What goes into my containers?

You can help us recycle by only putting clean recycling in your containers and by making the most of the space in your bin by squashing plastic bottles and cans (do not squash aerosols cans).

Cardboard can be flattened, folded or torn. Please remove any packaging such as polystyrene.

If your brown bin is full cardboard can be left alongside it but this needs to be flat and at a size that would have fitted into your bin. We will accept recycling in alternative containers such as your old recycling box or a hessian/jute bag. Please do not use carrier bags or black bin bags.

Your recycling should still be loose in your bin so that it will fall out easily when it’s emptied.

Yes please:

• newspapers, magazines, telephone directories, catalogues
• junk mail, envelopes, greeting cards
• cardboard food boxes and egg boxes
• toilet or kitchen inner cardboard rolls
• corrugated card
• food and drink cartons such as juice, milk and soup
• household plastics such as drinks bottles, shampoo bottles, cleaning bottles, make-up cleanser bottles and washing up liquid bottles
• food and drink cans/tins
• food trays and tubs (e.g. fruit punnets, trays from microwave meals)
• yogurt pots
• aerosol cans
• clean foil
• paper wrapping paper (Not plastic or foil)
• glass bottles
• glass jars
• metal caps and lids from jars/bottles

No thank you:

• shredded paper
• plastic carrier bags
• newspaper supplements still in plastic packaging
• crisp packets
• cellophane/bubble wrap
• greasy food packaging (e.g. pizza boxes)
• polystyrene
• plant pots
• food
• glass
• tissues and kitchen roll
• household waste
• cards with glitter or foil
• nappies
• metal i.e. cutlery or paint tins
• hard plastics i.e. CDs, DVDs, toys or sweet tubs
• clothes or textiles
• wallpaper
• plastic film and flimsy plastic
• food pouches (e.g. pet food pouches)
• pyrex style glass
• drinking glasses
• broken glass
• light bulbs
• vases

If in doubt, leave it out.

Yes please:

• waste from your home that cannot be recycled

No thank you:

• bulky items – you can book a bulky waste collection service to get rid of large items
• garden waste – this should be put into your green wheelie bin
• paint – paint can be recycled at Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre, you can put paint tins at the side of your bin and these will be collected separately.
• soil, rubble, bricks, plaster-boards, chipboard and wood  - can be taken to Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre
• batteries or solar lights – can be recycled at Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre or use RecycleNow to find a recycling point

Yes please:

• Lawn clippings
• Small branches - no thicker than 7.5cm (3 inches)
• prunings
• spent flowers
• leaves
• fruit, cones and seeds that have fallen into your garden
• weeds

No thank you:

• compostable bags
• soil and turf
• bricks and rubble
• large branches and tree stumps
• food waste
• animal poo
• plastic bags or sacks
• plant pots, trays or hanging baskets
• pesticides or weed killer
• ash
• wood other than branches/twigs
• sawdust, shavings and woodchip
• wood or straw based animal bedding
• Japanese knotweed
• Himalayan balsam

Making the most of your garden waste collections

Here are our top tips for making the most of your garden waste

collections:

• Do not overfill your green bin. Very heavy bins can cause problems when placed onto the vehicle lift. As a general rule your garden waste bin should be easily moved using one hand. 
• Remove as much soil as possible from any plant roots.
• Remember that soil and turf cannot be recycled—so please don’t place these into the green bin.

More information on garden waste collections and alternatives such as home composting can be found at RecycleNow. 

You can get rid of old clothes by putting them next to your recycling bin on your collection day in a carrier bag or clear plastic bag.

Your clothes may not be collected at the same time as the rest of your recycling. We can’t collect clothes in charity bags as they can only be picked up by the charity that supplied them.

You can download and print a label to stick to your bag of clothes so we can easily tell what’s inside. If we can’t see what’s in the bag it may not be collected.