Recycling collection arrangements

[DarloRich]

An addition to MK:

We are supposed to have a yellow tabbed plastic pouch for batteries. Once full the bin men are supposed to leave you a replacement. They never do/don't have any and getting one form the council seems VERY hard so I simply don't bother now!

 

[DelW]

Also - i am very glad MK CITY council don't charge for the green bin. The ability to recycle food waste really cuts down on your black waste. Mine is now almost entirely soft plastics that cant go in the recycle bin. I assume the food waste goes for power generation but haven't ever looked into it

I think that food waste can go for anaerobic digestion, but I don't know how widely that's done.

In my part of Surrey food waste is collected weekly in a small bin, but garden waste is fortnightly in a separate paid-for wheelie bin, around £70 a year currently.

My food waste bin goes out very rarely, since veg and fruit peelings, tea leaves etc. go into my garden composter. About the only things I use the food bin for are eggshells and occasional meat or fish bones.

 

[JamesT]

why cant we have one simple national scheme that recycles everything?

From a chat I once had with someone who works for a recycling company, councils all outsource their recycling. So the differences end up being down to the facilities the recycling company have. If they have the right machine that can automate separating everything out then you have a combined bin, otherwise it has to be separate bins.

 

[DarloRich]

From a chat I once had with someone who works for a recycling company, councils all outsource their recycling. So the differences end up being down to the facilities the recycling company have. If they have the right machine that can automate separating everything out then you have a combined bin, otherwise it has to be separate bins.

I know - however it is madness that we have let this happen.

 

[GatwickDepress]

In Hastings, we only have green bins for recycling and black for household waste and these are collected fortnightly. Many houses don't have room for bins, so the council supplies these households with pink bags for recycling.

Unfortunately, Hastings is a seaside town and so seagulls rip the bags apart. Those streets stink on a waste collection day.

why cant we have one simple national scheme that recycles everything?

Also - i am very glad MK CITY council don't charge for the green bin. The ability to recycle food waste really cuts down on your black waste. Mine is now almost entirely soft plastics that cant go in the recycle bin. I assume the food waste goes for power generation but haven't ever looked into it

You would think it would make more sense from the economies of scale alone.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I know - however it is madness that we have let this happen.

It does get tiresome when blue for instance means different things in different parts of the country.

I really struggle with the stepsons from Cardiff. It was worse when there was only one recycling bag for Cardiff and they insisted on telling their Mother in Croydon that it therefore did not matter which recycling bin I told her to use. Cardiff has recently gone more segregated and they had a bit of a shock but to my benefit !.

I think the fundamental problems with recycling are :-

1. We should be cutting down on packaging to reduce the need to recycle. Progress is that polystyrene is being phased out - the polystyrene containers/plates for take away food can no longer be used (I think it is actually now illegal for takeaways to sell food in polystyrene packaging). So cardboard can be burnt to generate energy (its too dirty to recycle).
2. No standard across the UK and some differences (colours) that could be avoided.
3. People who plan / organise recycling really do not get that at least 50% of the population are really not that bright and/or do not care. A sad example is, back in the 1970s when visiting the home of a school class mate of mine, I heard the mother exclaim proudly that she need not wash the used milk bottles as she chucked them in the bin - because she did not care about losing the deposit on the bottle.

 

[Gloster]

In my old street across the creek we had at least two houses that used to throw the unwashed, and often half-eaten, containers from takeaways in with all the other general recycling. So half a minute after my washed wine bottles went into the dustcart a load of vindaloo and chow mein would be dumped on top.

 

[gg1]

In my old street across the creek we had at least two houses that used to throw the unwashed, and often half-eaten, containers from takeaways in with all the other general recycling. So half a minute after my washed wine bottles went into the dustcart a load of vindaloo and chow mein would be dumped on top.

Pretty common unfortunately. As mentioned in my earlier comment, the paper/cardboard recycling in my area is in heavy duty bags, so as you walk down the street on recycling day you can see what other people have put in. Quite a few of my neighbours put used takeaway containers in theirs.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

An addition to MK:

We are supposed to have a yellow tabbed plastic pouch for batteries. Once full the bin men are supposed to leave you a replacement. They never do/don't have any and getting one form the council seems VERY hard so I simply don't bother now!

Any shop that sells batteries should accept batteries for recycling - so if you have something like a Robert Dyas or similar nearby, you're sorted for battery recycling at least.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Any shop that sells batteries should accept batteries for recycling - so if you have something like a Robert Dyas or similar nearby, you're sorted for battery recycling at least.

I would say same should happen for light-bulbs.

Sadly it takes me several visits to IKEA before I remember to take my used batteries and light-bulbs for recycling there !.

With AA Alkaline batteries - any that are in good condition I recharge once or twice in an old charger. The idea is I mark them each time they are re-charged so I do not do re-charge too often. I then use them in higher use devices where I will quickly spot them leaking. I have never had a recharged AA alkaline battery leak but plenty of "Duracell Industrial" batteries leak before I ever use them fresh from the supplier !. So I will not get them again.

That is my ultimate desire for recycling. Re use without re-manufacture - why smash up glass bottles when we could wash them and re-use them ?. Bring back glass bottle deposits I say.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I would say same should happen for light-bulbs.

I think it already does...?

 

[Peter Sarf]

I think it already does...?

No where near as common as for batteries. In fact I can only readily think of IKEA.

 

[WolvertonWorks]

why cant we have one simple national scheme that recycles everything?

Also - i am very glad MK CITY council don't charge for the green bin. The ability to recycle food waste really cuts down on your black waste. Mine is now almost entirely soft plastics that cant go in the recycle bin. I assume the food waste goes for power generation but haven't ever looked into it

Seems to predate our newish bins as it mentions black bags but this gives an idea of how MK waste is dealt with - and does generate electricity:

https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021-10/MKWRP%20Process%20Map.pdf

There's also a helpful A-Z on the council's website showing what can and can't be recycled and which bin to put things into: https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/a-to-z-recycling-milton-keynes

I don't know if they still do it but a few years ago one could book a group visit to the recycling facility and see the process of separating the contents of our recycling bags for oneself - it was an interesting visit whne I went.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I am puzzled by glass recycling - why is it only glass bottles that can be taken to a re-cycling centre or put in the bin? I had some sheets of glass to dispose of and, when I took them to the local recycling centre I discovered that the containers had a small circular hole only big enough for a bottle. The household collection specifically bans 'glass or glassware', only bottles or jars allowed.
Making glass from recycled glass bottles must take a similar amount of energy as from raw materials. Silica sand is the raw material, it's not exactly rare. I just wonder if it's because a glass bottle is very strong (partly because of its shape) and therefore is unlikely to be broken before going to landfill. This means that they take up volume in landfill - perhaps that's the motive rather than the recycling one.
The local bin collection involves placing all re-cycling materials into one bin, and this also puzzles me. It's collected by a bin lorry with a load compressor and there's surely a chance that this will break a jar or bottle. On the other hand, we are told to only put paper and card not contaminated by food waste in the (same) bin; wouldn't glass fragments embedded in cardboard be worse?

 

[Amos]

An addition to MK:

We are supposed to have a yellow tabbed plastic pouch for batteries. Once full the bin men are supposed to leave you a replacement. They never do/don't have any and getting one form the council seems VERY hard so I simply don't bother now!

You may be able to get replacement battery bags from your parish council,though their opening hours can be somewhat haphazard.

 

[stuartl]

I am puzzled by glass recycling - why is it only glass bottles that can be taken to a re-cycling centre or put in the bin? I had some sheets of glass to dispose of and, when I took them to the local recycling centre I discovered that the containers had a small circular hole only big enough for a bottle. The household collection specifically bans 'glass or glassware', only bottles or jars allowed.
Making glass from recycled glass bottles must take a similar amount of energy as from raw materials. Silica sand is the raw material, it's not exactly rare. I just wonder if it's because a glass bottle is very strong (partly because of its shape) and therefore is unlikely to be broken before going to landfill. This means that they take up volume in landfill - perhaps that's the motive rather than the recycling one.
The local bin collection involves placing all re-cycling materials into one bin, and this also puzzles me. It's collected by a bin lorry with a load compressor and there's surely a chance that this will break a jar or bottle. On the other hand, we are told to only put paper and card not contaminated by food waste in the (same) bin; wouldn't glass fragments embedded in cardboard be worse?

I believe it's because the glass used for bottles is different to window glass and mixing the two would cause problems when the glass was recycled. Window glass can have various coatings e.g. k glass used in double glazing has a coating to reflect heat back into the house.

 

[Energy]

why cant we have one simple national scheme that recycles everything?

It was planned at some point but in true government fashion it ended up being 7 separate bins:

• General Waste
• Garden Waste
• Food Waste
• Paper
• Plastic
• Glass
• Metal

It wasn't particularly popular with councils, especially those with automatic sorting equipment and a single bin for all recycling. However, local authorities didn't have to follow the rules if it wasn't economic, practical, or didn't have environmental benefit.

Former PM Sunak cut it and hoped no one would notice that he was also in the government that started these plans. Councils still have to follow the 7 streams, but how they collect it is up to them.

 

[Ediswan]

I believe it's because the glass used for bottles is different to window glass and mixing the two would cause problems when the glass was recycled. Window glass can have various coatings e.g. k glass used in double glazing has a coating to reflect heat back into the house.

When I took a microwave turntable to the local recyling centre, the staff added it to the rubble container, along with bricks and concrete.

 

[gg1]

It was planned at some point but in true government fashion it ended up being 7 separate bins:

• General Waste
• Garden Waste
• Food Waste
• Paper
• Plastic
• Glass
• Metal

It wasn't particularly popular with councils, especially those with automatic sorting equipment and a single bin for all recycling. However, local authorities didn't have to follow the rules if it wasn't economic, practical, or didn't have environmental benefit.

Former PM Sunak cut it and hoped no one would notice that he was also in the government that started these plans. Councils still have to follow the 7 streams, but how they collect it is up to them.

Mine doesn't, food waste goes in with general waste.

 

[lookapigeon]

It was planned at some point but in true government fashion it ended up being 7 separate bins:

• General Waste
• Garden Waste
• Food Waste
• Paper
• Plastic
• Glass
• Metal

It wasn't particularly popular with councils, especially those with automatic sorting equipment and a single bin for all recycling. However, local authorities didn't have to follow the rules if it wasn't economic, practical, or didn't have environmental benefit.

Former PM Sunak cut it and hoped no one would notice that he was also in the government that started these plans. Councils still have to follow the 7 streams, but how they collect it is up to them.

I don't ever understand why the UK find the segregation aspect so unsavoury. On the continent they've all got separated bins for the above (maybe not food/garden waste, it probably gets binned).
In some parts they also have very inventive ways of hiding the array of communal bins underground in the street and keeping the street scene looking uncluttered, whereas some places they just have it at the side of the road.
Surely it makes more sense to have it pre-sorted anyway and you can get the raw materials to the processors, as opposed to spending a lot of time and effort sorting the trash from the treasure? The graphic of the MK system posted above looks overly complicated and no doubt there is recycable material that just goes straight to the incinerator.

In Spain for example (I have been here a number of times) there's a number of bins across the country that have a universal colour scheme, so everyone knows what is accepted in each:

How recycling works in the streets of Barcelona and Spain

Knowing how the separation works is useful for visitors and locals. Sets of containers of 5 different colors. Recycling in Barcelona Spain is not difficult.

www.skipthelinebarcelona.com

How is it beyond the UK to have something similar? All these separate arrangements is just madness.

 

[Non Multi]

No where near as common as for batteries. In fact I can only readily think of IKEA.

My local B&Q has a very large recycling station at the exit door for lightbulbs, fluorescent tubes (T8 etc.), electricals and batteries.

Currys take old laptop batteries and printer cartridges.