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Recycle Week is back for its 17th year! It's an opportunity for people in the UK to focus on how they can help the environment by ditching less and recycling more.

Famous British landmarks including the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Gateshead Millennium Bridge are being lit up green to celebrate Recycle Week.

Local councils and businesses are also getting involved in activities to highlight the importance of recycling.

Recent statistics released by Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England, show the UK has become more environmentally aware over lockdown.

Nine out of 10 households which took part in a survey said they regularly recycle and 73% of people said they're willing to make some changes their lifestyle to help the environment, up from 68% in 2019.

A mega 93% of UK households surveyed said they believe that 'everyone has a responsibility to help towards cleaning up the environment'.

Children have also had a big impact on how much adults recycle. Data from the charity WRAP UK, which oversees the Recycle Now campaign, found that in 2019, 34% of people with children living at home said they recycle more because of their kids. This is an an increase of 21% compared to 2017.

The charity believes children could have an even greater influence on their parents by pestering them to recycle more!

Peter Maddox, who is a director at WRAP UK, said:

"It's fantastic to see that despite everything that has been thrown at them this year, more people than ever in the UK are taking responsibility for protecting the environment by choosing to recycle.

"This is something we can all do, wherever we live - an individual action that, when performed by everyone, adds up to a huge change."

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow has also highlighted how key workers have been keeping the recycling sector going throughout lockdown.

"I want to extend a huge thank you to all our key workers who kept the recycling and waste sector going through such a challenging few months, and to the public for their continued efforts in recycling more of what they use every day," she said.

"Recycling more of our waste lies at the heart of this government's agenda for creating a cleaner environment."

How have you found recycling during lockdown? What would be your top recycling tip? Let us know in the comments!