Recycling

Recycling is collected every week.

For properties on the standard collection service, we provide a minimum of two recycling boxes and a food waste box per property.

Flats and properties with communal bin stores will have different recycling containers. You can find more collection information for communal properties on our dedicated recycling webpage for flats.

Recycling boxes belong to the council. If you moved house please leave these behind for the new residents to use. Please ensure you are using your boxes for recycling only. 

We now provide two different coloured recycling boxes to residents who request new or replacement boxes, to help you sort your recycling.

Put your house number on your boxes to help us return them to the correct property.

On your collection day

Your recycling containers should be put out on the edge of your property for collection, by 6.30am on your scheduled collection day. Your collection point at the edge of your property might look like:

• the end of your driveway where it meets the public footpath
• the end of a private road where it meets the main road
• at the rear of your property outside a back gate in a parking area
• on the public footpath outside your property (please return the bin to your property as soon as possible after collection)
• a communal bin collection point for a set of properties

Sorting your recycling

Please sort your recycling into box one and box two, and separate the materials inside each box.

Box one

• plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays including all white, clear and coloured items
• household metal packaging including foil, tins, cans, lids from jars and empty aerosols

Box two

• paper and cardboard (flattened), including brown paper, newspaper, magazines, catalogues, white or coloured paper
• shredded paper - please place into a paper bag or envelope and put at the bottom of your box and weigh down with other items
• cartons including Tetra Paks (wash and squash)
• glass bottles and jars separate to one side of the box and visible, not bagged. No broken glass or sheet glass please

Items that can go in either box

• small electrical appliances including all household appliances smaller than a standard domestic toaster. For example kettles, radios, clocks, keyboards, cables, irons, watches, hair dryers, phones
• spectacles
• sunglasses
• textiles and clothes in a reusable condition
• shoes (tied in pairs)
• mobile phones
• batteries 
• disposable vapes

Bag each of these separately in a carrier bag or clear plastic bag and tie loosely to keep them dry. 

How to recycle your vapes

Disposable vapes

• kerbside collections - place out for collection in a clear loosely tied bag and place into either box (keep separate from batteries)
• household waste recycling centres - only place in the vape container on site. Please do not put in with batteries, the small electrical, or general waste skips due to the increased risk of fire

Rechargeable vapes

If recycling in your kerbside box, or at the recycling centre, please remove the battery and recycle with batteries. The rest should be recycled with small electricals.

Please remember at kerbside, batteries and small electricals must be presented in a clear loosely tied bag. 

Items we don’t collect for recycling

• disposable coffee cups
• flat glass, broken glass, pyrex, drinking glasses 
• light bulbs
• black plastic
• polystyrene (non-rigid expanded or foam types)
• soft plastic film, plastic wrapping and carrier bags (take to supermarket collection points)
• hard plastic e.g. buckets and children’s toys (can be recycled at recycling centre)
• spray paint or lighter fluid containers
• gas canisters (take to recycling centre and ask staff. These start fires in bin lorries)
• car batteries
• nappies
• business waste
• crisp packets
• saucepans
• tissues and paper towels
• glass vases
• pizza boxes or greasy takeaway packaging 
• unemptied food packaging
• blister packs
• wrapping paper, except plain brown wrapping paper

Recycling is sorted by hand. If these items are in your box we won’t empty it but will leave a note to explain why.

Stack your boxes with the food waste caddy on top to prevent items from blowing away.

Sorting your recycling helps the crew to collect it more quickly. Quicker collections will reduce traffic delays and help to reduce congestion.

It will also help the crews to clearly see all the items in your bin, reducing contamination and increasing the quality of the recycling collected.

Better quality recycling has a higher value when sold on to be recycled. This helps to subsidise the cost of collections and helps to keep Council Tax lower.