What happens to materials I recycle?
What happens to the materials that I take to the mini-recycling centres and at the household waste recycling centre (HWRC)?
| Material | How is it recycled? |
| Paper | Processed and returned as newspapers and magazines in Kent, UK |
| Cans | Processed and returned as steel or aluminium products in Oldbury, UK |
| Glass | Processed and returned as glass bottles and products in West Yorkshire, UK |
| Electrical goods | Stripped down and components processed and returned as plastic, metal or glass products in various locations around the UK and abroad. |
| Textiles | Sent to third world countries to boost the economy |
| Soil and rubble | Used in the construction industry. Processed in Warwickshire, UK |
| Wood | Processed and returned as wood products, chipboard and shavings in UK |
| Paint | Reused by charitable organisations and the probation service in the Midlands, UK |
| Green waste | Rotted down to a soil conditioner and sold to large companies, B&Q, Homebase and J Arthur Bowers to be included in potting compost in the UK. |
| Plastic bottles | Processed and returned as plastic products and fleece products in the UK and abroad depending on market demand. |
| Tetra Pak cartons | Processed and returned as the components of plaster board in the UK and abroad depending on market demand. |
| Oil | Separated and used in manufacturing in the UK and abroad. |
| Batteries | Processed and returned as batteries or metal products in Willenhall, UK. |
| Cardboard | Processed and returned as cardboard products in Saltley, UK. |
| Gas bottles | Refilled with gas and reused by various companies around the UK. |
| Fluorescent tubes | Hazardous waste that is disposed of safely in Warwickshire, UK |
What happens to my household waste?
Solihull has met the targets set for recovery of energy from waste. The collected household waste is disposed of via a Waste to Energy plant in Coventry, that Solihull Council part own.
Energy and heat produced is used to heat the plant and neighbouring factories, steam is used to produce electricity, which is sold back to the National Grid. For information on the Coventry and Solihull Waste to Energy plan see http://www.cswdc.co.uk/
Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) is a by-product from the Energy from Waste process and predominately consists of glass, clinker, metals and fines and makes up between 19 to 21% by weight of the waste you leave in your residual wheelie bin. This material is now being recycled into secondary aggregates. The IBA is taken to a plant and then processed by crushing, screening and separating to produce an aggregate suitable for use in the construction industry. The advantage of doing this is it replaces virgin aggregate i.e. reduces quarrying and improves the Councils recycling rate which are both an environmental benefit.