The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is celebrating Recycle Week from 22 – 28 September 2025 and we’ve organised some activities in support the ‘Rescue Me! Recycle’ campaign. This campaign aims to remind us of the items which all too often end up in the rubbish bin, but which can be recycled, such as:
- Shampoo bottles
- Foil
- Trigger sprays
- Aerosols
- Yoghurt pots
- Aftershave and perfume bottles
- Toilet roll tubes
We hope you’ll help us promote this campaign by sharing our ‘Rescue Me! Recycle’ social media posts, checking that everyone in your household knows what can and can’t be included in your household recycling containers and joining us at the Porthmellon Waste and Recycling Centre open day to learn more about how waste and recycling is managed locally, and what can be done to continue improving our recycling rates and processes.
Porthmellon Waste and Recycling Centre Open Day
On the morning of Saturday 27 September 2025, we’ll be giving guided tours of the Porthmellon Waste and Recycling Centre on St Mary’s, to give the community a chance to view the site and learn more about how the Council manages waste and recycling across the islands.
Spaces for these tours are limited, so booking is essential and all children under the age of 16 must be supervised by an adult
How to book your visit
You can book your visit for either 9am – 10am or 10.30am – 12pm by calling 01720 424450 or emailing zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk
Activities at Five Islands Academy
We’ve been in touch with our friends at Five Islands Academy to encourage them to get involved in Recycle Week by supporting the ‘Rescue Me! Recycle’ campaign.
On the morning of Friday 26 September 2025, pupils from Five Islands Academy will be welcomed to the Porthmellon Waste and Recycling Centre for a tour of the site. They’ll learn about the work of our waste and recycling teams, hear how important it is for the islands to keep improving our recycling rates, and find out what they and their families can do to help make the process more efficient.
Over the course of the week, pupils will also be using commonly discarded but recyclable household items to make bird feeders, planters and recycled arts and crafts. We look forward to seeing their creations!
Councillor John Peacock, Lead Member for Environment, Environment Services and Climate Change said: “The Isles of Scilly is making great strides in recycling. By rescuing regularly missed everyday items, like shampoo bottles, toilet rolls and foil, and adding them to our weekly recycling, we can make our efforts to reduce waste costs and protect the environment even more impactful. Let’s keep up the great work and make improvements where we can!”
Further information
If you have any questions about our plans for Recycle Week, you can email us at zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450 to speak to a member of the team.
About Recycle Week:
First staged in 2004, Recycle Week is now the UK’s largest national annual recycling campaign. It’s a week where citizens, media, local government, and brands come together to meet one goal: to galvanise everyone into recycling more of the right things, more often. Recycle Now is the citizen facing recycling campaign of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a climate action non-governmental organisation. You can read more about Recycle Week on the Recycle Now website.
To find out more about recycling on the Isles of Scilly, please visit the waste pages of our website.
