Recycling 101: How to Recycle Correctly at Home (Things Most People Get Wrong)
For a long time, my idea of recycling was very simple: “Just throw everything into the blue bin and feel good about it.” Later I realised that a lot of that “recyclable” waste never actually gets recycled — because it was mixed, dirty or the wrong type of material.
So I decided to properly learn how to recycle, but in a very simple way that fits my daily routine. This guide is exactly how I do it at home — no complicated rules, just clear, practical steps.
Recycling is just one part of my bigger sustainable lifestyle, which I’ve shared here:
👉 Ultimate Sustainable Living Guide
First rule I follow: reduce, then reuse, then recycle
This might sound obvious, but honestly it changed everything for me:
- Reduce – avoid unnecessary items in the first place.
- Reuse – use things as long as possible.
- Recycle – only what can genuinely be recycled.
This mindset also helped me cut down plastic overall:
👉 How I Reduce Plastic in My Daily Life
How I separate waste at home
I personally use three main categories:
- Wet / Organic: food scraps, peels, cooked leftovers
- Dry Recyclable: paper, cardboard, certain plastics, glass, metal
- Reject / Non-Recyclable: sanitary waste, multi-layered plastics, very dirty packaging
My kitchen has separate bins, which makes daily sorting very easy.
Wet waste often goes into compost, which I’ve written about here:
👉 Composting for Beginners
What I usually put in the recycling bin
These are the items I’m most comfortable sending for recycling (after rinsing and drying them):
- Newspapers, magazines, office paper
- Cardboard boxes (clean and flattened)
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal cans (soft drink, food cans)
- Plastic bottles and containers with clear symbols
I quickly rinse food containers so they don’t contaminate other recyclables.
Common things people think are recyclable (but usually aren’t)
These items often cause confusion — I used to get them wrong too:
- Oily pizza boxes
- Used tissue paper and paper towels
- Chip packets and most snack wrappers (multi-layered)
- Thermocol and some foams
- Heavily mixed-material items (like laminated paper)
Now I simply put these into the non-recyclable bin instead of “hoping” they’ll be recycled.
How eco-friendly products made recycling easier for me
When I shifted to more reusable and eco-friendly products, my dry waste automatically decreased. Steel bottles, glass jars, cloth towels — all these reduced the number of disposable items at home.
If you’re curious what I personally use, I’ve shared it here:
👉 Eco-Friendly Home Products I Personally Love
Recycling + composting = much smaller dustbin
The biggest change I’ve seen at home is this: my dustbin fills up much slower now.
Because I:
- Compost most of my wet waste
- Recycle a lot of my dry waste
- Reduce plastic and single-use items
My experience with composting is here if you want to connect both habits:
👉 Composting for Beginners
How recycling fits into my zero-waste journey
I don’t see recycling as a perfect solution — it’s just one important piece of the puzzle. It works best when combined with:
- Using less plastic in the first place – my plastic-reduction habits
- Reusing and repairing items
- Composting organic waste
- Living more mindfully overall – my zero-waste beginner guide
Final thoughts
Recycling correctly is not about memorising every symbol and rule. It’s about a few simple habits:
- Keep recyclables clean and dry
- Separate wet waste from dry waste
- Don’t throw “wishful items” into the recycling bin
- Try to reduce and reuse before recycling
Once you get used to this, recycling becomes automatic — just another small part of a lifestyle that feels lighter, cleaner and more responsible.
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