Residents with green wheelie bins PLEASE DO NOT place recycling into sacks, just clean off any food residue and place it loose in your green bin. Remember to squash plastic bottles replacing the lids afterwards and flatten any cardboard.

It’s important that you put the correct rubbish or recycling in the right bin.

The below covers your main household collections, further materials are now also collected separately at the kerbside. For more information see our small WEEE and battery recycling page (small WEEE is small electrical items)

Recycling (green wheelie bin or pink sacks)

Our neighbouring District Council Wealden who are partners on our waste contract have an excellent recycling look up which you can use to check items https://www.wealden.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/recyclopedia/

PLEASE DO NOT place recycling into sacks, only shredded paper should be placed into a carrier bag or clear bag. Anything in sacks, especially a black sack, looks like household waste and therefore can result in recycling being rejected due to contamination. Unnecessary time would be wasted checking through sacks to make sure the contents are right.

PLEASE DO NOT recycle black plastic pots, tubs or trays. Currently black plastic cannot be processed by the sorting equipment at the recycling sorting facility. Place any black plastic items in your household waste bin.

Please make sure you rinse out bottle, jars and food trays and squash any cardboard. Recycling should be clean, separated and not contain any food residue.

Please place your glass recycling directly into your recycling bin, you no longer need to separate it.

Accepted

• Drinks cartons (Tetra Paks)
• Glass bottles and jars (leave lids off and place in separately as made from another material)
• Cardboard (please flatten and place in your green bin, not outside your bin stacked up)
• Newspapers
• Cardboard egg boxes
• Paper (including shredded paper in clear bags)
• Envelopes (white and brown)
• Telephone directories
• Books
• Junk mail, leaflets and circulars
• Food and drinks cans
• Metal lids from glass bottles and jars
• Clean kitchen foil and foil food trays
• Aerosols
• HDPE toothpaste tubes (soft squeezable tubes)
• Plastic bottles (clean, squash and then screw on lids and include for recycling)
• Plastic food pots, tubs and trays
• Plastic plant pots (Not black plastic)
• Plastic film and bags (supermarket carrier bags)

Batteries (please place in a separate carrier bag and place next to or on top of your bin (NOT INSIDE YOUR BIN)

Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) – Please place in a separate carrier bag and place it next to or on top of your bin (NOT INSIDE YOUR BIN)

Rejected

• Bubble wrap
• Garden Waste
• LDPE type plastic such as chocolate bar wrappers, sweet pouches etc, low grade plastic cannot be recycled.
• Foil-lined plastic pouches and bags (crisp packets, baby and pet food pouches)
• Dog waste/cat litter
• Building materials
• Hard plastics (those which shatter when broken)
• Black refuse bags
• Light bulbs
• Polystyrene
• Food waste
• Nappies
• Wood
• Rubber
• Ceramics
• Sand
• Pyrex
• Window panes
• Mirrors
• Drinking glasses
• Black Plastic

Food waste (23 litre food caddy or communal food waste bin for communal properties)

Accepted

• All uneaten food and plate scrapings, dairy products (except liquids),
• cereals
• cheese
• eggs
• bread
• cakes
• pastries
• meat
• bones
• tea bags
• coffee grounds
• fruit
• vegetables
• fish
• rice, pasta, beans
• dry and wet pet food
• Remember, you can also put your mouldy and out of date food (without packaging) in your kitchen caddy.

Rejected

• food packaging
• other household waste which is not food waste
• non compostable liners or bags.
• Other forms of packaging and dry recyclable materials which should be placed in the recycling bin above.
• liquids such as milk, drinks etc.

Refuse (black wheelie bin or sack collection)

To keep your wheelie bin hygienic we recommend residents use refuse sacks or bin liners for their waste and not to place waste loose directly into the wheelie bin. A wheelie bin with loose waste particularly in warm weather will quick become unpleasant and unhygienic.

Accepted

• General household waste
• Food waste (can be accepted but better placed in your food waste collection above)
• Nappies
• Plastics that cannot be recycled (includes polystyrene)
• Black Plastic

Batteries (please place in a separate carrier bag and place next to or on top of your bin (NOT INSIDE YOUR BIN))

Small WEEE (please place in a separate carrier bag and place next to or on top of your bin (NOT INSIDE YOUR BIN)

small WEEE is small electrical items

Rejected

• DIY waste
• Garden waste (see below)

Garden Waste – Only if subscribed (brown wheelie bin)

Please be aware all soil / compost must be removed from plants and shrubs before they are placed in the brown bin. Please shake off soil from roots. Soil must be taken to your household waste site or re used on your garden.

Accepted

• Grass cuttings
• Shrub cuttings
• Plant cuttings
• Flower cuttings
• Weeds
• Leaves
• Branches (up to 10cm/4in diameter only)
• Herbivorous pet bedding i.e. Rabbit, Guinea Pigs

Rejected

• Cardboard
• Paper
• Food waste
• Cat litter and dog waste
• Japanese Knotweed
• Soil
• Rubble
• Plastics e.g. plant pots
• Glass

Fireworks

Each year we get asked what to do with unused or damaged fireworks and whether they can be taken to Household Waste and Recycling Sites.

There is a significant fire risk associated with fireworks and sparklers entering the waste management chain. In compliance with the law, please ensure you dispose of any used fireworks safely. See our frequently asked questions below which explain how.

Whilst we wish encourage recycling of any packaging, this must be done correctly to minimise the risk of fires and contamination of recycling.

Frequently asked questions

How do you dispose of used fireworks and sparklers?  

Wear strong gloves and use tongs to collect used fireworks and sparklers.

• SOAK IT – soak them in water overnight to ensure there is no chance of them setting anything alight;
• BAG IT – collect all the spent fireworks in a bag; and
• BIN IT – put them in the rubbish bin (not the recycling bin).

Never ever put anything hot in your bin, such as fireworks, sparklers, bonfire/BBQ ashes or disposable BBQs.

How do you dispose of unused fireworks?

The safest way to dispose of unused fireworks is to set them off in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, then follow the guidance above for used fireworks.

If you have a large quantity of unused fireworks, for example from a cancelled display, you may need to contact a specialist disposal company to collect and dispose of them in a safe manner.

Please remember to store any unused fireworks away from sources of ignition and other combustible items. Keep them secure and don’t let them become wet or damp.

Unused fireworks cannot be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Sites and you must not put them in your rubbish bin at home.

Can fireworks be recycled?

Fireworks cannot be recycled, but you can recycle any cardboard or plastic film packaging that they come in as long as the packaging is completely empty.