Top 7 Tips On How To Reduce, Reuse And Recycle At Home After The Holiday Season

The holiday season is the most awaited time of the year when we can relax, rest, and enjoy family time. However, during this period, waste volumes increase due to more grocery shopping, the giving and receiving of gifts, decorations and more. Thinking of how we can be more sustainable in 2023, we have highlighted top seven tips on reducing, reusing and recycling the holidays’ waste at home.

1. Household Bins

Ensure you maximise the space in your bins by breaking down waste before you put it in. This is especially important for the recycling bin. Cardboard boxes and packaging can quickly take up a lot of space, so be sure to break down bulkier items. Remember that overflowing bins or items left out beside your bins may not be taken away.

As a safety precaution, we always advise our customers not to leave boxes of expensive items, such as new TVs or game consoles beside their bins as this may encourage theft. If you do not have space for such boxes, bring them to your local civic amenity site, or store them in a shed or garage until you have sufficient room to put them in your bin.

If your bin is overflowing well in advance of your collection day, call the Barna Customer Care Team on 091 771619 to discuss your options. 

2. Christmas Trees

Real Christmas trees can easily be recycled or shredded into chippings and used in parkland areas. Artificial Christmas trees cannot be recycled but can be reused and donated to family, friends, or a local charity shop. If these are not possible, you can bring your artificial Christmas trees to a civic amenity site to dispose of. Find your nearest civic amenity site here.

An artificial Christmas tree is seen as a bulky waste item. It can be brought to your local civic amenity site (except our civic amenity site in Clifden) to be disposed of. Our civic amenity sites will also accept real Christmas trees. Find out more ways on how you can recycle or replant your Christmas tree.

A cool fact to know is that if a household reuses a plastic tree for up to five years, it’s carbon footprint will be smaller than a household that buys a real tree every year.

3. Decorations & Baubles

When taking down your decorations, some items may be broken and need to be disposed of. Often items that are deemed to be single-use items can be used again, so before you dispose of everything, take a minute to think if this could be used again next year. It is best to sort through your decorations as you are taking them down. Please note that any electrical items that contain a battery must also have the batteries removed before being disposed of or for safety reasons.

Items such as tinsel that can’t be used again can be placed in the general waste bin. Fresh wreaths can be put into your compost bin once you take off any non-compostable materials. Broken glass baubles need to be brought to the bottle bank, and lights and electrical appliances that no longer work can be brought to a WEE disposal site. Any decorations wholly made of metal should be brought to your local civic amenity site.

4. Holidays Cards

It is safe to place the holiday cards you received in your home recycling bin. These may not be recyclable if the card contains glitter or any bulky designs. Any plastic, paper or cardboard design materials are recyclable. Still, if it contains excess glitter, ribbons or homemade cards that contain glue, these cards must go in the general waste bin.

5. Wrapping Paper

The most important thing to note is that not all wrapping paper is recyclable. Any wrapping paper containing glitter, foil, or tape will have to go in the waste bin. The ribbon also goes in your general waste bin – or you can save it and reuse it again for wrapping presents next year.

Try and save any reusable pieces of wrapping paper and store them safely for next year. Save any gift bags that can be used again next year too. But be sure to take off any name tags from the bag!

6. Toys

Plastic toys can be brought to the civic amenity site. If the toys are in good condition, they can be brought to your local charity shop or donated to family and friends.

7. Batteries and Chargers

Batteries are still important for controllers and children’s toys. However, they cannot be disposed of at home. You must bring them back to where they were purchased or to a civic amenity site. Electrical items such as chargers also need to be disposed of correctly. They need to be returned to where they were purchased or brought to a WEEE drop-off recycling point or your local Civic Amenity Site to be disposed of. Click here for more information on how to dispose of WEEE the right way.

Lower Your Costs With Waste Management In 2023

Barna is Connacht’s leading provider of waste management services, providing a professional, reliable and environmentally friendly service. Join Ireland’s number one environmentally friendly waste collection provider and enjoy the peace of mind that we will recycle what you throw away.

Decluttering Tips & Trips For A Stress-Free Holiday Season

At Barna Recycling, we understand decluttering your homes during the busiest time of the year can be overwhelming, so we have outlined some of our top decluttering tips to follow for a stress-free & mess-free holiday season!

From clearing out the massive mess in the shed, old clutter in the attic and sorting out all the unused clothing, old blankets, and bedding to old books, now is the perfect time to deep clean your homes inside and out before the holiday season!
 
Below, we have outlined our top three decluttering tips and key information to help you understand what to do with the different types of waste from your home clear out.  

Decluttering Tip 1: Use Your Local Civic Amenity Site  

Our first top decluttering tip is to take advantage of Barna Recycling’s purpose-built Civic Amenity Sites. These local sites will assist you greatly when clearing out your home. We have seven civic amenity sites across Connacht for your convenience, where you can dispose of a large variety of non-hazardous and recyclable household waste at a reduced cost. Click here to find out where your nearest recycling centres might be located.

Here are some of the benefits of using one of our civic amenity sites

• They are cost-effective and cheap to use. 
• Accept a wide range of items, including hazardous materials. 
• They are clean, local, and easily accessible. 
• Open on weekends to make them more accessible to all. 
• They are well laid out and marked for each waste material. 
• Cater for small and large deliveries in the exact location. 
• Provide WEEE and Glass Bottle services free of charge. 
• Cater for small and large deliveries in the exact location. 

Decluttering Tip 2: Check The Types of Items Accepted At The Civic Amenity Sites 

Our second decluttering tip is important for the correct disposal of waste. Below are examples of types of items accepted at our sites.
 
Old blankets/ Bedding & Mattresses: Some of our civic amenity sites will also accept any type of clothing, footwear, and textiles, including blankets, at selected civic amenity sites. However, an extra charge would apply for disposing of bedding and mattresses.
 
Books: Generally, books should be placed in the household recycling bin. However, if you have a large volume of old books, phone books, newspapers, and magazines, you can dispose of them at some of our local civic amenity sites.
 
Electrical items: You can bring unwanted electrical waste, more commonly known as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), such as Computers, Monitors, Mobile Phones, Electronic Toys, Game consoles, Speakers, Headphones and electrical appliances to your local amenity site to dispose of it free of charge. Check out our blog for decluttering tips on disposing of WEEE items.

Old Swing sets and Garden Furniture: If you have an old garden swing or garden furniture still in working condition, you could consider selling it, passing it on to someone else or donating it to local charity shops. If they require disposal, you can bring them to your nearest local civic amenity site. Most wood, metal, and plastic furniture are widely accepted and recycled at civic amenity sites. If you have large volumes of garden waste or are undertaking bigger garden projects where you are completely redoing your lawn, landscaping, cutting or removing hedging, then hiring a skip would be the right option for you.
 

Decluttering Tip 3: Too Much Waste? Hire a Skip 

 You can choose to hire a skip, which makes throwing away rubbish much quicker and easier. At Barna Recycling, we have skips of all sizes for all purposes, so you can be sure we will have one to suit your needs and requirements– have a look at our helpful skip sizing guide here for more information. 

Declutter Your Home Stress-Free With Barna Recycling 

The items accepted will vary for each of our civic amenity sites. Please be sure to call in advance or check our website for the complete list of items accepted at your nearest centre. The charges for the items you bring to the respective civic amenity centre will be based on the type of vehicle you have, not the quantity or weight of the waste items themselves.
 
Our Barna Recycling team are always on hand at our civic amenity sites to greet you on arrival, assist you with drop-offs, and provide you with advice and information about recycling and waste disposal. Follow our top decluttering tips and have a stress-free and mess-free holiday season.

Soft Plastic Recycling

Wondering what soft plastic is and if it is recyclable? This blog explores all about soft plastic recycling, from its definition to tips on how to dispose of your soft plastic waste. Barna Recycling has invested in technological advancements allowing us to sort, recover and dispose of different plastic materials. Each household increasing their efforts to dispose of plastic is an essential & positive step for managing recycling plastic packaging waste in the country, and that includes soft plastic recycling. It will help put Ireland a huge step forward towards achieving the increased packaging recycling targets set by the EU. 
 
Currently, Ireland recycles less than one-third (28 per cent) of all plastic packaging waste.  
 
Irish Data from 2018 shows that out of the 264,000 tonnes of plastic packaging generated, only 82,000 was recycled. Almost all remaining plastic packaging was often shipped overseas to Europe for incineration or use by energy plants.  

What is soft plastic? 

Soft plastic is any type of plastic that you can scrunch in your hand. Good types of soft plastic are shrunken wraps, plastic carrier bags, toilet roll wrappers, plastic bread bags, zip lock bags, and bubble wrap.

Soft Plastic Recycling: defining if the plastic is recyclable 

A good indicator if plastic is soft and recyclable is to pull on the plastic to see if it stretches. This means the plastic is not laminated and can be recycled. 

If the plastic doesn’t stretch, this means it’s laminated or coated and, therefore, probably not recyclable. These types of plastic are removed during our sorting process for rigid and soft plastic recycling and sent to waste to energy recovery. Examples of non-soft plastics are foil-based packaging, neither netting, polystyrene and foam.

Rigid plastics, such as plastic bottles and food trays, are accepted in the recycling bin. Going forward, households can place all plastic packaging waste, including soft plastic, into the recycling bin if they’re clean, dry and loose.

Remember to place your recycling materials loose, clean, and dry into your bin. Please do not place your recycling items in a plastic bag. 

You can always check What Goes in My Blue Bin if you are unsure of items that can be recycled.
 

Barna’s Soft Plastic Recycling Process and Tips 

• Once your plastic waste is placed in the household recycling bin, our collection crew then collect your recycling bins on the designated day and deliver the waste materials to our EPA-licensed recycling facility.  
• Once your waste materials are delivered to our facility, the recycled items are then sorted for processing on our picking line. 
• Here, the recycled waste is separated into six different categories such as paper, cardboard or hard plastics, glass, aluminium & steel cans. 
• As a result of new technology and investment, soft plastics can now be segregated in this same way with the use of advanced optical sorting equipment, which facilitates the soft plastic recycling process. 
• Plastics have a high energy content that can be converted to electricity, synthetic gas, fuels, and recycled feedstocks for new plastics. 
• The recyclable plastic & cardboard waste is baled & shipped abroad to be sold and recycled in European and other markets or used by manufacturers or energy plants.

Interesting Facts about Plastic  

• Plastic makes up 90% of the rubbish in our oceans 
• Plastic production uses 8% of the world’s oil production 
• Every ton of plastic that is recycled saves 30 barrels of crude oil 
• A plastic bag takes 500 years to break down in a landfill 
• Recycling 1 plastic bottle saves the same amount of energy needed to power a 60-Watt light bulb for 6 hours 

 Items that can be made from recycled plastic bottles include: 

• Fleece 
• Sleeping Bags 
• Backpacks 
• Dog Beds 
• 25 large plastic soft drink bottles will make 1 Fleece Jacket 

Clothes Recycling: 5 Tips To Repurpose And Dispose Of Old Textiles

Textile and clothes recycling is not always on people’s sustainability radar. But now that you’ve managed to create a low-waste, eco-friendly bathroom, it’s time to finally get around to reorganising your bedroom to recycle & repurpose your used clothing, old mattresses & duvets.

Here at Barna Recycling we often find our customers wondering what to do with clothes that are old or no longer fit and textiles that have already seen their share of wear & tear. But don’t worry, we got you covered. There are plenty of sustainable solutions for repurposing, disposing, and recycling clothes and other old textiles, which we have outlined below. 

5 Tips For Clothes Recycling And Disposal

1. Shopping Smart  

Firstly, it’s important to understand that the textile industry is the second largest contributor to global pollution (Source: mywaste.ie) Every piece of clothing you wear, or use has gone through a complex manufacturing process that uses a high amount of electricity, water, and other energy sources.

Unwanted textiles and clothes recycling & upcycling save energy by reducing or eliminating the need to make materials from scratch. Before you purchase a new piece of clothing, shoes etc, always think do I need it and will I wear it. 

 2. Pass/Swap/Hand Them Down 

Before you decide to dispose of or recycle the clothes and textiles that you no longer use or wear, consider passing them on to a friend or a family member if they might be interested in them. Remember to be honest about any damage and wash the clothes before you pass them along. There are also several online platforms that allow you to swap or re-sell your clothing, such as Facebook Marketplace & Depop to name just a few options available. 

Alternatively, you can also see if those closest to you are up for swapping a few items. Invite them over for a few drinks and get the party started. This way you are recycling clothes by giving them a new life & everyone goes home happy with some new pieces they can add to their wardrobe for free!  

 3. Donate To Charity

You can also donate clothes & textiles in good condition to local charity shops as there are often non-profits and charities that would be extremely grateful for your donation. Over 10 million garments per annum are handled via charity or second-hand shops. Using charity shops often means the sales from the clothing benefit causes in your local area or community.

Some organisations accepting clothing donations are Enable Ireland, Oxfam, NCBI, Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) and Liberty Recycling. The Irish Charity Shops Association website will help you to find your nearest charity shops & clothing banks near you. 

4. Transform & Upcycle – An Alternative Way of Clothes Recycling

You can transform clothes that are damaged, stained/have holes into new items such as face masks, tablecloths, cleaning cloths, blankets, padding for chairs, bags, t-shirts and so much more! Interested in alternative ways of clothes recycling? All it takes is a little creativity and vision. You can check out Pinterest or some DIY YouTube videos for inspiration. 

5. Civic Amenity Sites

If you feel you cannot do any of the above with large volumes of old textiles, you can always bring them to your local civic amenity site or clothing banks near you. Some of our civic amenity sites will also accept any type of clothing, footwear, textiles, including blankets at selected civic amenity sites. However, an extra charge would apply for disposing of bedding and mattresses. By disposing of your clothing & textile items correctly you are playing your part in making for a cleaner, greener environment.   

How Is The Process For Old Textiles & Clothes Recycling? 

• After your clothes are collected from the various points the first step to clothes recycling is to segregate them into wearable and unwearable, or usable and unusable products. In most cases washing facilities are used to prepare the clothes for re-use of re-sale. 
• Once the textiles are properly sorted, they are then pulled into fibres or shredded, which results in yarn. Depending on the end use of the yarn, other fibres may be added into the mix. It then is re-spun so that it can be reused, either by being knitted or woven. 
• Any fibre that cannot be spun into yards is compressed into filling, such as insulation or textile filling inside of mattresses. 
• If you’re recycling polyester-based textiles, these are granulated into polyester chips. The chips are then melted so that they can create new fibres for new polyester textiles. 
• In recent years the most popular method of re-using clothes is charity shops or re-se second chance shops 

Top Barna Textiles & Clothes Recycling Tips: 

• The big advantage of charity shops is not only are the clothes re-used and not treated as waste, and it also helps provide financial assistance to a particular charity. 
• If dropping your unwanted clothes to a charity shop, familiarise yourself with other items they make take for upcycling or re-selling such as household goods, books, electrical items etc not all if these shops are dedicated only to clothes. 
• When dropping off clothes always have a look at what’s for re-sale and help the charity by purchasing something on the same journey. 
• Bedclothes, duvets are not always accepted by all charities check in advance of travelling. 
• It’s important to point out clothes that are heavily soiled or damaged can still be taken in some banks and this should be checked in advance. 
• Old clothing not able for re-use can still be put to good use by being shredded and re-used for things such as furniture stuffing.  

Now that you know there are plenty of sustainable options for old textile and clothes recycling and disposal, how about sharing these tips with your friends and family?

How To Reduce Household Waste Disposal In Your Bathroom

When it comes to reducing household waste disposal, we find that bathroom waste often gets overlooked. However, we all use toiletries, personal care items and bathroom cleaners daily, which makes our bathroom packed with recyclables! 
 
If you take a minute to examine your personal care, beauty, and general hygiene routine, you might be surprised to find that often there is more waste in your bathroom than anywhere else in the house! From shampoo bottles, shower gels, soap packaging, disposable razors to bathroom cleaners and toilet rolls, the list is endless. And most importantly, you need to know how and where to dispose of your waste correctly. 
 
Below we have outlined some handy tips and techniques for creating a low-waste, eco-friendly bathroom and reducing household waste disposal.

Start Reducing Your Household Waste Disposal By Decluttering & Reorganising 

Firstly, I am sure you will agree with us when we say the fewer products you have in your bathroom, the less waste you will produce. So, here is how to start reducing your household waste disposal: 

• Occasionally, dedicate time to reorganise and rearrange all your cosmetics, toiletries, and personal care items, to know what you need and use regularly and keep them easy to reach. 
• Dispose of the items that you do not need and the ones that have expired 

Shopping Smart Is Key For Reducing Household Waste Disposal 

Many cosmetics, toiletries, and even toothpaste tubes often come with excessive plastic packaging and cardboard boxes, including those that say are eco-friendly products!  Try to avoid purchasing these products if you wish to reduce your household waste disposal.  

• Opt for products that come with sustainable, biodegradable, or compostable packaging materials, corrugated bubble wrap, biodegradable foam beads and more. 
• With boxes or bubble wrap, it is always a good idea to reuse them where possible. 

Use Biodegradable Products 

• Looking to reduce your household waste disposal of plastic? Instead of tossing out used plastic combs or brushes, make the switch to a biodegradable bamboo or wooden toothbrush/hairbrush. You can find wooden and bamboo combs and brushes that are all natural, biodegradable, and very stylish! 
• Switch to using soap bars and shampoo bars to eliminate the use of plastic bottles completely, dramatically reducing household waste disposal of plastic. This is way more eco-friendly and cheaper when compared to liquid soap, shampoos and shower gels that come in plastic containers and non-recyclable plastic pumps. 
• When it comes to makeup or skincare, it is quite common to use up cotton pads per day and throw them after use. Instead, switch to using washable cotton makeup removal pads, which can be washed along with your regular laundry. Several make-up brands, in fact, reward you for recycling their old products which might be worth looking into. 
• To create more impact, look for organic, palm oil-free soaps made from natural ingredients without any animal testing and comes with compostable packaging. 

Know What You Can Recycle In Your Bathroom And Dramatically Reduce Household Waste Disposal 

Are you looking for ways to reduce household waste? The good news is that a LOT of your bathroom waste items can in fact be recycled. Here is a list of that can (and should) be recycled from the bathroom: 

• Shampoo, conditioner & shower gel Bottles 
• Toilet roll tubes 
• Hand soap bottles (reuse or remove the pump dispenser as you cannot recycle it) 
• Cardboard boxes, e.g., toothpaste or soapboxes 
• Bathroom cleaner and bleach bottles 
• Deodorant lids 

Note: Items like nappies, toilet rolls, wipes, and cotton wool CANNOT be recycled and would have to be disposed of in the general waste bin (black Barna bin) 

All items being recycled must be clean, dry, and loose. So be sure to rinse out any bottles and containers before popping them in the recycling bin. You can also check What Goes in My Blue Bin if you are unsure of items that you can recycle. 

Schools Easter Competition

Fancy winning an Easter egg?! Barna Recycling has created a colourful Easter competition for your school. There is a chance for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in each category.The best out of the bunch will win themselves an Easter egg!

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