Do you want to contribute your grain of sand to environmental sustainability? If so, recycle at home! In your rental home, in your second home, in the home you own.

At home there are many ways in which recycling is not only possible but also easy. You just have to be aware of them and get on with it. Don’t be lazy! Take note of these tips on how to recycle at home and soon you will be able to welcome your guests to the “sustainable republic of your home”.

Tips on recycling at home

• Tip 1 | Reduce waste. The more uses you give things the less waste you will generate. So, before asking yourself if what you have in your hand goes in the blue, green or yellow container, ask yourself another question: could I reuse it in some way? It doesn’t have to be an identical or similar use. It can be a totally different one! A jam jar full of coloured stones can make a great decoration.
• Tip 2 | Four containers of different colours. Once reusing it has been ruled out, what you have in your hand is now officially waste. Before throwing it away, the question now is: which container does it go in? So as not to mix up waste, it’s best to have four containers of four different colours. This makes it easier to pick the right one. The usual is a blue container or bag for paper and cardboard; yellow for plastic and packaging; green for glass; and black for organic waste.
• Tipe 3 | Space for waste that will go to the drop-off recycling centre. Household appliances, batteries, light bulbs, electronic items, oil, medicine, etc. are all waste that should be left at drop-off recycling centres, that are usually to be found in various places: from chemist’s to supermarkets and local government facilities. Find out from your local government where you can take this kind of waste. They will often pick up furniture and household appliances from your home.
• Tip 4 | Make use of leftovers for future meals. Western societies tend to generate a lot of food waste. From food whose sell-by date has expired to leftovers. What a pity! Prevent this by freezing leftovers or using them for the next day’s meals. You don’t have to eat the same thing every day. Why not make a sauce to go with yesterday’s leftovers?
• Tip 5 | Teach the kids how to recycle as if it were a game. If you’re not already doing so, recycling at home is easy once you get used to it. We are creatures of habit! And it will be easier for the kids if they learn how to recycle at home from an early age. Especially if they treat it as a kind of game! Make it a competition: which container does this go in? If they get it right, say, for example, that they have prevented a bird from hurting its wing on a piece of glass.

In this way, as mentioned above: You can create “the sustainable republic of your home”! At Testa Residencial, a company specialising in home rentals, we are committed to environmental sustainability, and hope these tips will be useful to you when recycling at home. Remember, contribute your grain of sand in your rented property and recycle at home!