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Help us achieve our goal of recycling more of Wiltshire's waste by putting plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, drink cartons, cardboard, paper, tins and cans into your blue-lidded bin. You can put glass bottles and jars and bagged textiles into your black box..
Your recycling is collected every fortnight in the following containers:
Up to two wheeled bins for recycling paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, food cartons, cans and aerosols
Up to two black recycling boxes for recycling glass and clean and dry bagged textiles.
If you are unable to store wheeled bins, we may be able to offer you a bagged collection service. Contact us on 0300 456 0102 to discuss the options available.
It is important that materials collected for recycling are clean and dry. Materials should be presented in either blue lidded containers or black boxes. Should you need to put out more waste than can fit into these bins, please ensure you do so in a suitable container such as a reusable shopping bag. Wet cardboard will not be collected so should not be stacked beside your bin
We ask residents to rinse their recycling for cleanliness purposes and to preserve the high quality of materials collected so that we can maximise the materials sent for recycling. You can do this with your normal washing up to save water, or any other collected water.
What can I put in my blue-lidded bin?
Empty, wash and squash all plastic bottles and cartons. Leave lids on.
Plastic bottles of any colour except black, including:
Washing up liquid bottles
Bleach bottles
Laundry liquid and fabric conditioner bottles
Cooking oil bottles
Drinks bottles
Juice or squash bottles
Milk and yoghurt drink bottles
Handwash bottles
Shampoo and conditioner bottles
upright 'pump' type toothpaste tubes
yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs
plastic food trays i.e. meat, fruit and vegetable trays (no black plastic
Cartons, cans, aerosols and foil:
Food and drink cartons
Clean food tins
Drinks cans
Empty aerosols
Clean foil and trays
Metal biscuit tins
Paper and cardboard of any colour including:
Cereal boxes
Egg boxes
Ready meal sleeves
Food packaging boxes and sleeves
Brown paper
Greetings cards
Frozen/chilled pizza boxes
Shoe boxes
Shredded paper - please place inside a cardboard box, such as a cereal box
Toilet and kitchen rolls
Corrugated cardboard
Newspapers and magazines
Directories and catalogues
Envelopes (no need to remove windows)
Brown paper
Wrapping paper if it scrunches into a ball and doesn't bounce back (not the foil kind)
Black plastic pots tubs and trays - plastics are sorted using laser technology that can identify different plastic types. Black plastics are difficult for the equipment to detect so these cannot be separated for recycling from other materials managed at the facility, so are rejected.
Cardboard contaminated with foodstuff e.g. takeaway pizza boxes
Compostable plastics (including cups, trays, films, and cartons)
Plastic packaging and polystyrene
Plant pots (including black) - these can be taken to most household recycling centres or returned to garden centres for reuse
Rigid plastic eg toys, garden furniture
Boxes with plastic windows, please remove the window first
Foil-lined cardboard tubes (eg Pringles tubes)
Dirty cans or tins - please rinse all recyclables first
Batteries
Scrap metal
Books
What can I put in my black box?
If textiles and shoes are in good condition, please consider donating them to charity as it helps them to raise funds. We cannot collect duvets or pillows.
Please put all clothes, shoes (tied in pairs) and accessories in tied plastic bags to keep them dry and place them inside or alongside your black box. We can't collect wet items or those in black refuse sacks/charity bags.
You can put any extra glass into separate open carrier bags (not black bags) and place next to your black box. Textiles should be securely wrapped to keep them dry. If you frequently find you have extra recycling, you can order a second black box.
Clean glass bottles (leave the lids on)
Clean glass jars (leave the lids on)
Clean and dry clothes (in a tied plastic bag)
Pairs of shoes, belts, handbags (in a tied plastic bag)
Curtains and sheets (in a tied plastic bag)
Blankets and duvet covers (in a tied plastic bag)
All textiles must be clean and dry in a tied plastic bag - don't present these in black refuse sacks
Flat glass
Pyrex
Lightbulbs
Duvets
Pillows
What can I put in my garden waste bin?
The garden waste collection service is chargeable. See our garden waste page for more information.
Grass cuttings
Cuttings
Bark
Prunings
Cut flowers
Weeds
Leaves
Hedge clippings
House plants (please remove soil)
Twigs and small branches
Untreated sawdust and wood shavings
Real Christmas trees (can be left next to your bin)
Any food waste including fruit, vegetables, peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, meat
Windfall fruit
Animal waste
Pet litter
Dirty pet bedding
Soil or turf
Bricks, stones or rubble
Ash
Paper, shredded paper or card
Large items of garden waste
Large branches or logs
Seed trays and plant pots
Packaging
Compostable plastics, including cups, trays, films, and cartons
How can I recycle other items?
Other plastics
Many items, including clean plastics such as plant pots, packaging and rigid plastics including toys and garden furniture, can be recycled at your local household recycling centre.
Other items
Used cooking oil, batteries, mobile phones, glasses, CDs, DVDs and more - the list is long. You can see a full list on the individual household recycling centre.
Many supermarkets have collection points for carrier bags and batteries or you could check if there are drop off points for other materials at TerraCycle
If you find it difficult to put out your rubbish and recycling bins or bags, you can apply online for an assisted collection.
We understand the concerns over waste collection staff working as 3 person crews. The council's contractors have been closely following the guidance from government, Public Health England, the NHS and the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum since the start of the pandemic. This guidance has been regularly reviewed and continues to state that good hygiene is the most important control in preventing the spread of COVID-19, combined with cleaning hard surfaces in vehicles regularly. The crews are encouraged to wash their hands regularly, not touch their eyes, nose or mouth and, where possible, ventilate vehicle cabs when travelling. If staff have symptoms (or if someone in their household has symptoms) they are told not to come in for their shift and to arrange to take a COVID-19 test and follow government procedures. The WISH guidance recognises that for large rural counties such as Wiltshire, it's not possible to restrict crew sizes without having a significant impact on waste and recycling collections. The crews also work in small "bubbles" wherever possible and follow social distancing guidelines at all times whilst at the depot. By strictly following this guidance and practice, the frontline waste and recycling collections have been able to continue to operate.
Industry guidance advises that face coverings are not currently required to be worn during waste and recycling collection activities. This is because there may be additional risks when undertaking manual work as the face coverings may need to be regularly adjusted and changed by placing hands close to the eyes, nose and mouth. Additionally, face coverings may become moist and trap contaminants which could be then be transmitted to the wearer due to the prolonged time they would be worn during collection activities. Crews members are allowed to wear a face covering should they choose to do so, and are provided with face coverings and advice on how to use them safely.
Wiltshire Council