Kirsty Warren
Recycle this…

recycling sussex

Plastic and metal lids

Confusingly, different manufacturers have different instructions on their packaging - some say take lids off and some say leave them on. This is down to different councils have different recycling methods, and some can accept tops left on. (There are 338 collection authorities in England, 32 in London alone!)

RECYCLING UPDATE: Our message has always been to take the tops off plastic containers before recycling. All this changed from 1st September 2022 as we have improved our recycling process. If you live in West Sussex, you can now recycle, in your kerbside recycling bin, plastic bottles, plastic milk bottles, tetra packs and ketchup bottles. Any plastic bottle you did recycle before without the lid, can now be recycled with the plastic lid on. It does not matter what type of plastic the top is made of; we can even accept trigger sprays on plastic bottles.

The rules we have in West Sussex regarding tops is:

METAL BOTTLE TOPS: any colour - can go into your blue top recycling bin, any size from small beer bottle tops to big jar tops.

PLASTIC BOTTLE TOPS: any colour - can go into your blue top recycling bin.

If a lid is discarded in the old way into your black top bin - do not despair! As we extract all the bits of plastic and paper from the black bin and turn it into RDF - Refuse Derived Fuel. These are fuel pellets that are then used in industry in place of fossil fuels! So none of your plastic will end up in landfill from WSCC.

However, did you know milk bottle tops are collected by charities?
Many of you collected milk bottle tops for the League of Friends at Princess Royal Hospital. They have stopped collecting and no longer have a bin in the hospital.
Instead, here are some of the places that still collect milk bottle tops. Remember only clean milk bottle tops, any colour. No other tops please.
Lindfield – outside The Stand Up – Terracycle bin, for the benefit of Great Ormond Street Hospital. Haywards Heath Town Council Office, same charity.
Bay Tree Café in Haywards Heath, in the Orchards Shopping Centre.
Cuckfield – Second Saturday of every month at the food market held at the Rose & Crown car park. Hurstpierpoint – Village Centre (Library) – Hurst ReThink collection box support GOSH.
The United Reformed Church - in the center of Hassocks village have a collection box.

Home coffee pods

Do you enjoy a cup of coffee at home, maybe you have a coffee machine that takes coffee pods? Let me introduce you to a new free recycling scheme ‘Podback’.

Podback is a coffee pod recycling service. Created in partnership with the biggest names in coffee pod systems, Nespresso, Nescafe, Dolce Gusto and Tassimo, to give people who enjoy the quality and taste of coffee pods a simple and easy way to recycle them. Just look up: www.podback.org and order some bags.

The bags are free. I order five at a time. Unfortunately, Mid Sussex District Council do not offer the kerbside option. You simple drop your used pods into the bag, which self-seals and return it freepost.

Another alternative to reduce plastic why not consider using stainless steel coffee capsules available for many machines? This way you can use you own favourite coffee. They are food grade stainless steel and easy to clean.

Small electrical recycling service

Everything with a plug, battery or cable has the potential to be recycled. If you have an individual kerbside rubbish collection, you can recycle old or broken small electrical items at the kerbside.

Currently this service is not available if your bins are located in a communal bin store. You can find alternative electrical recycling options using the following link: https://bit.ly/2LcKBO3

How does the kerbside collection work? Most unwanted or broken small electrical appliances, those items powered by batteries or with a plug, cable or lead can be recycled at the kerbside. Small electrical appliance recycling is collected every two weeks with your normal scheduled rubbish collection.

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• Little and Often - Please recycle “little and often” as space is limited on our collection vehicles for the storage of electrical items

• Bag It - Simply place the item(s) into a standard carrier size plastic bag (no larger than 35 x 40cm and not in black bin bags)

• Tie It – Securely tie the bag so the items do not fall out

• Recycle It - Place next to your black lidded rubbish bin on your scheduled collection day

For any items not on our kerbside collections checklist, please visit www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk to find your nearest reuse or recycling point.

Cans, tins & packs

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All of the following can be recycled in your blue topped kerbside recycling bin.

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Aerosol cans – Deodorants, hair spray and air fresheners

  • Biscuit tins – Metal and plastic biscuit tins and lids

  • Blister packs – Plastic blister packs. Remember to check all the tablets are removed

  • Cartons (including Tetra Pak cartons) – Fruit juice, long life milk, soup and smoothie cartons

  • Envelopes – We can recycle window envelopes

  • Plastic cups – If you do buy a takeaway coffee, remember that your plastic cup and the lid can be recycled in your blue top recycling bin

  • Plastic bottles – Remove tops first, then recycle

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The exception to this list is the Jiffy bag. Please place any Jiffy bags in the rubbish bin please, or reuse.