It's Plastic Free July
Take a small step to reduce plastic waste this month, for example, switching to reusable cups, avoiding plastic packaging, bringing your own shopping bags or drink bottles and many others. Find out more on Plastic Free July website.
Changes to waste collections: progress update
Around 67,000 wheeled bins will be bought and delivered to residents by August 2024, when the way we collect rubbish and recycling will change.
The council’s decision-making Executive has agreed to appoint a supplier through an open competitive tender to provide and distribute the wheeled bins. The decision will ensure the best value for council taxpayers' money.
As the changes start in late summer 2024, general rubbish will be collected one week and recycling the next. A wheeled bin will be provided to each household to store and put out general rubbish, instead of the current system of using blue plastic bags. Food waste collections will remain weekly.
Flats and properties with narrow access will be excluded from the changes.
In March, the Executive approved the changes to our rubbish and recycling collections in order to make savings, increase our recycling rate and decrease the amount of general rubbish produced in the borough.
Did you know?
Can I recycle blister packs?
Yes, Superdrug pharmacies accept empty medicine blisters packs. You can drop them off in the dedicated collections box in-store.
Cardboard boxes that house the blister packs and the paper inserts can also be recycled. Simply put them out for recycling in your green bag.
Holiday recycling tips
If you’re heading off on holiday somewhere in the UK this summer, one thing you won’t be wanting to take a break from is recycling!
Here are some handy tips to help you recycle while you're on holiday within the country:
If you’re holidaying in a different area to home, you may find the recycling rules aren’t the same as back home.
Use the online recycling locator tool to find out what you can and can’t recycle and where your nearest drop-off points are for things that aren't collected at the kerbside.
Recycle things from your holiday
A lot of things that we take on holidays can be recycled. Here's what to do with some of these things when they reach the end of their useful life:
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Sun cream bottles – plastic bottles (not tubs) can be put out for recycling in your green bags.
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Aerosol bug sprays – empty aerosols can also be recycled through your kerbside recycling collection.
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Beach towels – if you beach towels aren't in a good enough condition to pass on, you can put them in your nearest textiles recycling bank.
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Plastic chairs – if they're not in a fit state to be donated or passed on, recycle them by taking them to the 'rigid plastic' area at re3 recycling centres.
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Gas bottles – If you're camping, you may use a gas bottle. Empty gas bottles can often be returned to the manufacturers (like Calor) for refill, or handed back if you no longer have need for them. Don’t bin them, as they may explode when crushed. Find out more about recycling gas bottles.
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Metal tent pegs – collect these up and recycle any broken ones in the 'scrap metal' area at the re3 recycling centres.
Finally, if you’re unsure about recycling a particular item, you can look it up in the handy A-Z guide on the Recycle Now website. Have a grand summer vacation!
£60 for garden waste collections until March 2024
Now, you only need to pay £60 to have your grass clippings, leaves and weeds collected fortnightly from the kerbside until the end of March 2023.
Sign up is simple and only takes a few minutes!
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