Excess recycling and waste

It is our duty to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill - and increase the amount we recycle. We're working to increase our recycling rate to 50% by 2023. Take a look at how we plan to do this!

We understand that sometimes you might have more recycling or waste than will fit in your containers or bin. Please follow the advice on this page to help us collect any extra recycling and waste.

Glass and plastic/cans/tins

You can put extra red box recycling out in reusable plastic containers such as a washing up bowl or plastic storage boxes/baskets. Please make sure glass is always kept in a separate container to plastic/cans/tins/foil.

Recycling put out in plastic bags will not be collected by our crews due to the issues they cause. Find out how plastic bags cause problems.

You can also order extra red boxes online. Unsure which items you can recycle in the red box? Find out here.

Red box delivery delays

Please note we are currently facing delivery delays from our supplier for red boxes. This is because of the HGV driver shortage and difficulty getting materials to make the boxes.

If you have ordered a red box, we won’t be able to provide one until at least the week commencing 18 October.

In the meantime, you may use a bag for life (not a carrier bag) or a plastic box (not a cardboard box) for your plastic and cans, and for your glass. Please keep glass separate to plastic/cans/tins/foil and do not overfill the container as they can get heavy.

If your red box is damaged but is still safe to use, please carry on using it. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Cardboard

Extra cardboard which does not fit in the yellow bag should be flattened to no bigger than 2ft x 2ft and left next to the red boxes, weighed down if you can.

Please also remove any packaging such as polystyrene, plastic film/wrapping and any plastic straps. We can only collect clean cardboard (without any food left on it).

Additional yellow bags can also be ordered online.

Paper

If you regularly have more paper than will fit in your blue bag, you can order another blue bag. If you only occasionally have extra paper to recycle, please try to spread the amount you put out over a few collections.

Garden waste

Since 2014, we no longer provide a second garden bin for extra garden waste. Some households have two garden bins which dates to a time where the Council did permit additional bins. Over time this resulted in significant additional time to collect the garden waste being produced.

If you have more garden waste than will fit in your bin, please take a look at our tips and advice for disposing of extra garden waste.

General waste

We won’t collect extra black bin waste. This includes bags placed at the side of the bin and bags placed on top of the black bin.

Please remember that bin lids should be fully closed. The crew may remove bags that are stopping the lid from closing and leave them inside the bin after collection.

Take a look at our Excess Rubbish Advice - it has lots of helpful tips and hints on how to reduce the waste in your bin.

Larger families and people with medical conditions

Larger families or those with excess waste due to a medical condition may qualify for additional space for their refuse.

Call us on 01530 454545 for more information.