Oxfordshire residents invited to 'get real' about recycling for national Recycle Week

Oxfordshire residents have been asked to join in with this year’s theme of ‘Let’s Get Real’ about recycling for the national Recycle Week 2022.

In Oxfordshire, there is a 59.5 per cent recycling and composting rate, which is above the national average of 44.4 per cent. However, to continue to tackle the climate emergency, Oxfordshire County Council is calling on people to do every little bit they can and get involved.

This includes checking in on people to see whether they are ‘wishcycling’, which is putting something in the recycling bin in the hope that it will be recycled, even though it might be unsuitable, contaminated or only partially recyclable.

Cllr Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, said: “Oxfordshire residents are already great at recycling, but there is always room for improvement when it comes to finding the best possible option for an item we no longer need.

“With busy lives and so many different types of items, packaging, and materials, we know there are times when householders can be unsure if something is recyclable or not. Wishcycling can affect the combined quality of the recycling collected and undo recycling carried out by your neighbours.”

Oxfordshire County Council have created an online Waste Wizard search tool that can help people put the right items in the right bin. The tool is available on the council’s website, which will enable residents to type in their postcode and the item they no longer need to find out where it could be repaired or donated, or which kerbside bin or recycling centre skip it can go in.

The Recycle Week is organised by national recycling campaign Recycle Now, and is part of the international climate action charity WRAP, and is now in its 19th year.

Sarah Clayton, head of citizen behaviour change at WRAP, said: “Last year was the most successful Recycle Week ever in terms of changing behaviour, with 82 per cent of people who saw the campaign content saying they had changed their behaviour as a result. We need to see that momentum continue.”

More advice and information about reducing the amount of waste produced can be found through Oxfordshire Recycles at https://www.facebook.com/OxfordshireRecycles/.