Avoid black plastic food packaging – and the 16 other essential rules of effective recycling

Do you have to wash your tins before recycling them? Are glass milk bottles better than plastic? Do you need to use a bag for life, for life? All your questions about staying eco without it becoming a burden

Do you wrap your sandwiches in clingfilm or tinfoil? Perhaps you’re considering getting your milk delivered in glass bottles, but can’t decide if the environmental benefit justifies the financial cost. As Scottish retailers prepare for the introduction of a deposit return scheme, which will see a 20p deposit levied on all drinks packaged in single-use bottles or cans, and the UK parliament weighs up other options for increasing recycling rates, we pick our way through the intricacies of recycling.