Recycling: green box and blue bag

Your green recycling boxes and blue bag for card are emptied every fortnight. Please make sure your containers are out by 7am on the day of collection.

We cannot collect bins and boxes left on private property unless it is agreed as part of a communal or assisted collection.

Only recycling should be put in your boxes and bags. If you put in anything else, such as personal items, you do so at your own risk. These items, including home deliveries, may be thrown away by mistake and we cannot accept any liability for this.

 Collection days

Find out when your recycling collection day is.

We will collect your recycling boxes and bag together with your food caddy one week.  Your green refuse bin and food caddy will be collected on the same day the following week.

When there is a bank holiday in the week, collections will change. For the most up to date information, please check our bank holiday collections page or social media channels for further details.

What to put in your recycling containers

• Please make sure all your recycling is sorted inside the correct box or bag with the lid on. Unsorted recycling will not be collected (unless you only have one box)

Tins and plastics - green box one

Use one recycling box for plastic bottles, tubs, trays and pots as well as metal tins, cans, foil and empty aerosols.

What to put in your box:

• Plastic pots and tubs - for example yoghurt pots and ice-cream tubs
• Plastic bottles - for example shampoo or drinks bottles
• Plastic trays and punnets - for example raw or cooked meat trays, take-away boxes, fruit and veg trays. We accept black plastic but not black polystyrene
• Plastic chocolate and biscuit tubs and trays
• Other clear, rigid plastic packaging
• Plastic dishwasher tablet and washing powder tubs
• Metal drink cans
• Food tins (put lids inside the tin)
• Biscuit and chocolate tins and lids
• Aerosols (remove plastic caps and place these separately in the box)
• Aluminium foil (scrunch together to form a ball)
• Aluminium foil trays - for example take-away trays
• Aluminium tubes - for example for tomato puree (remove plastic caps)

We cannot collect any of the following in your recycling bin:

• medication blister packs
• Soft plastic such as film lids or crisp/chocolate wrappers
• Paint pots - please recycle these at your local recycling centre
• Plastic toys
• Polystyrene packaging
• Food and drink cartons or Tetrapaks
• Medical plastic such as syringes or epipens
• PPE gloves or masks
• Laminated foil, for example cat food or coffee pouches that spring back when you try and scrunch them
• Metal containers for chemicals, such as white spirits, paints or engine oils
• General kitchen ware, for example cutlery, pots and pans

Paper, newspapers and magazines: green box two

Use a second recycling box for all paper, newspapers and magazines.

• Paper is a valuable recyclable material but only when it is clean
• Remove any plastic wrapping from newspapers and magazines - this can be recycled with plastic bags at larger supermarkets
• If you scrunch paper and it doesn't spring back, then it can be recycled
• Please note brown paper should go in your blue bag with your card

What to put in your  box:

• Newspapers and supplements
• Magazines, brochures and catalogues
• Shredded paper. Please put this inside a paper bag
• Telephone directories
• Junk mail and flyers
• Envelopes, including those with a window

We cannot collect any of the following in your recycling bin:

• Paper that is stained with foodstuffs, grease, paint or dirt, such as greaseproof or baking paper, children's paintings
• Hygiene/sanitary products, such as nappies, wipes, sanitary towels
• Used paper towels
• Tissues
• Cotton wool and makeup pads
• Wet wipes
• Sticky papers such as Post-it notes, sticky labels or paper tape
• Wrapping paper or gift bags which are made from foil
• Crisp or sweet packets
• Wallpaper and decoration paper

Glass bottles and jars - green box three

Use a separate green recycling box for your glass bottles and jars. If you do not have space for a third green recycling box, please separate glass from the paper by putting glass in a carrier bag sized plastic bag and putting it into the recycling box next to the paper. This helps stop collection crews cutting themselves on broken glass mixed with the paper.

• Empty and rinse - a quick rinse will do. Leftover liquid can contaminate other recyclables which may mean they aren't recycled
• Put lids and caps back on. This reduces the chance of them getting lost during the sorting process as they can be recycled separately

What to put in your box

• Bottles of any colour, such as wine, beer, spirits
• Jars such as for sauces, jam, baby food
• Non-food bottles, such as perfume, aftershave, face creams

We cannot collect any of the following in your recycling bin:

• Glass cookware, such as Pyrex, microwave plates
• Drinking glasses
• Ceramics such as crockery, earthenware
• Vases
• Nail varnish bottles
• Mirrors or window panes
• Light bulbs and tubes
• Broken glass

Blue card recycling bag

Use your blue recycling bag for brown corrugated cardboard, light card and brown paper.

All cardboard must be inside the bag.

• Cardboard should be folded and flattened to fit inside your bag
• Tape, polystyrene and plastic inserts need be removed from cardboard packaging
• Glitter, badges and batteries should be torn off greeting cards
• Egg boxes and rolls from kitchen towel and toilet rolls can be recycled and can also be home composted

What to put in your bag:

• Cardboard boxes, such as cereal and dishwasher tablet boxes
• Corrugated cardboard
• Online delivery boxes and cardboard envelopes
• Greetings cards without glitter
• Eggs boxes
• Brown paper

We cannot collect any of the following in your recycling bag:

• Card that contains foodstuffs, dirt or paint
• Glitter covered greetings cards
• Food and drink cartons

Batteries and vapes

Put household batteries or vapes in a plastic bag and place inside a recycling box. Please tie all bags.

Which types of batteries can be recycled?

• All household batteries including 'button' batteries from watches
• Battery packs from laptops, mobile phones, power tools and remote control units

Car or motorbike batteries can be taken to household recycling centres or a scrap yard for disposal.

Small electrical items

You can put small electrical items in your recycling box, inside a plastic bag.

It's easy to check if an electrical item, toy or game is recyclable if it has reached the end of its working life. Simply ask the following questions and if the answer is yes, to any of these, it is recyclable:

• Does it have a plug?
• Does it use batteries?
• Does it need charging?
• Does it have a picture of a crossed out wheelie bin on it?

Items we will collect:

• Kitchen appliances such as toasters, kettles, food blenders
• Home appliances such as irons, radios, lamps, clocks, small DVD players
• Hand-held power tools
• Mobile/digital phones
• Cameras
• Small games consoles, tablets, e-readers
• Fairy lights, solar-powered lights
• Electrical cables and chargers
• Children's electronic toys
• Vapes

We will not collect:

• TVs and monitors
• Large appliances such as vacuums and microwaves
• Light bulbs/fluorescent tubes

Textiles and shoes

Put textiles in a carrier bag inside your green recycling box.

We will collect shoes, slippers, clothes, blankets, towels, bed sheets and curtains.

We cannot collect rugs, duvets, pillows and carpets.

Visit our slim your bin page for other ways to recycle your textiles.

 

Ask the Waste Wizard where to repair, recycle, donate or dispose of your items

 

Related Pages

• Check your collection day
• Collections in bad weather
• Recycling banks and centres
• Report a missed collection
• Get help with your collection
• What happens to your recycling