Enviro newsletter - March 2026

2026/27 additional garden waste service

– sign up now!

With spring well and truly on its way, our thoughts turn to spending more time in our gardens.

All households in the district are entitled to one free garden waste bin, additional bins are available for a fee of £60 per extra bin.

The time has arrived to renew your current extra bin or sign up to this years subscription for 2026/27, running from 1 June to 31 May 2027.

* Please note, if joining the service after 1 June 2026, the charge is still £60 per extra bin to be emptied until 31 May 2027.

FlexCollect trial update

March marks two years since we joined the Flexible Plastics Fund FlexCollect trial.

Since the trial began, we've collected over 61 tonnes of plastic bags and wrapping such as carrier bags, crisp packets, pet food pouches and more.

Flexible plastics collected from the trial so far have been sent for mechanical recycling in the Midlands to be turned into items such as bags, buckets and crates.

Hermitage Lake – heads up, dog walkers!

Nesting season has started at Hermitage Lake, Whitwick and we’re once again asking that dogs are kept on leads when being walked close to the lake.

This helps protect the breeding birds and their young during this sensitive time. You may also notice signs around the area reminding visitors to support and encourage responsible dog walking.

Last year there were no reports of wildlife disturbance, please help us keep this positive record going.

Thank you for helping us keep Hermitage Lake a safe haven for wildlife.

9-13 March is Food Waste Action Week

In the UK, 60% of food waste happens in our homes. Each year, households throw away:

• 4.4 million tonnes of edible food
• Worth £17.5 billion
• Creating 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

For a family of four, that’s around £1,000 wasted every year.

At a time of rising costs and climate pressure, reducing food waste is one of the simplest ways to cut costs and reduce emissions.

A few simple changes can give back both to your pocket and our planet.

Switch Together Energy

This year's energy switch scheme is live now and it is a great way to check if your current provider of gas and electricity is competitive.

Available to all North West Leicestershire residents, it's easy to register and it's FREE to take part! There is no obligation to take the offer made, but if you do, all the switching is handled for you.

What's also great is that the scheme provides a renewable electric tariff so you will be doing your bit for the environment too.

Rehome your unwanted items

Having a clear out? You can take items that you no longer want but are in good condition to Leicestershire County Council's Recycling and Household Waste Sites so they can find a new home.

The sites at Coalville and Shepshed have a 'Rehome Zone' for you to take items such as furniture, bicycles and DIY/garden tools.

The items can also be taken to Lount where staff will advise where to place them.

How to have a sustainable staycation

As it gets warmer, a staycation is on the horizon for most of us. Why not make it a sustainable one?

Recycle Now has put together a really useful article full of useful tips to help you recycle more wherever you are holidaying in the UK.

Recycle more with TerraCycle

Looking for ways to recycle more? TerraCycle are an innovative recycling company, offering solutions for recycling many ‘hard-to-recycle’ items.

TerraCycle run a wide range of free recycling programmes for many items we’re not able to collect from households, such as dental products, toys and games, stationery items and more.

Organisations, households and schools can also sign up as a ‘public drop off’ location for the schemes, providing the opportunity to help your local community recycle more, whilst raising funds for schools and charities.