Managing your waste

Are your bins overflowing after just one week? Have a look at our check list to maximise your bin space -

• Maximise space in your bins

Ramming three black bin bags into your grey bin can cause them to get stuck and even an extra 'dunt' on the bin lorry won't release the vacuum holding the last one in. This leaves you with a half full bin to deal with for the next two weeks. Using smaller bags in your household bins gets round this (think carrier bag sized). You'll probably get more in your wheelie bin overall and they won't get stuck.

In your recycling bins the same thing can happen if you cram loads of recycling in. Try these tips:

• Flatten, fold or rip up your cardboard boxes into smaller pieces
• Flatten or scrunch cans - be careful the metal can be sharp
• Remove the lids from bottles, squash the air out and put the lids back on to keep them flat
• Think about the products you buy, can you choose an alternative with less packaging?

• Are you recycling everything you can?

There's loads of packaging that can go in your recycling bins, saving space in your grey bin for the things that can't. Have a look at our blue bin only page or the blue and green bins bin page depending on the type of collection you have to see what can be recycled. Everything in your blue and green bins must be empty, clean of any food or drinks waste and paper and card needs to be dry.

Remember you can use your brown bin for food waste, even if you don't have a garden waste permit. Just remember to put food waste in the bin loose or in a compostable bag. 

 

• Know your collection days

There's nothing worse than having a full bin and finding out you've missed the collection and have to wait two weeks for the next one!

You can see your next collection days here by entering your postcode, then scroll down to sign up to email reminders, download a pdf calendar or download collection dates straight to the calendar on your phone.

 

 

 

 

• Visit a Recycling Centre

Excess recycling can be taken to any of our five Community Recycling Centres.

Locations and opening hours for recycling centres can be found on the Community Recycling Centres page. You will need to book a slot before visiting a recycling centre.

If you can't visit a recycling centre in between collections, you could store your waste at home if you have space, in a dry location until your bin is emptied and ready to be refilled.  Storing recycling at home is safe and easy to do because all the recycling material collected should be rinsed, clean and dry before storing/going in the bin, therefore it won't attract any insects or vermin.  You could store your extra waste in black bags until your next collection and flat pack and bulk together any extra cardboard boxes - just remember to take the recycling out the bag before you put it in the bin!

Please remember to store your extra recycling safely and be considerate of your neighbours when storing the waste. If you live in a flat, please don't store any recyclables in stairwells or landings as this can block access and become a serious fire risk.

Do not leave extra waste at the side of your bin or on streets as it won't be collected.

 

Waste that can wait...

There are some items that should never be put in any of your household bins.

 

Batteries should never be placed in any of your household bins. They can cause fires in bin lorries and at recycling plants, many examples of which you will have no doubt seen in the news recently. Most supermarkets have collection points for used batteries, so you could drop them off when you go for your weekly shop, and there are also collection points at all of the recycling centres.

Vapes also contain batteries and should not be placed in your household bins or in street litter bins. Vape shops must take back used vapes for recycling and you can also take them to a recycling centre.

 

 

 

Electrical items are something else that cannot be put in your bins at home. They need to be recycled at specialist plants so that the precious and rare metals used in their manufacture can be captured and reused. However, there are plenty of options for disposing of them -

• Recycling Centres
• Shops must take back small electricals when you buy a new one from them. You can use Recycle Your Electricals (opens new window) postcode search to find shops near you that do this.
• For larger items, online retailers will have an option for you to have your old item collected when a new one is delivered.
• Bulky Uplift

Clothing and textiles can take up a lot of space in your bin. There are much better ways of dealing with old textiles than sending them off in the bin lorry to be disposed of. Could you have a go at repairing it? Oliver Bonas (opens new window) has guides for everything from looking after your clothes to make them last longer, to sewing on a button, to unshrinking a jumper and even the Japanese art of Sashiko - making a repair beautifully noticeable! If its beyond repair, you could cut old clothes up into cleaning cloths or dusters - old socks are great to put over your hand to dust Venetian blinds with. 

If your clothing is still in good condition you could sell, donate, or pass them on to friends and family or if they are past their best, bag them up label them as rags and pop them in a clothes bank. This way they can be reused as industrial cleaning cloths.