment are cumulative. The good news is that a significant portion of all plastic packaging can be recycled; here’s a guideline:
| Recycle | Don’t recycle |
| Cold drink and water bottles | Plastic without a recycling symbol |
| Milk, juice, and oil jugs | Pesticide and chemical containers |
| Dish, shampoo, lotion, and soap bottles | Anti-freeze and motor oil containers |
| Bleach, detergent, and other household cleaning containers | Toys |
| Butter and ice cream tubs | Laundry baskets and unsanitary containers |
| Yoghurt cups and microwave trays | Polystyrene drinking cups and plates |
| Clean plastic flower pots | |
| Prescription pill bottles | |
| Thin plastic, such as grocery store bags, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, newspaper sleeve | |
| Polystyrene |
Recycling metals
Extracting metals is a dirty, energy-heavy business. Recycling metals such as aluminium cans, which can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality, drastically reduces the need to continue mining new metal ore, saving energy and reducing the damage mining causes to the environment.
| Recycle | Don’t recycle |
| Aluminium cans, such as food, drink and pet food cans | Paint and aerosol containers |
| Aluminium foil, pie tins, trays | Pesticide and chemical containers |
| Jar lids | Syringes and needles |
| Oil filters and batteries |
Please do not recycle:
- Styrofoam
- Medical waste, toxic and biohazard waste
