Milton Keynes residents are being encouraged to rescue more recyclable items from the rubbish bin as part of Recycle Week 2026.

It’s National Recycle Week (14 to 20 September), and this year’s campaign highlights how recycling everyday items properly can save energy, reduce waste, and keep valuable materials in use for longer.

According to the latest government figures, Milton Keynes is officially England's top recycling city, and the second highest-performing local authority in the UK. Residents are now being asked to build on that success by ensuring even more recyclable items are put in the right bin.

Despite the city’s 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.

Milton Keynes residents are being encouraged to rescue more recyclable items from the rubbish bin as part of Recycle Week 2026. Photo: Milton Keynes City Council

placeholder image — Milton Keynes residents are being encouraged to rescue more recyclable items from the rubbish bin as part of Recycle Week 2026. Photo: Milton Keynes City Council

The 2026 ‘Rescue Me’ campaign brings these everyday recyclables to life through a cast of characters showing what they could become when recycled correctly.

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. And these are just some examples of the ways that every day products can be given a new lease of life.

Top recycling tips for Milton Keynes residents

Make sure you’re putting food waste into your caddy or green bin - this allows it to be composted. Many local people still throw away food in their black bin, which is a missed opportunity.
Download the city council’s free waste and recycling app (available on Play or Apple stores). It can be used to 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.

Cllr Kerrie Bradburn Cabinet Member for Environment said: "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.”

In addition to protecting the environment, property experts at Sell House Fast believe that cleaner, greener, and more efficiently managed communities could help boost local property appeal.

Jack Malnick, Managing Director of Sell House Fast, said: “Finding a home in an area which prides itself on being environmentally friendly is increasingly important to homebuyers.

“Previous research found that 80% of people considered the environmental impact of their home to be either crucial or important when making their next move, while the proportion willing to purchase a new home if it offered improved environmental efficiency rose from 51% at their previous move to 78% for their next one.

“More recent research suggests this consideration has continued to grow, with 99% of estate agents surveyed in 2025 saying their clients were concerned about the impact of climate change when buying a property.”