Tips For Reducing Your Use Of Plastic

Are you looking to reduce your use of single-use plastics in your home but not sure exactly how to start or just need a bit of inspiration as to alternatives you can use instead of going for the safe option of a e.g. plastic water bottle, then look no further, we’ll set out 8 steps you can take to start reducing plastic in your home today, and don’t worry they aren’t too drastic, just small changes that can make a big difference.

1. Carry reusable shopping bags

Do you often go to pick up some groceries and then have to pay for a plastic bag to get them home? Why not start carrying around reusable shopping bags? Pop some bags in the boot of your car or leave them beside your shopping list, somewhere you’ll remember to grab them on your way out on shopping days. And why not use them for more than just grocery shopping, use them for the likes of clothes shopping too!

2. Food packaging

Approximately 25% of domestic waste is from packaging. Supermarkets offer more biodegradable food packaging options instead of carrying some loose netting or reusable bags to pack fruit, veg, or baked goods.

3. Stop using plastic bottles of water

Why not invest in a reusable water bottle and bring this to work/ on walks/ to the gym and just generally when you are out and about, a lot of restaurants/ bars are happy to refill your reusable bottle for you when you’re on the go. Not to mention using a reusable bottle will save you a lot of money in the long run.

4. Use a reusable travel mug for tea/ coffee

Similar to the step above, bringing a reusable travel mug with you when getting take away teas/ coffees will help reduce your use of single-use plastics. And often times, if you are using a reusable cup the shop will give you a small discount on the cost of your drink.

5. Don’t get the little plastic table when ordering pizza

This is something many people wouldn’t even think of, but when ordering a takeaway pizza, ask the restaurant not to include a little plastic table in your pizza!

6. Cut back on frozen convenience foods

There is a lot of packaging used for frozen convenience foods, we aren’t saying stop buying them altogether, they are handy to have in, for busy evenings when you don’t have time to cook, but why not try cutting back on the number of frozen convenience foods you currently purchase.

7. Choose toilet paper not wrapped in plastic

A lot of toilet roll suppliers are now using an alternative to plastic wrapping, they are using paper which is much more widely recycled. Why not opt for these brands of toilet roll over the plastic-wrapped options.

8. Choose shampoo, not in plastic bottles

Some shampoo producers are working on innovative ways to produce their shampoo without using plastic bottles. You could do some research to find suppliers who are moving away from the use of plastic bottles and find one you like.

These are just some simple ideas to get you started on reducing the use of single-use plastics in your home.

Barna’s Recycling Process and Tips

Have you ever wondered what happens to your recycling waste once it has been collected from your home? This blog outlines Barna Recycling’s process and gives some recycling tips.

Barna Recycling takes great pride in our recycling waste disposal process. Did you know we export recycled plastic waste bales overseas? These bales are often shipped to Europe for use by energy plants. As plastics have a high energy content that can be converted to electricity, synthetic gas, fuels, and recycled feedstocks for new plastics.

Barna’s Waste Disposal Process

The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) has 40 member companies that collect, recycle & treat a wide range of waste types across 60 waste management facilities. These facilities are licensed by the EPA and approximately 30 waste management facilities are permitted by the local authorities in Ireland – Barna Recycling being one of those serving the Connacht region.

The process all starts in your home, whereby you separate your waste into general waste and recycling, compost too if you have a brown bin. Our licensed bin men then collect your blue bins on the designated day and deliver the waste materials to our EPA licensed recycling facility. These facilities can often be known as materials recovery facilities because that is the main objective, recover as much recyclable material within each load so that it can be re-used.

Once your waste materials are delivered to our facility, the recycled items are then sorted for processing on our picking line. Recycled waste is generally broken down into six categories: glass, aluminium and steel cans, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and packaging, and other non-recyclable residual materials. Most of this process can be operated mechanically, but some manual work is required to obtain maximum recovery of recyclable materials. Any waste materials that are contaminated or non-recyclable are removed at this stage. All recyclable materials in good condition, are then prepared for re-use.

• Plastic and cardboard waste is baled and exported for use by manufacturers or energy plants.
• Glass bottles and jars are cleaned, sorted, and crushed. This material then becomes known as cullet, which is the term used for furnace-ready recycled glass. It is then remoulded into new products.
• Aluminium cans go through a cleaning and sorting process. Once ready for reprocessing, the cans go through a re-melting process which removes any ink or other coatings present. It is then made into blocks called ingots which can then be milled to create new products.

Some interesting facts on what happens to your recyclable items:

• Plastic bottles are made into items such as kid’s swings.
• Around 650 aluminium cans are required to make a kid’s bike.
• If you recycle one aluminium can today, it can be made into a new can, get filled, and be back on the shelf in just six weeks.

Recycling Tips:

• Don’t use plastic bags to pack lunches or store food items, buy durable lunch and storage boxes instead. Using storage boxes with lids also reduces the need to use cling film or tinfoil to cover a plate or bowl.
• Make sure your small recycling bin inside the home and the main bin outside are kept dry and clean – if recyclable items get wet, it becomes contaminated and cannot be recycled.
• Reduce the number of items such as fruit and veg packaged with plastic waste.
• Take a reusable bag when going out shopping.
• If shopping online, look for sites that offer reduced packaging or more environmentally friendly packaging options.
• When you receive your online goods, look to re-use the packaging when possible.
• Clean out and dry all food and drink containers and take the lids off bottles.
• Flatten plastic bottles, containers, and cardboard.
• Look to eliminate or reduce your use of plastic plates, cutlery, straws, and cups.
• Have a designated bin or reusable box in your home for glass items and cans, this will make it easier to transport these to a bottle bank or recycling centre.
• Encourage a community clean-up in your area and get the family involved – contact your local authority as they often help by providing gloves, bags and pick up the waste collected.

View a full list of recyclable items here.

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