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IDEAS TO TAKE INTO EVERYDAY LIFE
Buy less, keep things useful and understand the bin.
31 articles
Clear filtersWaste & circular living · Environment news
Global / Minamata, Japan
UNEP reviewed mercury controls ahead of the Minamata Convention’s thirteenth adoption anniversary on 10 October, highlighting existing restrictions and ongoing product phase-outs.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Paper, cardboard, metal cans, glass containers, and some plastic containers are commonly recyclable, but acceptance depends on the local program. Batteries, electronics, food scraps, and hazardous products need different routes.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Battery disposal depends on chemistry and size, and many types should stay out of both household trash and recycling carts. Identify the battery, protect it from damage and use a dedicated collection point or local hazardous-waste guidance.
Waste & circular living · Guide
A circular economy aims to keep products and materials useful for longer through prevention, repair, reuse, and recovery. Here is what that means in ordinary household choices and where the idea has limits.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Reduce food waste by buying for meals you expect to eat, keeping track of what needs using, and making leftovers easy to see and reuse. Small changes work best when they address the reason a particular food gets discarded.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Pizza boxes are commonly recyclable when food scraps are removed, but local programs can differ. Learn how to handle grease, leftover food and a box that is too messy to sort.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Plastic bags and film can be recyclable, but they generally do not belong in household recycling bins. Find a suitable drop-off route and prepare bags according to the collection point’s instructions.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Electronics generally need a designated collection site, retailer or manufacturer program rather than curbside recycling. Back up and remove personal information, check what the site accepts and consider donation when a device still works.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Biodegradable describes a material’s capacity to break down under some conditions; compostable refers to breakdown within a composting process. Neither word alone tells you what your local waste system accepts.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Reduce plastic waste by preventing repeat purchases and packaging where practical, then reuse durable items and sort remaining plastics according to local rules. A few targeted changes are more useful than guessing at the recycling bin.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Recycling processes recovered material into feedstock; upcycling turns an existing item into a different useful object. Learn when each route makes sense and how to avoid keeping unusable clutter.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Wishcycling is putting an item in the recycling bin because you hope it belongs there. Learn why that guess can cause trouble and how to check uncertain items without abandoning recycling.
Waste & circular living · Guide
The chasing-arrows triangle on plastic identifies the resin type, not a guarantee that a local program accepts the item. Read labels as clues, then check the provider’s rules for that specific packaging.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Look for environmental claims that are specific, relevant to the product and supported by credible evidence; be cautious of broad words, missing context and labels with unclear standards. Compare the claim with the product’s main impacts and ask what is left out.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Usually the aim is to empty containers and remove enough food residue to meet local instructions, not to scrub every item spotless. Rinsing can help with accepted containers, but preparation rules vary by program.
Waste & circular living · Guide
A reusable bag can reduce disposable-bag use if it replaces them repeatedly and is kept clean and in service. Material, durability, and local disposal options matter, so use the bag you already have before buying more.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Home and industrial composting use different conditions, so a product suitable for one route may not break down in the other. Check the label and local acceptance before placing it in a compost system.
Waste & circular living · Guide
Neither glass nor plastic is always the better package. Compare reuse, local collection, food protection and transport for the specific item you buy, then use the package that fits your routine and recycling options.
