Milton Keynes City Council is encouraging residents to rescue more recyclable items from the rubbish bin as part of Recycle Week 2026 (14 to 20 September).
This year's national Recycle Week campaign highlights how recycling everyday items properly can save energy, reduce waste, and keep valuable materials in use for longer.
Milton Keynes is officially England's top recycling city, and the second highest-performing local authority in the UK according to the latest Government figures. The city council is now asking residents to build on that success by making sure even more recyclable items are put in the right bin.
Despite good recycling habits, many recyclable items are still commonly thrown away, including shampoo bottles, aerosol cans, foil, yoghurt pots, trigger spray bottles, and cardboard toilet roll tubes.
This year's ‘Rescue Me’ campaign brings these everyday recyclables to life through a cast of characters, each showing what they could become when recycled correctly. For example:
- Shampoo bottles can be recycled into plastic garden furniture
- Aerosols can be recycled into parts for bicycles
- Toilet roll tubes can become notebooks
- Glass fragrance bottles can be transformed into new glass products
- Aluminium foil can be recycled into products such as vehicle components
- Yoghurt pots and trigger spray bottles can be recycled into new packaging
Top recycling tips for Milton Keynes residents
- Make sure you’re putting food waste into your caddy or green bin, as then it can be composted. Many local people still throw away food in their black bin, which is a missed opportunity.
- Download our free waste and recycling app (available on Play or Apple stores) on which you can check collection dates, find out what can and can’t be recycled, and much more.
- A common recycling mistake is ‘wish-cycling’ (putting items in the recycling bin hoping they can be recycled, even though they can’t be). When in doubt, check the free waste and recycling app or look at the A-Z guide on the city council website.
"Milton Keynes residents have helped make our city the best recycling performer in England, which is something we can all be incredibly proud of. Recycle Week is a great reminder that some of the easiest items to recycle are often the ones we overlook. Whether it's an empty shampoo bottle in the bathroom, a yoghurt pot from lunch or foil from cooking dinner, these items all have value and can be given a second life through recycling. By rescuing more recyclables from the rubbish bin, we can continue improving our recycling rates, reduce waste and help protect the environment."