How to Recycle in Portsmouth Part 3: Recycling the Unrecyclable…Again

In the last of a three part series running this week, Emma Murphy from the Shades of Green blog adds some more items many assume cannot be recycled in Pompey.

Note: This article was originally published on Shades of Green and has been reprinted with permission.

So far, Tamara has shown you how to recycle all that you can through kerbside recycling or at the various recycling banks across Portsmouth and she’s even improved on that in a blog about items that take a little more effort to recycle.

Now I am jumping on Tamara’s recycling bandwagon and showing you how to recycle some of the most unrecyclable items that I’ve found in my home.

Elastic Bands

Pile of rubber bands

Dear Posties of Portsmouth, why you gotta keep dropping elastic bands on the pavement? Uncool.

If you want to get rid of a surplus of elastic bands, you could donate them to your local library (as my dad does), schools, or any other underfunded community group that needs to do admin work. It’s not recycling, but it is reusing and that’s much better.

Bonus points awarded for picking up elastic bands you find on the street or asking your postie not to drop them on the floor.

Pringles Cans (other brands are available)

I definitely eat way more Pringles than the average person. This used to make me feel bad because the cans can’t be recycled…

Until, shocker! The majority of the Pringles can is recyclable if you’re prepared to do a little work. Want to learn how? Check out the below.

The only thing I would add is that you need to just use your fingernails to pull the non-recyclable inner lining of the Pringles tube away from the cardboard. It’s a bit like finding the end on a roll of tape.

The metal bottom and the cardboard goes in your kerbside recycling, the plastic top goes in the plastic recycling skip at Sainsbury’s,  and the only thing to go into the bin in the silvery plastic-paper-foil covering inside the can.

Pens

Picture of pens that can be recycled

Miltoncross Academy has recently launched a pen recycling scheme in conjunction with TerraCycle, a recycling company that we’ve spoken about a few times on the Shades of Pompey blog.

Miltoncross will be collecting all kinds of writing implements for recycling, except for pencils and crayons. This includes:

  • Any brand of pen
  • Felt tips
  • Highlighters
  • Tippex Pots
  • Mechanical Pencils
  • Eraser Pens

Deborah Mason at Miltoncross Academy said that it’s part of the school’s drive to be more environmentally friendly. She said the school sees a lot of waste and they wanted to reduce this while also teaching the students how to be greener. The money raised will be donated to the Lord Mayor’s Charity.

If you want to recycle your pens with Miltoncross, you can drop the recycling off in their secure lobby and they are looking into getting collection points in other parts of the city.

Finally, we’d like to hear from you. How do you feel about being able to recycle these items? Are there any other items that you would like to see Shade of Green attempt to recycle? Let us know in the comments below or email the Shades of Green blog at blog@portsmouth.greenparty.org.uk.

Head over to Shades of Green to find out more about recycling in Portsmouth, as well as lots of other articles on local green living. Make sure you check out their fantastic Guide to Socially Conscious Sex!