Recycling

First, don't recycle if you can re-use. If you can compost things, build a compost heap.

Next, minimise the waste you put into the green bin, monitor what you're putting in, and recycle wherever possible.

The silver bins can be used for:

• paper (including window envelopes)
• cardboard (but plain, brown cardboard is good in your compost heap!)
• steel and aluminium tins/cans, and their metal caps or lids*
• aerosol cans, providing they are empty
• plastics, but only:
  - drink bottles*
  - toiletry bottles*
  - cleaning product bottles*
  - margarine or butter tubs*
  - yoghurt pots*

The recycling centre behind the Co-op can be used for:

• steel and aluminium tins/cans, and their metal caps or lids*
• glass bottles*
• aluminium foil* (sometimes known as tinfoil*) - put in the can bank
• tetra packs (flatten and retighten caps before putting into the bank).

Plastic bags (including any polythene or similar type) can be recycled in containers at most supermarkets in Newark and Lincoln, (2020 Green Vision is currently in discussion with Lincolnshire Co-op about them providing a similar service in Collingham).

Other plastics regrettably have to put in your general waste at the moment (or if you want to create a stir, return them to the retailer!)

What else can you recycle?

• a strange one this - Quality Street wrappers are now recyclable - split any foil off (and put it in the can bank), the transparent or semi-transparent wrappers can be composted. See their website
• electrical equipment - large retailers will accept returns under European legislation
   
• furniture -the Furniture Project at Boughton will collect. Ring 01623 836410, website www.thefurnitureproject.net.
   
• domestic batteries are now recyclable - most electrical shops, including supermarkets which sell electrical items, have containers into which you can put used batteries. Don't put them into landfill - batteries are full of nasty chemicals which shouldn't go into landfill.
   
• used compact disks and DVDs - there are firms that will take these if enough are collected. Please pass them to Bob Imrie, 4 Rio Drive, tel 893799 or email bob "at" creditlaw.co.uk, although I have recently supplied a load to a local allotment holder as bird scarers (re-use is better than recycle!).

Other things may be of value to other people - join the Newark Freecycle group.

See the Links page for more information on recycling
 

* please ensure items marked with an asterisk above are clean when you put them in the recycling points.

Recognise your labels

The Green Dot is a symbol used on packaging in many European countries. It indicates that the supplier has contributed financially to the cost of recovery and recycling of packaging waste.


 

The Mobius Loop indicates that a product can be recycled. Each arrow represents an aspect of a successful recycling programme: collection, remanufacturing into a new product, and finally purchase by the consumer.  Please note that it does not necessarily mean that the object has been recycled.
 

This section courtesy of the Centre for Alternative Technology