The threat of COVID-19 is to more than our health.  Our need to protect ourselves from COVID-19 is going to cost our environment for years to come… unless we do something about it.

The COVID-19 Environmental Threat

Most of us are firmly focused on keeping ourselves protected and following the advice of the healthcare officials.  In order to do this we are purchasing much more hand and other cleaning/sanitising products.

An article published in a recent issue of the Modern Builder estimates that ten million hand sanitiser bottles will shortly be heading to UK landfills.  Ireland will be suffering a similar fate.  Unless we do something quickly.

What can we do to minimise the COVID-19 Environmental Threat without risking our health?

The short answer is recycle, recycle, recycle.  And I don’t mean just throwing your bottles into the recycle bin – although that is an important part of it;  If we just recycle, we are still contributing to the continual demand and creation of new plastic products.  Before we recycle we should first try and re-use.  By re-using before we recycle, we reduce the need to create new plastic products.  If we combine re-use and recycling we make a much bigger and longer lasting impact.

So how do we re-use hand sanitiser bottles?

At ACRA we have always understood the concept of re-use, which is why we provide the ability to refill your hand sanitiser bottles with quality hand sanitising/cleaning products.  Not only do refills help the planet by reducing the need for new plastic bottles, it also helps save your pocket.  Refills are much cheaper than buying a product off the shelf.  You can see some of our refill options by CLICKING HERE.

How to correctly recycle hand sanitiser bottles.

Once you have refilled your bottle numerous times, it will eventually reach its end of life.  When this happens you should then recycle your bottle by following the guidelines below:

1. Wash the bottle well to remove all left over sanitiser/soap/residue;
2. Remove the cap (it is a different grade of plastic and will be recycled separately – if it is a pump action check with your local recycling unit if it is currently recycled);
3. Place the recyclable plastic into the relevant bins.

We can all make a difference to our environment.  We hope to see you soon with your hand sanitiser bottle for us to refill.