It’s Recycle Week 2026 (September 14-20) and we’re backing Wales Recycles’ Mighty Mission to give some of the everyday things we use at work a chance to climb the career ladder too.
Because when you put something in the right bin, you’re helping to give it another job (and some of these recyclables have surprisingly impressive prospects).
That can’s got places to go
That empty drinks can or scrunched-up piece of sandwich foil might look like it’s finished for the day, but it’s got plenty more work ahead.
Metal can be recycled again and again without losing its quality. And recycling just one can saves enough energy to power a TV for around four hours.
So put it in the right bin and send it onto its next big role.
The tea bag ready for the next round
Back to work after the summer holidays, the office kettle has entered its busiest season. Luckily, your tea bag has more to offer than getting you through back-to-back meetings.
Recycling tea bags, fruit peelings and other inedible food waste creates nutrient-rich fertiliser. So, while you’re taking a well-earned lunch break, your food waste could be getting ready for their next big project.
The plastic bottle with a whole new career ahead
Finished your drink? The bottle’s working day might be over, but its career could just be getting started.
Recycling one plastic bottle saves enough energy to charge a laptop almost four times. That’s this week’s Teams calls sorted.
Plastic bottles, yogurt pots, meal deal tubs and plastic trays… give them a little rinse and put them in the right bin so they can be processed and transformed into new products and packaging.
From desk-side re-fuelling to their next big role.
Keep the same standards at work
Try not to get complacent and keep the same recycling standards as if you were at home, because it’s actually much easier to recycle in workplaces than it used to be.
Under Workplace Recycling Regulations, all businesses, charities, and public sector organizations in Wales must legally separate, store, and present specific recyclable materials separately from general waste and from each other.
So, keep on recycling at your workplace!
And if you’re returning to school, college, or university…
The message is the same – remember to keep recycling!
Since April 2024, Welsh law requires all schools, colleges, and universities to sort and separate their waste for recycling. Educational settings must separate materials like food, glass, metal, plastic, paper, and card from general waste.
Many of us have been enjoying some time away from our studies and workplaces during the summer holidays, but now we’re into September it’s important to maintain our good recycling habits as we return to school, college, university and work.
So, take a moment to check what you can recycle and where you can recycle it as you return to education or work. There will be a number of recycling bins available to use, and you can probably recycle more things than you think.
“Familiarise yourself with the different recycling points”
Cllr David A Bithell, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Environment, said: “Making sure you continue to recycle when you’re away from home really makes a difference.
“It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different recycling points that are available at school, on campus, or at work which will help you to keep recycling everything you can.”
Recycling in Wrexham
In Wrexham, you can recycle lots of different items as part of our weekly recycling service, and all kinds of things at the three recycling centres. Take a look at our website for more information.
