Rubbish and litter is an inevitability. Everybody accumulates waste and rubbish that has to be disposed of. The average person in the United Kingdom disposes of over 5 kilos of rubbish a week in their rubbish bin – a quarter of a tonne a year.

All that waste has to go somewhere too. It is either buried in landfills, burnt or it can be recycled. However, not everything can be recycled and much of what we throw away in our rubbish bins isn’t biodegradable, meaning it can linger around landfills for decades – damaging the environment in the process.

Types of rubbish

The type of rubbish we throw away can be divided into five different categories. Some of which is biodegradable, some which isn’t:

• Plastic – Most plastics aren’t biodegradable. Many can’t be recycled either which is why the use of plastics is becoming an increasing environmental concern.
• Paper/card – from packaging to newspapers most paper can be recycled in some for or another. Paper recycling bins and recycling containers make it easy to store before it is taken away.
• Tins and metals – Most metals can be recycled and special recycling facilities exist in most towns and cities to deal with it.
• Ceramics and glass – Both can be recycled so look out for bottle banks or glass recycling bins.
• Organic waste – from lawn trimmings to the garden to food scraps fro the kitchen. The least harmful to the environment, organic waste is useful as compost and fertilisers.

Recycling

Recycling is essential if we are to keep in check our growing need for landfill and the increase in rubbish that is being discarded. Different types of recycling bins are available for both public and home use.

Household recycling bins, for inside the home, are often separated into compartments to make recycling easier. The rubbish can then be disposed of in the relevant outdoor bins. Often recycling bins are colour coded to make the process easier.

Can bank

Non-recyclable waste

Waste that is thrown in the rubbish bin and can’t be recycled can become a nuisance, especially many plastics that linger in the environment. Look to ways to reduce the amount of plastics and packaging you consume to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill. You will be surprised at how little you really do need to throw away in the waste bin.

How our homes look says a lot about our characters and personality which is why each year in the UK alone £ billions are spent by people renovating, redecorating and replacing furniture around the home. Nearly every aspect of somebody’s home can be altered to match other aspects of the home but surprisingly very few people put any thought into choosing a rubbish bin,  despite having to have them in nearly every room.

The waste bin is not only an essential piece of equipment it also nearly always visible and quite often the rubbish bin can be an unsightly blot in the corner of the room. But it doesn’t need to be that way.

There are some great places on the internet to buy quality rubbish bins that are not only functional and practical but there are such a huge range of rubbish bins available nearly every décor or theme of home can find the perfect waste bin for every room.

There are metallic designer bins that suit most modern them living room while retro bins suit those homes and kitchens that borrow trends fro yesteryear. Of course, in this day and age recycling our waste is not only ethically responsible its now enforceable by any local authorities. But recycling bins come in large range too from multi section recycling bins for the kitchen to large exterior bins for garden waste.

With kitchen bins many people place them in cupboards as they don;t want them on show or have any unsightly smells from lingering. But with some of the more modern and designer kitchen bins around at the movement there really is no need not only do they look fantastic but also there are numerous automatic and sensor activate lids that not only prevent smells but prevent the need to even touch the bin.

So next time you are re-papering the living room or refitting the kitchen give a little thought to the rubbish bin that is sat in the corner, perhaps its time for a new one.