What materials can go in Northumberland recycling bins?

The materials which we currently recycle through the kerbside bins are: paper, card and cardboard, food and drink cans, aerosols and plastic bottles with or without lids. If it’s not on this list it shouldn’t go in the recycling bin - so if in doubt leave it out!
 

Why do you ask for items to be put loose in the recycling bin rather than in bags?

Refuse collection staff need to be able to see that the correct materials have been placed in the recycling bin before it is emptied. They can’t do this if materials have been bagged up. Also, sorting of the materials is carried out by a mixture of manual and mechanical means. These are both more efficiently carried out when the materials are presented loose on the conveyor belts.
 

What grades of paper and card are acceptable?

All grades of paper and card can be recycled. Heavy brown cardboard boxes or sheets should be ripped up simply to avoid them becoming jammed in your bin on collection day. Most wrapping paper is acceptable providing it passes the ‘scrunch’ test i.e. when scrunched in your hand it should remain in a ball. Wrapping paper that is decorated with glitter/sequins etc can’t be recycled as these contaminate the paper recycling process. It should be placed in the general household rubbish bin.
 

How do I carry out the wrapping paper scrunch test?

You can check whether your your wrapping paper is actually paper - and therefore recyclable - or whether it is plastic and/or foil based.

• Squash the paper into a small ball in your hand
• Open your hand
• If it keeps its ball shape then it can be recycled as paper
• If it bounces back outwards then it has a high content of foil or plastic so it should be put in your general rubbish bin

Your general household rubbish is sent to our Energy from Waste facility and burned to make electricity. (See note later about Energy from Waste).
 

Why not shredded paper?

Paper mills prefer recyclable paper that doesn’t contain shredded paper. This is because the action of shredding shortens the cellulose fibres and results in the need to add a higher proportion of virgin pulp to it to make a new paper product, resulting in a higher costs.

Our sorting plant uses a trommel (a large rotating sieve), to separate out the different materials by their size. This means that small items, such as shredded paper, are removed as contamination and disposed of as waste at the start of the sorting process. Any shredded paper that manages to pass across the trommel then tends to drop between conveyor belts creating a fire hazard within the facility.

We advise you to only shred the confidential part of a document and to recycle the rest.
 

What should I do with my shredded paper?

Keep shredding to a minimum by only shredding the confidential parts of your documents. You can put the shredded pieces in your home composter by mixing it with the green waste (grass cuttings etc) to get a better carbon : nitrogen mix and improved compost.

Printed paper and newspapers should NOT be used for pet bedding as the ink on it may be harmful.

Why food and drink cans and not other metals?

Our sorting plant at West Sleekburn is designed to take food and drink cans and aerosols. Other metals should be recycled via the Household Waste Recovery Centres, where there is a metal skip. Pots and pans, knives and other metal objects can cause damage to the sorting equipment and some items pose a safety risk to our operatives. Our sorting facility uses state of the art equipment to separate ferrous metals from non-ferrous metals - this means we can split out the aluminium cans/aerosols from the steel ones. These are high value materials with stable end markets that can be recycled over and over again into new products.
 

Do I need to rinse my cans before recycling them?

Yes please. Emptying and rinsing cans avoids the risk of foodstuffs contaminating the paper in the recycling bins. Clean and dry cans also reduce the energy required by reprocessors when melting them down to create new products.
 

Can aerosols be recycled safely?

Yes, providing they are empty of gas and liquid. Otherwise they should be put in the general rubbish bin. If they have a plastic top which comes off easily, please remove it and put it in the general rubbish bin.

Can I put foil in the recycling bin?

Please don’t put foil wrap or foil trays in your recycle bin. They are difficult to clean and can easily contaminate paper waste. Please put them (unwashed) in your general rubbish bin and they will be sent to the Energy from Waste plant. The energy recovery process creates a bottom ash from which the aluminium and steel can then be extracted for re-use.

Can I put glass in my recycling bin?

No thank you. Please recycle your glass bottles and jars by taking them to your local household waste recovery centre or bring site

By keeping the glass out of the recycling bin we can ensure that the paper is not contaminated with glass shards and that the clear glass is kept segregated from the coloured, therefore giving it the best chance to be re-melted into clear bottles and jars.

The coloured glass (brown and green) can be used for re-melt or, depending upon the markets can be recycled into a range of other products such as glass fibre insulation, or as an aggregate for use in the construction industry.
 

Why does Northumberland not have glass collected at the kerbside using a separate container?

Some neighbouring authorities collect glass at the kerbside using a caddy which sits within the top of the recycling bin. This method relies on the use of a dedicated fleet of split compartment vehicles as the glass is collected at the same time as the other recyclable materials.

In Northumberland we currently operate a single fleet of refuse collection vehicles that are able to collect recyclable waste one week and the same vehicle and crew then collect residual waste for disposal the following week, with glass having to be taken by households to their nearest ‘bring’ recycling centre. This approach makes environmental and economic sense in a large rural county such as Northumberland, but is less convenient for residents.

Consideration is currently being given to the most appropriate way to introduce kerbside glass recycling collections in Northumberland and it is intended to run a pilot scheme for kerbside glass recycling later in 2019/20.

Why does Northumberland not collect food waste at the kerbside for recycling?

When developing the Northumberland Municipal Waste Strategy 2003 -2020, consideration was given to collecting food waste for recycling. However, at that time there was little public support for such a service and it was also not considered to be affordable given the significant capital investment required in new receptacles, vehicles and waste processing facilities as well as the considerable on-going revenue costs of operating such a service.

The focus of the Waste Strategy was therefore to promote waste avoidance/minimisation and improve the recycling, composting and energy recovery arrangements so that landfill disposal was the option of last resort.

The County Council continues to support food waste avoidance through the national ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) that encourages households to plan their meals, avoid over purchasing and to reuse any leftovers.
 

Are there any plans to collect food waste in the future in Northumberland?

Detailed modelling of different options for the collection and processing of food waste via anaerobic digestion is currently being undertaken as this is the most environmentally sustainable way of dealing with food waste and offers the opportunity to deliver a ‘step-change’ in our overall recycling performance to +50%.

It is also envisaged that the separate collection of food waste will become a legal requirement in the future. The  Government has recently consulted upon this, so it is sensible to determine how best this can be introduced in the county so that we are able to develop well informed and robust bids for funding support. This modelling work is being carried out with the assistance of WRAP.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to your recycling, you can find out by visiting our West Sleekburn recycling plant, near Ashington.

It’s free and you will be able to see the entire process from beginning through to when it is ready for dispatch to re-processing plants.

The organised tours are for small groups and must be booked in advance. The tours take roughly two hours and run during working hours from Monday to Friday. The tour is specifically for people over the age of 14 and it is inadvisable for those with pacemakers to attend, due to the use of powerful magnets within the plant and other hazards.

If you’re interested in coming on a tour, please forward your contact details and we can contact you to arrange a convenient time.

Call 0345 600 6400 to arrange.
 

• Love your clothes- take a look at this great website for inspiration
• Reuse plastic bags when shopping, or buy a bag for life - Some Supermarkets have collection points for single use carrier bags, why not check next time you are shopping?
• Donate clothes and furniture to charity – have a look in our community recycling section above.
• Reduce food waste - visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.
• Home composting - see our section on home composting
• Reduce your use of single use plastics- e.g. say no to plastic straws, plastic cotton buds,  disposable coffee cups and polystyrene take away boxes.
• Take a reusable coffee cup next time you go to a coffee shop.
• Recycle your cooking oil at your local household waste recovery centre (ask the attendant for details)
• Rinse kitchen plastic bottles and cans at the end of your washing up to avoid wasting water.
• Northumberland County Council are one of many council's to bring in a ban on the release of balloons and sky lanterns.
• Support the Marine Conservation Society's Don't Let Go Campaign for balloons and sky lanterns.
• Convert to real nappies and save money, as well as the environment.

Tips about cloth/real nappies:

• Northumberland County Council no longer have any incentives for cloth nappies and wipes.
• However, there are sometimes starter packs, and money help schemes for new parents via private companies. (please see link belows).
• Here are some specific tips learnt from Northumberland Mums from past real nappy projects-
• It is worth buying trials and starter packs or hiring small quantities until you decided which style of nappy fits the size and shape of your baby. Leaking can be a bit of an issue for some styles if you have 'thinner legged babies'.
• Some hospitals use cloth nappies too, which was a reassurance that there is nothing wrong with buying second hand real nappies and giving them as hot a wash as they can stand before use to sterilise them. There are bargains to be had. Sometimes the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) have table top sales where nappies are in abundance. And there are some amazing bargains on Ebay.

• Materials from your household recycling bin are sorted in Northumberland.
• The majority of general waste from household bins goes to an energy-from-waste plant in Teesside and not to landfill.
• 25 plastic bottles can be recycled to make one new fleece jacket.
• Recycling one glass bottle or jar saves enough energy to run a game console for five hours.
• Recycling a single glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 100-watt lightbulb for almost an hour.

Also, take a look at the following websites for further advice and tips:

• Love your clothes
• Love Food Hate Waste
• Keep Britain Tidy
• Energy saving community website
• Farmers’ market timetable for the North East
• LOVE Northumberland
• Marine Conservation Society- beachwatch, balloon awareness, wet wipes, plastic bags and more

Here is a selection of recycling and waste leaflets that you can download and print.

• Right bin, right thing
• Buy a home compost bin
• Have your say about the Northumberland Household Waste Recovery Centres
• Information about permits for trade type vehicles
• Rubble, plasterboard and soil - Pay as you throw
• Hazardous household waste booklet
• Commercial waste services leaflet
• Trade flier- talk rubbish to save money

Please note, the council phone number for all enquiries is 0345 600 6400.

Reusable goods and furniture

You can donate furniture and electrical items to local schemes or charities.
Check which organisations are looking for donations of certain items.

CT Furniture

• Unit 1A-2A Albion Road Retail Centre, Blyth
• Please click here for details

 
Salvation Army Harvestfield Furniture Project

• Units 2 & 3, Windmill Way East, Ramparts Business Park, Berwick upon Tweed TD15 1UP (a few units along from the council household waste recovery centre)
• Tel: 01289 332875
• Open 9-4 Every day except Sunday

 
St Oswald’s Hospice North East

• St Oswald’s operates a collection service for good quality furniture or electrical goods that you would like to donate for resale in their charity shops. Please visit the St Oswald’s Hospice website
• Or call 0191 246 8123 for more details and to arrange a collection.

 
British Heart Foundation

• Book a free furniture and electrical collection by visiting the British Heart Foundation webpage. Someone from the BHF will give you a call to confirm your booking and check that they can accept your items.
• The British Heart Foundation can also collect donations of good quality clothing, accessories, shoes, books, CDs, DVDs and bric-a-brac at the same time, if you’re having a clear out

 
Hexham Furniture Project

• Please phone 01434 607509 to find out more about the items that can be collected or dropped off at the centre. (Items must comply with Fire Safety Regs 1988)

Bicycles

• WATBike and Recyke y’bike are community projects which accept donated bikes.
• Trained mechanics and volunteers fix them up to sell to the public to raise funds for running the projects.
• Some bikes are sent to projects in Africa to support schools and community health programmes.

Find out if there is a collection point close to you at-

• WATBIKE website or e-mail cycling@watbus.org.uk
• And Recyke y’bike, or e-mail recyke@cooptel.net or phone 0191 265 4197 

 
 

Swap shops
The following are national swap shop websites that provide household furniture, garden goods etc.

• Snaffle Up
• I love Freegle
• Freecycle

The following national organisations may offer to collect unwanted items or give advice on how to reuse and recycle:

• furniture reuse network
• national community wood recycling project
• community composting network

 

Below you will find information relevant to grants:​

• Accessing government grants for the voluntary and community sector
• The Big Lottery Fund
• Applying for community grants from Suez trust
• The j4b community website for information on voluntary and community funding
• Funding from Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN)

 

Northumberland County Council support a number of national recycling events. Save these dates in your diary and look out for more information through the links below.

• Great British Spring Clean:  
• Recycle week:    23 September - 29 Sept 2019
• Love Food, Hate Waste: ongoing 
• Love Your Clothes: ongoing

Useful links

• Love Your Clothes
• Love Food Hate Waste
• Keep Britain Tidy
• Waste education in schools
• Home composting
• Love Northumberland Campaign