Planning & Environment!Planning & Environment

Recycling Tips

| The 3 R'sWhat can be Recycled? |

The 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

1) Reduce

  • When shopping, buy concentrated products or refill packs.
  • Buy fruit and veg loose rather than pre-packed.
  • Buy products made from recycled materials.
  • Consider buying items with less packaging, i.e. bacon from the Deli Counter or the butcher.
  • Choose products in packaging that you know can be recycled.
  • Cut down on unwanted mail and faxes by contacting the Mail Preference and Fax Preference Service - Tel: 0845 703 4599
  • Reduce paper by using e-mail, and photocopying documents double sided.
 
2) Reuse
 
  • Reuse carrier bags when shopping.
  • Furniture that is no longer wanted can be used by other organisations and local charities.
  • Try to repair items when they are broken, rather than throwing them away.
  • Give old clothes, shoes and toys to charity shops.
  • Take old magazines to your Doctors or Dentist surgery.
  • Buy a compost bin and start reusing your kitchen and garden waste.
  • Disposable items verses Alternative (see table below.

Disposable Item

Alternative

Paper Towels Washable tea towels
Tissues Handkerchiefs
Aluminium trays Baking tins
Plastic cling film Reusable containers with lids
Paper dust cloths Washable dusters
Razors Replaceable blade razors
Pens Refill only or a fountain pen
Paper napkins Washable cloth napkin
Batteries Rechargeable batteries
Paper kitchen towels        Washable dishcloths
Styrofoam cups Washable cups
Paper plates Washable plates
Plastic cutlery Washable cutlery
Plastic bin liners Line kitchen bins with newspaper or old shopping bags
 
3) Recycle
  • Recycling saves valuable raw materials.
  • Recycling cuts down on waste disposal costs.
  • Recycling cuts down on collection costs.
 

What can be Recycled?
 
 
 
 
Paper
By using our paper collection service follow this link.>> for more information.

Garden Waste
By using our garden waste collection service follow this link.>> for more information.
 
Textiles
Our textile banks accept all clothing, but did you know you can also recycle towels, sheets, blankets and curtains. We do not accept soiled rags, carpets/rugs, glass/metals, paper or rubbish.
 
Glass
Throughout the borough we have bottle banks for both colour separated and mixed glass. All of these banks can accept glass bottles and jars e.g. wine and spirit bottles, jam jars, beer bottles, soft drink and fruit juice bottles and sauce bottles. Blue glass can be put in the green glass banks.
The following items are not accepted and will contaminate the glass. No - Plates/cups, 'Vision' or 'Pyrex' cookware, ceramics or porcelain, mirrors, windows, windscreens or metals, painted bottles or light bulbs.
 
Cans
All can banks throughout the borough accept both aluminium and steel cans. E.g. all soft drinks and beer cans, steel food cans i.e. baked beans. Did you know you can also recycle all aerosols in these banks? The labels do not have to be removed. Cans are also accepted in the kerbside collections of the silver-grey recycling bins.
 
Plastic Bottles
At the moment it is only possible to recycle plastic bottles, we do not recycle the lids so please remove them, plastic bottles can also be recycled in the kerbside collections. We cannot recycle any other type of plastics. Remember plastics are very light but take up a lot of space so please squash all bottles before placing them in the banks.
 
Shoes
Recycle your shoes by donating them to those less fortunate. Tie them together as they tend to go astray!
 
Books/CDs
Do you have any books or CDs that are in good condition but no longer want, why not donate them to Oxfam through our banks.
 
Kitchen Waste
For details of our 'Guide to Home Composting' leaflet follow this link.>>
 
Electrical and Electronic equipment
All household and electrical equipment can be taken to Pyms Lane civic amenity site for recycling. Removal of old refrigerators and the extraction of their CFCs can be arranged by contacting Streetwise on 01270 537842
 
Batteries
Wherever possible it is better on the environment to use rechargeable batteries although look out for the new versions containing no mercury or cadmium.

Pyms Lane civic amenity site has recently provided facilities for recycling all batteries, as well as lead acid car batteries.
 
Furniture
A network of furniture recycling projects exist across the UK, consisting of small scale projects which take unwanted household furniture and items, and pass it onto community groups, low-income families and other groups in need.

One such local group is Crewe Christian Concern - 01270 586186
 
Paint
If you have any tins containing a reasonable amount of paint it may be worth checking with the local Community Re>paint scheme: www.communityrepaint.org.uk
 
For more information on additional ways to recycle, visit our Recycling Banks Information.