Recycling collections
Two boxes are provided for weekly recycling collections, which are emptied by the same vehicle and at the same time as food waste.
Please keep different materials grouped and separate in boxes to help collectors quickly sort them into compartments on collection vehicles. Cans and plastic bottles can be mixed, as these are mechanically sorted at collection depots. It also helps to put materials in the two boxes split as listed below. One box can be used for smaller amounts if preferred.
BOX 1 (normally green)
Paper – newspapers, magazines, leaflets, directories, white envelopes (no need to remove windows) and other white paper.
Glass bottles and jars – rinsed and unbroken (no table or cook ware).
Foil – please bag, aluminium foil only and not if plastic or paper backed (check with the scrunch test; scrunch up and if stays squashed together it can be recycled as foil).
BOX 2 (normally black)
Food and drink cans – rinsed and squashed if possible; no need to remove labels; please place loose lids inside squashed tins; we take large food tins for biscuits and sweets too, but not other metal items at kerbside (recycle these at recycling sites).
Aerosols – only recycle empty, used up aerosols; do not attempt to pierce or squash them; if you can, remove the plastic cap and nozzle.
Plastic bottles – no tops; please rinse, especially milk bottles; no pots, tubs, trays or film.
Cardboard – brown corrugated, grey card, greetings cards and brown envelopes; please flatten; small bits of card can be put into larger cardboard boxes and put in your recycling box or alongside; large quantities of card (more than the equivalent of two recycling boxes when flattened) should be taken to a recycling site and may not be collected at the kerbside.
ON TOP OR ALONGSIDE BOXES:
Textiles – clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, curtains and covers are all accepted, but not stuffed items, such as duvets, pillows and quilts; put out in bags (not black sacks) to keep dry (also avoid putting out on wet days) and please label ‘textiles’.
Shoes – tied in pairs and bagged.
Car batteries – one per collection.
Extra materials that will not fit in your collection boxes can be left alongside and it is best to use a carrier bag or similar. Please do not use black bags as these may be mistaken for rubbish. If you regularly have extra materials, please contact your local customer services to ask for an additional box to be supplied.
Lids are not supplied with recycling boxes but lids or covers can be purchased if wanted.
Also see questions and answers on kerbside recycling collections.