Recycling essentials

Be a better recycler

What happens to my recycling?

Mighty recovery shake

fresh-strawberries-delicious-milkshake-and-dumbbe-2024-10-18-08-26-56-utc

Recipe - Mighty recovery shake

Healthy fruit crumble

rhubarb-and-strawberry-crumble-2025-02-12-01-49-28-utc

Recipe - Healthy fruit crumble

No-fuss egg bake

breakfast-2025-02-19-19-54-15-utc

Recipe - No-fuss egg bake

Jazzed up stew

the-cabbage-soup-in-plate-healthy-vegetable-soup-2025-03-15-23-53-19-utc

Recipe - Jazzed up stew

Mix 'n' match curry

vegetable-and-pork-rice-dish-2025-04-01-04-37-46-utc

Recipe - Mix 'n' match curry

Easy Loaded Chilli - Built for busy weeks and big flavour

chili-con-carne-served-with-white-rice-2025-03-10-04-22-06-utc

Recipe - Easy Loaded Chilli

Introduction

Reduce

Reuse

Upcycling

A shot from behind a young person holding a sewing needle with thread. On the table in front of them are many colourful threads on bobbins.

Sewing

Reduce and reuse: the new ‘make do and mend’

Ways to reduce the amount of waste you create

Ways to reuse items

Ways to repair old items

Row of clear dispensors containing cereals and grains

Refill station RM 0483 SS

How to reduce, reuse and repair

New Year's Resolutions List

Ending of New Year's Recycling Resolutions

Some glass bottles in a clear plastic box held by a man

Glass bottles

Kick start your year with our mighty New Year recycling resolutions, here to help you recycle more of the right things, more often.

Mighty New Year Recycling Resolutions

Steps to start recycling

Find out how and where to recycle a specific item

Cat in Kitchen DSC6848-web

How to recycle at home – getting started

Ever wondered what really happens to your recycling? H2 Block

Ever wondered what really happens to your recycling?

Food Waste video H2 Block

Why is it important to recycle food waste?

What can go in your food waste caddy?

What can’t go in your food waste caddy?

What happens to my food waste?

A collection of different types of food waste

Food Waste header image

How to recycle food waste

Garden Waste Video H2 Block

Why recycle garden waste?

How is garden waste recycled?

How is it used?

How to recycle garden waste at home

How is garden waste recycled? Image

Cans video H2 block

Why is it important to recycle cans?

How are cans recycled?

How are recycled cans used?

How to recycle food tins and drinks cans

White hand putting drink can into a plastic container with other cans

Drink can

Plastic video H2 block

Why is it important to recycle plastic?

How is plastic recycled?

How is recycled plastic used?

How to recycle plastic

Find out which plastics you can recycle at home

Pump being removed from clear plastic handwash bottle

Plastic bottle

Paper & Cardboard video H2 block

Why is it important to recycle paper?

How is paper recycled?

How is recycled paper used?

How to recycle paper

Paper

How is glass recycled?

Why is it important to recycle glass?

Glass video H2 block

How is recycled glass used?

How to recycle glass

Collection of green and brown glass bottles

Glass bottles - Image

Recycling food waste to create power

How food waste generates electricity

How to get started

How can recycled food waste create energy?

My Recycling Wales

Collection at kerbside

Processing at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Example MRF Sorting Process

Problems caused by contamination

Check what you can put in your recycling containers at home

Anaerobic digestion

Screengrab from myrecyclingwales.org.uk/cy homepage showing map of Wales with containers and material stream icons along with introductory text: "Ble mae'ch ailgylchu yn mynd?
Mae fy Ailgylchu Cymru yn eich galluogi i bori awdurdodau lleol Cymru a gweld beth sy'n digwydd i'ch gwastraff ledled y DU, a hyd yn oed o gwmpas y byd. Dysgu mwy"

My Recycling Wales screengrab

Contamination explained

Tips to avoid contamination in your recycling

Find out what you can recycle at home

10 household items most commonly misplaced

Pyrex

Contamination

The environmental impact of recycling

Five recycling myths

JCB on top of a mountain of waste at a landfill site

Landfill-hill-with-digger TC-RM-0235 SS

Why is it important to recycle?

Why is it important to recycle electrical items?

How are electrical items recycled?

How is WEEE used?

How to recycle broken or unwanted electrical items

Find out if you can recycle electrical items at home

How to recycle electrical items - Image

How are electricals recycled?

Why is it important to recycle cartons?

How are cartons recycled?

How are recycled cartons used?

How to recycle cartons

Find out if you can recycle cartons at home

White woman opening a milk carton in a kitchen

How are cartons recycled? Image

Top 10 things everyone can recycle from the bathroom

Five hacks to help you keep your bathroom recycling in check

Find out which bathroom plastics you can recycle at home.

A selection of recyclable bathroom packaging in a basket on a bathroom floor

recycling-from-the-bathroom

How to recycle from the bathroom

Where does my recycling go?

The on-pack recycling label (or OPRL)

3CartonsOfMilk FD 0392 SS

Understanding recycling symbols

Why compost?

How to start composting

Woman putting leaves in a compost heap in a garden

hero-C R-composting garden 0093 IS

How to set up home composting

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Terms and Conditions

Community guidelines

Accessibility statement

Home

Recycle an item

Where to recycle

Things you might not know can be recycled

Not sure if you can recycle it from home or not? Keep reading…

How to recycle

Recycling

About Wales Recycles

Our Recycling Locator tool

FAQs

Contact Us

Help and information

Recycle Now

Zero Waste Scotland

Northern Ireland Recycles

Around the UK

Recycling Essentials

Real nappies

Recycling knowledge

What we do/Who we work with

Beyond Recycling

News from Wales Recycles

Join the mighty mission

Become a partner

Mighty Food Waste Mission

Join our mighty mission

About us

Browse categories

Campaign

Was this page useful? Let us know your feedback.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (which operates as WRAP) is a registered UK Charity No. 1159512. 4125764. Registered office at