What a great expression! It comes from the recycling business. You may have been guilty yourself – I know I have.

When well-meaning people put their stuff in the recycling, they take the little bit of extra care to put some things in other things, so’s to save on space. A Pepsi can fits quite neatly into a baked beans can, for example. But no! This is ‘inappropriate nesting’! Which is to say putting, say, aluminium inside steel, or plastic inside cardboard. It will only need to be separated further down the line. Far from helping the recyclers, you’re actually making their life more difficult.

So, henceforth, when you’re packing the recycling, be sure only to nest appropriately.