Blue recycling bin
What can I recycle?
Use your blue bin for much of the recycling in your home. From bottles and boxes to tubs and trays, there are loads of items that you can recycle in the blue bin. Remember to check our advice and don’t rely on what is on the packaging.
- paper and cardboard (including envelopes and magazines)
- food tins and drinks cans
- plastic bottles pots, tubs and trays (wash, squash and pop the lids back on)
- glass bottles and jars
- food and drink cartons
- aerosols
- clean kitchen foil and foil trays (please clean off any food residue)
You can find a full list of items that can be recycled at the kerbside or our HWRC in our Recycling Helper. More information is also in our Blue Recycling Bin Leaflet.
Additional bins, our opt-in scheme and flats
We want residents to recycle as much as they can so we offer additional blue bins, free of charge.
If you live in Mackworth, Arboretum or Normanton and haven’t got a blue bin, you can register for our opt-in scheme.
If you live in a flat, please contact us to request recycling bins – an officer will need to visit and make an assessment.
Making recycling at home easier
Once you’re in the habit, recycling is easy! To help you build good habits, here are some of our top tips.
- Think recycling first. Wherever you have a rubbish bin in your house, swap it for a recycling bin or bag and pop the rubbish bin somewhere else.
- Check your whole house. There are lots of items that can be recycled in your bathroom, bedroom and living room.
- Wash and squash. Rinse out any residue such as food or shampoo from plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays – this makes our recycling higher quality. To save space in your blue bin so you can recycle more, flatten any boxes, squash plastic items and pop the lids back on bottles
What can't I recycle?
As much as 70% of household waste can be recycled but not all of it can go in the blue bin. There are some items that our processors currently don’t accept for recycling. This is because the technology does not exist to be able to separate these items from the rest of the blue bin materials. Please only recycle the items we ask for in the blue bin.
The items we get in the blue bin, but don’t ask for are called contaminants. The good news is that there are other ways you can recycle, reuse or reduce these items.
- Plastic bags and film - plastic carrier bags can be taken to supermarkets. Similar ‘soft plastic’ items that should go to supermarkets include toilet paper wrap, freezer, cereal and bread bags, can packaging and bottle wrap. Most have a collection point either in-store or in the car park.
- Crisp and snack packets - like soft plastic, these items can be recycled at your local supermarket. If you are unsure about an item, please check our Recycling Helper.
- Electrical items - these can and should be recycled but please don’t put them in your bin. It’s a huge fire risk and could hurt you or our crews and damage our vehicles. Small appliances like kettles can be taken to Raynesway. Some companies offer recycling of old appliances, check when you purchase. Visit the recycle your electricals website to find your nearest recycling point.
- Plastic toys - if they are still in good working order, they can be sold on or donated to your local charity shop or community group. If they are beyond reuse, they can be recycled at Raynesway.
- Batteries - like electrical items, batteries must never be put in your bins. Shops and retailers that sell more than 32kg of batteries a year have to provide battery recycling collection facilities in-store. This means there are now lots more places where you can take your old batteries for recycling. The easiest way to find your nearest recycling point is by visiting the recycle your electricals website.
Please do not use your blue recycling bin for general household waste like used nappies (try reusable instead), we even have a cashback scheme) and food waste. If your bin contains these items, we will not empty it. Food waste can be put in the brown bin - sign up if you haven't got one.
If you are still unsure about what to do with an item, our Recycling Helper is a useful search tool that provides detailed information on what to do with all kinds of different products. Please tell us if there is an item that we have missed.
What happens to recycling that we collect?
From your blue bin, recycling is transported in our vehicles to a transfer station. Here, it’s checked for contamination which is removed by hand. It’s then sent to a Material Recovery Facility for sorting into different materials (by hand and machinery). These are then sent on to separate facilities for further processing before they’re recycled.
You can watch what happens to different materials on our How is it recycled? page.