Fost Plus shares tips & tricks for sorting summer essentials
Evere, - As the summer season kicks off and Belgium prepares for a series of outdoor festivals and activities, it's time to dust off the barbecues, dip into outdoor pools and enjoy the warm embrace of the sun. While having fun, let's stay vigilant when sorting household packaging to avoid anything likely to disrupt the sorting and recycling chain. Fost Plus is here to help people make the most of summer while respecting the environment. Without further ado, here are some best practices to remember when sorting PMD waste during summer.
Five summer packaging items to put in the blue bag
Whether you are at a festival or you are having a barbecue at home, it is important to properly sort your household packaging waste. Here are the top five packaging items to put in the PMD bins:
- Plastic bags from the salads for the barbecue
- Sparkling wine bottle muselets (wire cage)
- Empty sunscreen tubes or bottles
- (Children’s) juice drinks cartons
- Small plastic aperitif containers (olives, cheese cubes, hummus, etc.)
Five hazardous items that should not be put in PMD bins
Not all waste should be put in blue bags. Some products, even packaging, don’t belong on the blue bag because they will be sorted differently during recycling. To avoid explosions at the sorting centre, bring the following five items to the recycling park:
- Gas cylinders
- Fuel packaging
- Fuel cells
- Batteries
- Disposable electronic cigarettes
The same goes for healthcare waste: syringes, IVs and insulin doses for diabetics are particular items that require special handling and even are potentially dangerous for the people collecting the blue bag. Bring them to the recycling park so that they can be put in a specific container.
Five sorting doubts of the summer
As you prepare for a summer full of fun, some summertime essentials should not be put in blue bags. The main rule when in doubt is that only empty packaging can be put in the PMD bag. Still in doubt? The following five items are never to put in PMD bins, but all too often disappear in them:
- Camping tents
- Inflatable children's pools and jacuzzis
- Rubber rings
- Sunglasses
- Fabric
It’s weird, right, to sort a camping tent or a gas cylinder in the PDM bin? Unfortunately, Fost Plus did find these items in the collected blue bags recently. So, in the spirit of fun, sun and sustainability, let’s make this summer a memorable one while preserving our environment. After all, many small actions add up to make a big difference. So, while enjoying the sun and celebrating, let’s make sure that our selective sorting is done properly and encourage others to do the same!
For more information on sorting instructions, visit bettersorting.be/en or consult the “Recycle!” app. Together this summer, we can unite fun, sustainability and circularity!