The Simpler Recycling changes, which were introduced on 31 March 2026, mean that everyone across the country can now recycle the same items at home, helping to increase recycling rates.

Since the changes, items like TetraPak, cartons, foil, tubes, tubs and trays can now be recycled at home, resulting in the following amount of material coming into our Materials Recovery Facility in Mansfield in just five months:

• 110 tonnes of fibre-based material like TetraPak and cartons
• 374 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays
• 15 tonnes of aluminium foils, trays and tubes

Thanks for helping us to recycle so much Nottinghamshire! 

It is estimated that 2.3 billion recyclable items end up in the rubbish every year in the UK, with the average person missing two recyclable items each week.

Recycle Week aims to highlight which items are often missed so more people can save them from the rubbish bin.

• Aerosols: Metals can be recycled again and again, forever.
• Trigger spray cleaning bottles: Rinse out the bottle, let it dry, and reattach the lid before putting it in the recycling bin.
• Toilet rolls: Don't forget your toilet roll tubes! They don't belong in general waste.
• Shampoo bottles: Recycling one shampoo bottle saves enough energy to use a hairdryer for five minutes!
• Toothpaste tubes: Toothpaste tubes are now made from the same material as milk bottles.
• Tin foil: Bunch all your loose clean foil into a larger ball to give it a better chance of being recycled.
• Yoghurt pots: Recycling a yoghurt pot saves enough energy to fully charge your phone!
• Perfume bottles: Like metals, glass can be recycled endlessly. Please make sure this goes in your separate glass bin.

If you are unsure whether an item can be recycled, you can use our free Recycling Checker.

The recyclables in your recycling bin are taken to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Mansfield. A Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is where recyclable materials that are collected from household recycling bins are sorted into different types of materials (e.g. plastics, cardboard, paper, aluminium and steel) using a mixture of manual and automated methods. When the materials have been sorted, they are sent to reprocessors and manufacturers, where they are used to create new products.

All of your recycling should be placed into your bin clean, dry and loose so it can be easily sorted at our Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). Any items that are inside a plastic carrier bag or a black sack may be disposed of as general waste as they will not be recognised by the sorting machinery. Please do not put your recycling into bags before placing it in your recycling bin.

We also recycle around 80% of the material that comes to our 12 recycling centres across the county. This is why it’s important that site staff open black bags that residents bring to our recycling centres so as much waste as possible can be recycled.