Why should I recycle?

If something recyclable is put in your household waste bin, it is really a wasted resource.

The materials we collect from your kerbside and through our recycling centres are made into products that can be used again. Although nothing from our waste streams is entirely wasted - even household waste is sorted and treated to make fuel - it is not an efficient process compared to recycling.

Click here to find out what happens to your recycling after it's collected and taken to our partners, Cumbria Waste Management, and here for more on what happens to recycling generally.

From the sea to the land, Earth is becoming a 'plastic planet.' Most of the plastic waste in the UK doesn't actually end up in our oceans, but a lot is disposed of in our environment – burned or buried in landfill sites. People are increasingly worried about this and its impact on nature, and they're right to be. 79% of all the plastic waste ever created is still in our environment. We are leaving a legacy of plastic waste on our planet that will take years to put right. Reducing our useage means less material will be created in the first place. Reusing means our things will last longer, and we won't have to use the earth's resources to constantly make more. Recycling helps 'close the loop' so that resources can be used again and again - fewer new things are created, and fewer old ones are thrown away to become part of our plastic legacy.