From shampoo bottles to foil: MEA Council highlights overlooked items this Recycle Week

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, is encouraging Borough residents to play their part in recycling

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has joined the UK-wide Recycle Week 2025 campaign, and encouraging residents to rescue overlooked household items from the bin and recycle them instead.

Running from 22 to 28 September, the campaign – now in its 22nd year – is the country’s biggest annual celebration of recycling.

This year’s theme, ‘Rescue Me! Recycle’, shines a spotlight on “missed capture” items that too often end up in general waste but can, and should, be recycled.

Following last year’s success, the campaign is introducing two new household items to the recycling mission: shampoo bottles and foil. They join existing focus items such as trigger sprays, aerosols, yoghurt pots, aftershave and perfume bottles, and toilet roll tubes.

Local leadership in recycling

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Jackson Minford, praised the community’s progress in recycling but urged residents to go further:

“Mid and East Antrim is making great strides in recycling. By rescuing those missed items, we can make our recycling efforts even more impactful. Let’s keep up the great work and make our Borough’s recycling better than ever before!”

Catherine David, CEO of WRAP, the organisation behind Recycle Now, said the campaign continues to be a key driver of change across the UK:

“Recycle Week continues to be a powerful moment to inspire action across the UK, and this year’s ‘Rescue Me! Recycle’ campaign is no exception.

“By highlighting everyday items like shampoo bottles, foil, and toothpaste tubes – things we often overlook – we’re helping people see the real impact of small changes.

Thanks to innovation and collaboration, more of these items can now be recycled than ever before. Together with local authorities and communities, we’re making it easier to do the right thing and keep valuable materials in use. Let’s rescue these items from the rubbish and give them a second life.”

Top recycling tips in Mid and East Antrim

Residents are being encouraged to:

• Recycle more of these items: shampoo bottles, foil, perfume bottles, toilet roll tubes

• Ensure the following are placed in recycling bins: cleaning product bottles, aerosols, yoghurt pots, aftershave and perfume bottles, plastic toiletry bottles, food tins

The council is also reminding people that recycling doesn’t have to be confusing and small changes can make a big difference to the environment.

For more details about Recycle Week and advice on what can be recycled, visit: www.recyclenow.com/RecycleWeek.