Residents across the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough are being urged to take another look at the household items they throw away as Recycle Week 2026 approaches.
The annual awareness week will run from Monday 14 September to Sunday 20 September, with ABC Council supporting the campaign led by Recycle Now. This year’s focus is the “Rescue Me! Recycle” campaign, which aims to highlight items that are often missed and placed in the rubbish bin even though they can be recycled.
Everyday items that can be recycled
The council says residents should check whether items including shampoo bottles, foil, trigger sprays, aerosols and yoghurt pots can be placed in their green bins rather than sent to landfill.
Launching the initiative, Lord Mayor of ABC Borough Cllr Mary O’Dowd encouraged people to consider how small changes at home could contribute to wider environmental goals.
“Every person across the ABC Borough can play their part, no matter how small that may seem, by recycling as many everyday items as possible. All these small actions, come together to make a big positive impact.”
The Lord Mayor said recycling household waste remained an important way for residents to help protect the environment and tackle climate change.
Advice available through council services
ABC Council is asking residents to use Recycle Week as an opportunity to find out more about the full range of materials accepted in green bins. Recycling advice is available through the council website at armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk.
Residents can also access information about home recycling and recycling centres by downloading the ABC Council App through the council’s website. The advice is intended to help households avoid mistakenly placing recyclable materials in general waste.
Jane Mitchell, Community Engagement Manager, helped launch the local campaign alongside the Lord Mayor.
National campaign highlights waste reduction
The local initiative forms part of a wider Recycle Now campaign. Catherine David, chief executive of WRAP, said recycling could help divert waste from landfill and incineration, conserve natural resources and reduce carbon emissions.
WRAP said millions of shampoo bottles, aluminium foil and other recyclable materials are still placed in bins each year despite being suitable for recycling. The organisation is asking people to “be a hero at home” by rescuing more recyclable items and helping keep valuable materials in use.
More information about Recycle Week 2026 is available at recyclenow.com/recycle-week-2026.