Bin it Right – Recycling and General Waste – Durham County Council

Durham County Council

Do you bin it right? From this week we’ll be adding stickers to recycling bins to help everyone remember what goes in which bin so we can recycle even more and help protect our environment.

The amount of waste that gets recycled has increased by over 30% since the introduction of alternate weekly collections in 2012, but last year nearly 10% of it was contaminated by non-recyclable materials. Most commonly nappies, pet waste and food. Contaminated material not only reduces recycling rates but also costs about £100 a tonne in alternative disposal.

If you ever want to know what goes in which bin, you can check on our website at www.durham.gov.uk/whatgoeswhere or call us on 03000 261000.

Bin it Right

What goes in my recycling bin?

The following items go into your recycling bin with the blue lid.

Wash and squash your items where possible to remove food and save space. This helps to prevent contamination and keep your bin clean. Place all clean, dry items loose in your recycling bin to allow for sorting later.

Material	Yes please	No thanks
	all plastic bottles yoghurt and butter containers	hard plastic containers Children’s toys black plastic food trays
	all paper all cardboard plain greetings cards	polystyrene used kitchen paper wipes nappies
	all steel and aluminium food tins and drinks cans clean tin foil biscuit and sweet tins	cutlery or any other metal objects
	all cartons eg fruit juice, drinks and soup	polystyrene
	aerosol cans

What goes in my recycling box?

The following items go clean and loose into the recycling box:

Material	Yes please	No thanks
	glass bottles and jars of all colours	broken glass Pyrex light bulbs mirrors flat glass

Other recyclable items

What about other items which are tricky to summarise under general headings?

Find a full list of items in our reuse and recycling A-Z.

What goes in my rubbish bin?

Material	Yes please	No thanks
	domestic household waste that cannot be recycled.	recycling rubble or bricks vehicle parts items which may make the bin too heavy

What goes in my garden waste bin?

The following items go into the garden waste bin with the brown lid.

 

Material	Yes please	No thanks
	grass cuttings shrubs leaves weeds flowers and plants hedge clippings prunings small branches (no larger than 7cm)	plastic / black bags bio-degradable or compostable bags plant pots / plastic trays kitchen / food waste soil / bricks / rubble nappies paper / plastic / cardboard textiles pet waste children’s toys garden ornaments

Bin it Right Guide

Find out more about recycling at home in our Bin It Right: A Guide to Recycling At Home.pdf (3 pages, 660kb).

Why is it important to put things in the right bins?

It’s really important that you follow these guidelines as it helps to reduce contamination and helps reduce the amount of waste going to energy from waste.

Every tonne of contaminated recycling costs the council approximately £100 to transport and dispose of through waste treatment.

If you do put waste in the wrong bin, you might find a reminder sticker on your bin or a leaflet through your door. You may also receive a letter asking you to remove it and put in the right bin before your next collection day.

Related links

• Rubbish and recycling collections
• Garden waste collections
• Large items (bulky waste) collections
• Household hazardous waste
• Household clinical waste
• Household waste recycling centres (HWRCs)

Timeline Photos – Durham County Council.

Advice in Ushaw Moor From The Northern Echo

Durham Citizens Advice Bureau will hold an outreach advice session on Thursday November 21 in Ushaw Moor Sure Centre from 11am to noon. No appointment is needed.

via Advice in Ushaw Moor From The Northern Echo.