Yes to plastic bottles, but no to pizza boxes
Quiz reveals residents’ recycling knowledge
The residents of Eastleigh Borough are very clued up about being able to recycle cardboard boxes, metal cans and plastic bottles – but a high proportion mistakenly believe that they can also put pizza boxes, yoghurt pots and juice cartons in their green recycling bin.
That’s the conclusion of a weekly quiz that has revealed how much Eastleigh Borough residents know about what can and can’t be recycled.
As part of the Council’s Recycle More campaign, a weekly question was published in the authority’s email newsletter – Your Weekly Borough News – which goes to almost 16,000 subscribers. The questions were also run on social media channels and in the Council’s quarterly print magazine.
The campaign attracted more than 22,000 responses – and the Council’s Waste and Recycling Team are pleased that such a large majority of householders (89% to 92%) know that cans, cardboard and plastic bottles can be put in their green recycling bin. But there is clearly more work to do in giving residents a better understanding of what can’t be sent to Hampshire’s recycling facilities. The fact that aerosol cans are able to be recycled also needs promoting.
The Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Rupert Kyrle, welcomes the findings. He said: “We’re committed to being a Green Borough and the aim of the quiz was to create a fun way of raising awareness of the importance of recycling – and give us an understanding of how much residents know about what can and can’t be recycled. The high response rate suggests that residents found the quiz an accessible way of improving their recycling knowledge.”