TOP 6 most common mistakes when separating waste. How not to make them?

Yellow, blue or green? Add black and brown! How many colours do you know for your waste bins? It turns out that segregating what we throw away is sometimes quite a puzzle. Our guide will help you solve it.

Yellow, blue or green? Add black and brown! How many colours do you know for your waste bins? It turns out that segregating what we throw away is sometimes quite a puzzle. Our guide will help you solve it.

While we have no doubts about where to throw away a crushed can or a scribbled piece of paper, there is some waste whose separation is not obvious.

We'll make it easy for you to segregate, read carefully!

  • Meat and fish leftovers should go in the black bin, the one for mixed waste. This is primarily determined by sanitary considerations. Larvae are involved in the decomposition process of animal products. It is therefore important that this waste does not accidentally end up in the brown bin.
  • The crumpled milk carton should go in the yellow plastic and metal bin. It is a multi-material packaging that consists of three layers. The visible part of the packaging is made of cellulose, while inside there is a barrier version made of aluminium and plastic. 
  • Empty medicine blisters should be placed in a black container.  They are made of plastics and aluminium. Despite the fact that both raw materials are recyclable, no such installation has yet been developed that can separate the above-mentioned materials.
  • The receipts should also be in a black container. They are printed on thermal paper, which has different properties to recycled paper and therefore will not be recyclable. Interestingly, some shops introduce green receipts that are grey-blue in colour, in which case there is a message on them stating that they can be disposed of in the blue bin. 
  • You do not need to wash glass and plastic packaging before throwing it away.  They must be emptied of their contents, but they do not have to be clean. They are cleaned mechanically.
  • Bread and bread rolls should go in the brown bin for biodegradable waste. These are plant products and can be useful for making compost to fertilise your garden.

By applying the above tips, you will already be one step away from earning your segregation savvy badge. By implementing even just these six tips, you will be doing something good for the planet. And if you're already doing it and want to take it to the next level? Read our portal regularly and check out further texts.

Read also