It’s a pleasure when my son volunteers to help around the house. It doesn’t happen as much as I would like so when he offers to help clean our guinea pigs’ hutch it’s hard to turn him down.
He loves knowing that little Marcel has a clean bed to go to and I like knowing that we are doing our bit by recycling his old bedding.
You can do the same too. The hay or straw that keeps your small pets toasty can be easily recycled. Because rabbits, hamsters and Marcel’s guinea-friends don’t eat meat their used bedding can be added to your garden waste – just put it in the white sack or brown wheelie bin on a Green Week.
Find out what goes in each bin and when here
Unfortunately any paper you might have lined the hutch with cannot be recycled. It’s just too icky and can’t be separated from the ammonia and other chemicals in pet waste, so should go in your black bin bag. Screw it up small so it doesn’t take up too much room.
I know there are a lot of cat owners out there and I’m afraid that cat litter is not recyclable so it should go in your black bag/bin as well. If you’re on a black bag collection please remember our collection crews’ backs and try not to make each bag too heavy.
The same goes for any dog and cat foods that weren’t gobbled up, as this can’t go in your Food Caddy (a restriction from the anaerobic digestion plant where we send all your food). The only problem is that once this goes in the black bin bag it can start to smell pretty quickly, especially during the summer. The best thing to do is make sure any food is thoroughly wrapped. You can help even further by keeping your bin in a shady part of the garden or by dropping some bicarbonate of soda in first.
Pet food cans can be recycled like any other (worth dancing for). It’s a pet peeve of mine that the laminated sachets that are becoming ever more popular can’t be recycled. We’ll just have to keep pestering manufacturers until they are! In the meantime they will have to go in your black bag/bin.
Catch you next time star recyclers.