Do you know what can go in your recycling bin and what can’t? This week is Recycle Week and the theme is all about “missed items”.
Most of us know the basics to recycling, but there are always those items we’re unsure about…so we usually end up putting them in the wrong bin! This Recycle Week, we want to try and help you understand your recycling better, so we can work together to help protect the environment.
- Paper
- Cardboard boxes
- Empty plastic food pots
- Empty cans
- Glass bottles
- Toilet and kitchen roll cardboard tubes
- Used pizza boxes or cardboard covered in grease
- Food waste
- Tissue paper
- Toothpaste tubs
- Milk and juice cartons
- Plastic carrier bags and cling film
- Coffee cups
We’ve also got lots more information about how you can try and reduce your waste and get better at recycling on our "Protecting the environment” webpages.
What about waste that the council won’t collect?
Some waste won't be collected by your local council, because it might be too big or could be hazardous. These types of waste shouldn’t just go in your general waste bin either – instead there are ways we can get rid of them that also help protect the planet, and maybe even your pocket!
Here are some wastes that typically won't be collected with your other waste and what you can do with them instead:
| Common special household waste | Special collection or skip | Council tip | Pass on or sell online | Offer to charity | Supermarket bins |
| Household furniture | X | X | X | X | |
| Unused kids toys | X | X | X | X | |
| Milk and juice cartons | X | ||||
| Batteries | X | ||||
| TVs and electrical waste | X | ||||
| Plastic carrier bags | X | ||||
| Scrap metals | X | X | |||
| DIY waste, like rubble, timber or bricks | X | X | |||
| Oils and paints | X |
What about fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is a common problem and tends to happen when people don’t know where to dispose of their waste or simply don’t want to follow the correct method. Dumping waste in this way is illegal and can be a massive nuisance to people’s lives, the safety of our communities and the environment.
Last year, our Rangers attended over 5000 incidents of fly-tipping in our communities, so we’re working really hard to try and stop it.
We need your help to do this – please make sure you report any incidents of fly-tipping to us and give us all the information you have so we can put a stop to it.
You can find out more about fly-tipping and how we’re tackling it and how you can help here.
