Recycling bins provide a crucial service in helping our communities properly dispose of waste and reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfills. Read this blog to find out more about the recycling journey and why it is so important.

What happens to recycling after it is collected? 

Have you ever wondered what happens to that empty drink can after you toss it into the recycling bin? Once your bottles, cans, papers and other recyclables are picked up, they embark on an intriguing journey to be transformed into new materials. 

After collection, recyclables are transported to a materials recovery facility to be sorted. This is where the real magic happens! Magnets, screens, filters and conveyor belts divide plastics, papers, metals and glass into separate streams. Plastics are further sorted by their resin codes. 

From there, the sorted materials are compacted into bales and sold to processors. 

• Metals are shredded and melted down to make new metal products. 
• Plastics are washed, melted and turned into pellets. 
• Papers are mixed with water and chemicals to create pulp and then rolled out to make new paper products. 
• Glass is crushed into a material called cullet and remelted endlessly to manufacture new glass.

Why do we have recycling bins? Is it that important? 

There are several reasons why recycling bins and centres are used. These include:

• Reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill sites. 
• Reducing carbon footprint.
• Using waste for renewable energy and being able to recycle waste so it can be reused.  

You have your black bags, and the first thing you do when you look at a black bag is instantly think rubbish, rubbish goes in, the bag gets collected and so the cycle goes on.

However, the purpose of these bins is to recycle, anything that can be recycled and waste that can be reused goes in the blue bins, usually their items such as cardboard, paper, metal tins and glass.  

The green bins are usually for organic waste such as grass cuttings and leaves. Essentially, anything that is organic and biodegradable is usually acceptable to go in these bins. 

Why recycle? What’s the point?

• Recycling reduces the need to make new products from raw materials, lessening the need to manufacture more products, and cutting down the use of natural resources, i.e. wood, metal and water. 
• Paper can be recycled, for example you recycle your newspaper/magazine it will be used again to make another newspaper/magazine.
• Glass is crushed, melted in a furnace and then used to create new bottles or jars.  
• Cans, are crushed, melted and then used to produce more cans or tins. 
• Garden waste – organic biodegradable is turned into compost to be used in the agriculture industry. 
• So, we can reuse, recycle and save money along with lowering our greenhouse gases and lowering the carbon footprint we are producing. 

What happens if we don’t recycle?

Although there are plenty of natural resources on the earth, they won’t last very long at the rate we’re using them up. Furthermore, if we don’t recycle more, there will be more rubbish dumped in landfill sites and more greenhouse gases will be emitted into the atmosphere.

Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics.

Waste management & reducing your disposal costs

When carrying out a large domestic or commercial project, waste disposal is usually something that is overlooked when trying to cut costs. But the costs can be cut significantly most projects rely on the same skip being used for multiple exchanges, with the principle of the skip being used for mixed waste. 

However, with the correct waste management and a realistic understanding of the waste being produced that will be leaving the site, costs can be cut if the waste is segregated into separate skips.

Why can it work out cheaper?  The main culprit is labour

As an example of the savings that can be achieved, general skips for mixed waste retail at a price of £260, including relevant taxes.  

Let’s say this mixed skip is going to contain the following most common elements of waste; wood, landfill and hardcore. If you had adequate space for three separate skips, you could save potentially £100 plus. 

The cost of a skip for clean hardcore starts from £120, depending on the location. If the waste is separated into individual skips, it cuts down on the cost of labour as we can tip these skips at designated waste areas at our waste transfer site with no need to pick or sort the waste. 

So, it ultimately saves money for you, along with saving money for us, as it saves money on labour and time. 

Need to manage your waste? Check out our waste removals service or contact us on 01353 649770. 

When it comes to choosing the right skip size, there’s much more to it than just how much waste you have to dispose of. Get it wrong, and you may find yourself spending more than you need to or unable to use your skip to its full capacity. In this article, we’ll explore which factors are important when considering mini vs midi skip sizes, helping you to make an informed decision for your next project.

Understanding skip sizes

Skips are measured in cubic yards, with the measurement referring to the volume of waste a skip can hold. Skips come in a variety of sizes and are grouped into mini and midi sizes, accommodating different types and volumes of waste. So which skip size is right for your project? Well, that depends….

Mini skip sizes
Mini skips are perfect for small domestic projects and typically come in 2-yard, 3-yard, and 4-yard skip sizes, with 2-yards skips able to hold 20-30 full bin bags, 3-yard skips accommodating 30-40 bin bags, and 4-yard skips being able to fit 40-50 bin bags.

These skips are compact and fit easily onto small driveways, making them ideal for small home clearances, garden clearances, or for those times when a good home clear-out is needed.

Midi skip sizes
Midi skips are larger and often used for more substantial home clearances or commercial clearances. They can also be used for small construction projects too, such as kitchen and bathroom renovations or extensions and conversions.

Sizes vary, and we advise clients hiring our 6-yard skips that they can expect them to hold 60-70 bin bags, and our 8-yard skips should comfortably accept 80-90 bin bags of waste.

Mini vs Midi Skips: How do I choose the right size?

Choosing the right size skip isn’t just about the volume of waste; here are some key considerations to help you make the right choice:

• Nature of waste: for instance, if you’re loading heavy materials into your skip, you may prefer to select a mini skip as it’s smaller and therefore easier to load with its shorter sides. If your project is a house clearance, you might choose a midi skip to easily fit large but light furniture.
• Available space: Due to their compact size, mini skips can fit comfortably on most driveways and gardens, while midi skips may not be suitable for smaller spaces.
• Budget: If your project is likely to generate a large amount of waste, a midi skip may be the most cost-effective hire for you, especially if you may otherwise need to hire multiple mini skips.

The decision to hire a certain skip size really comes down to your specific needs, the space available, and your budget.

For 40 years, our friendly team at Ely Skip Hire has been advising clients on which skip is best for them. Take a look at our range of skips now and contact the team for speedy skip delivery within two days.