Recycling services in Medway

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1 Summer 201 Recycling services in Medway Inside: Kerbside recycling 2 Garden/food waste Household waste and recycling centres 6 Recycling points 7 Bulky items 8 Dear resident, Since the changes to the weekly kerbside services we have seen an increase of our recycling rate, with over two thirds of Medway recyclers separating their paper and cardboard from other recyclables, so thank you for embracing the recycling lifestyle. Recycling helps conserve natural resources, saves energy and reduces landfill, resulting in continuous financial savings. All services weekly Following your feedback, the majority of Medway s residents have now received a kitchen caddy and roll of compostable liners to help separate their food waste for composting. This booklet will help answer your questions about Medway s recycling services and show how easy it is to take part. It also offers help and advice about other ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. So, please continue in your great efforts to keep Medway a clean, green and safe place to live. Cllr Phil Filmer Portfolio Holder for Front Line Services %

2 Your weekly kerbside recycling Following a 1million central government grant Medway Council, in partnership with Veolia Environmental Services, now collects your recycling every week. There has been no change to your collection day, although the crews may collect at an earlier or later time so please always make sure your recycling and rubbish is left at the boundary of your property by 7am on collection day. We need paper and card to remain separate from your other household recycling. This allows paper and card to be processed at zero cost in the UK and Europe, and creates a higher quality material that can be used in a wider range of products. What should I recycle Blue bags and blue boxes - Paper and card only Newspapers/ magazines Telephone directories With our split body vehicles we are also able to collect mixed household plastic packaging such as bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and keep them separate from the paper and card. n Every household should have: A blue reusable bag for paper and cardboard only (if you still have a blue box, you can use this); A white reusable bag for all other recycling. This includes: clean metal foil, metal food and drink cans, glass bottles and jars, and household plastic packaging (like bottles, pots, tubs and trays). NO PAPER OR CARD should go in your white bag. Every household will receive a pack of 13 clear plastic sacks every 13 weeks, to provide additional capacity for your white reusable bag. Please DO NOT use these sacks for paper, card or general rubbish. Envelopes, junk mail and paper Flattened cardboard packaging 2 n Can I get extra recycling bags? Yes, additional blue and white reusable bags and clear plastic sacks are available from your local library, contact point or community hub. You can also use carrier bags for additional mixed recycling; or cardboard boxes for paper and card. n My bag is lost or stolen, what should I do? Phone for a replacement bag. n Where do I put my recycling for collection? Please put your recycling bags out by 7am on your collection day, placing it at the boundary of your property, where it meets the public highway. The reusable bags are weighted to minimise them blowing away and will be returned to where you left them by the recycling crew.

3 service in my reusable bags? White reusable bags and clear plastic bags - Mixed containers Glass bottles and jars Clean foil Metal food and drink cans Household plastic packaging Empty aerosols Please rinse food waste from containers Please put only paper and card in your blue reusable bags and boxes. if paper and cardboard is collected separately. Please remember to rinse out food waste from your containers. n What happens to paper and card? Paper and card from blue reusable bags are taken direct to a paper mill, where it is pulped into wide range of materials including newspaper. This processing comes at zero cost to the council. n Can I recycle shredded paper? Yes, but this must be contained to avoid creating litter. Place shredded paper in old envelopes, paper bags or cardboard boxes. Alternatively, put this in your compost bin or brown wheelie bin. Reduce the amount you shred by tearing off sensitive data and just shred that. n Can I recycle batteries? Not in your blue or white reusable bags. However, Medway Council now provides facilities for recycling batteries at all its libraries, contact points, community hubs and household waste recycling sites. n Can I recycle Tetra Paks/cartons? Not in your blue or white reusable bags, although there are five recycling points across Medway that allow you to recycle them (see page 7 for details). n Can I recycle polystyrene? No, the market for this type of material is not strong enough, so we are unable to collect it. This should be placed into your black rubbish sack. n Why do I need to separate my recycling for it to be collected by one vehicle? The recycling fleet has a split body, with one side for paper and card, and the other for mixed containers. n What happens to plastics? Plastics are taken to a recycling facility with all other white/clear bag materials and separated through a range of manual and mechanical processes. We are able to collect plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays only n I live in a block of flats, can I recycle more too? Yes. For residents in flats using communal bulk recycling bins, please continue to recycle as you are. Over the next year we will be improving the recycling service for you as well and will contact you directly. If your flats don't have large recycling containers in your bin store area, contact us on for further information on how you can recycle. n What do all the logos of packaging mean? There are now many different labels and logos on food packaging, which can be confusing. Please visit for a clear explanation. 3

4 Your food/garden waste service Remember, you can recycle food (either cooked or uncooked) as well as garden waste in your brown wheelie bin. Your collection day is the same as rubbish and recycling each week. What can I recycle in Garden waste brown wheelie bins and brown sacks This service has been introduced in response to feedback from residents who want to recycle their food waste. You don't have to take part, however it does make good environmental and economical sense to do so. You can continue using the black sack service for your food waste if you choose not to recycle it. Dead plants Garden cuttings & weeds Small branches (no more than 5cm across) n Why recycle food? Food waste in black sacks costs nearly double the amount compared to composting it. Your actions will help to cut down the amount of food waste that ends up in landfill sites. Also it keeps your street clean, as rodents will not rip open black sacks if food waste is in the brown bin. n My brown bin/sack is lost or stolen, what should I do? Phone for a replacement bin or sacks. n If you are using brown sacks, these can only be used for garden waste. Due to licensing restrictions, we are only able to collect food waste from sealed containers, for example, wheelie bins. Grass & hedge clippings Christmas trees n How do I recycle my food waste? Simply place it in your brown wheelie bin. We advise keeping food waste contained in either a compostable liner or wrapped in paper. n Can I use plastic bags to wrap my food waste in? No, these are not compostable and will not rot in the composting process. n Where can I purchase compostable liners? All 16 Medway libraries offer compostable liners at a discounted price. Liners can also be purchased at or local supermarkets, as long as they have the seedling logo, the BS EN1332 number or are described as home compostable from all Medway libraries

5 is weekly too Dirty cardboard like pizza boxes should go in your brown bin my brown bin? Food waste brown wheelie bin or food bin only Meat (with or without bones) Fish (with or without bones) Plate scrapings and any leftovers n How much food waste is thrown away on average each year? Households in the UK throw away 7million tonnes of food every year, half of which could have been eaten. Wasting food costs the average household between 70 to 700 a year. To find out more about reducing your food waste and saving money, visit n What happens to your food waste? Your garden and food waste is taken to specialist processors Countrystyle Recycling, near Sittingbourne, where it is recycled into compost. All of it stays in the UK and the majority is used in Kent for agriculture as a peat-free, nutrient-rich fertiliser to enhance crop growth. Egg shells Fruit/vegetable peelings & cores Tea bags/ coffee grounds n Why are organics bad to landfill? Organic material that rots in landfill produces carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane. n How do I avoid maggots and flies? Maggots come from flies that lay eggs. If you securely wrap your food waste in compostable liners or newspaper, flies can t lay the eggs that produce maggots. Regularly rinsing out your bin will also help reduce this. Ever thought of composting? The best thing to do is compost at home. The food and garden waste you compost at home can go towards providing your own garden with rich nutrients and used as soil conditioner. Discount compost bins and other accessories, such as food waste caddies and liners can be bought from or by phoning

6 Household waste and recycling centres You can reuse and recycle more by taking unwanted items to one of Medway s three household waste and recycling centres. Medway s household waste sites now have a section for you to donate items for reuse that are too good to throw away, working in partnership with local charity Abacus Furniture Project. We are also able to recycle hard plastics, cooking oil, mattresses and printer ink cartridges. Each site now recycles over 70 per cent of what you take there. Check out the full list below to see what you can recycle at the centres. What can be recycled? glass bottles and jars garden waste shoes textiles cans metal paper and cardboard tyres (Capstone only) car batteries Engine oil plastic bottles/carrier bags electrical or electronic equipment (including freezers, TVs, toasters and kettles) fluorescent light tubes/ energy saving light bulbs household batteries Printer cartridges wood hardcore and soil plasterboard (Cuxton and Capstone only) gas bottles cooking oil hard plastics What can be disposed of? household waste asbestos! Warning - Asbestos should be handled with care and double bagged in thick plastic. Please visit our website or phone before taking asbestos waste to the sites. household and garden chemicals (Cuxton only, ask staff on site first) Medway s recycling centres n Ambley Road, off Hoath Way, Gillingham ME8 OQH n Shawstead Road, Capstone, Chatham ME7 3JL You can find a map of where these sites are at n Sundridge Hill, Cuxton ME2 1LF Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am to.30pm Sundays and bank holidays, 9am to pm Mondays between April and September, Capstone and Cuxton sites will be open until 6.30pm 6 Please note that there is restricted access to the sites for vehicles taller than two metres. Transit-type, panel vans and open-back, pick-up type vehicles are not allowed into any of the sites as these are considered to be commercial vehicles. Small, privately-owned vans (Escort-sized or smaller) are able to access the Capstone site by special arrangement. Please phone Bookings can only be made for Wednesdays or Saturdays.

7 Recycling points Medway has 50 localised recycling points. The majority have glass bottle and jar facilities and most have paper and cardboard. To help you recycle more we offer a varied range of recycling banks including: To find your nearest recycling point, please visit Cartons and Tetra Paks First invented in 1951, their complex and durable design makes them more difficult to recycle than other simpler materials. This is because they contain a mixture of paper, plastic and foil. These are not collected in the kerbside service, but you can recycle them at the following recycling points: n Behind Strood Leisure Centre, Humber Crescent, Strood; n Hoo Village Hall, Pottery Road, Hoo; n Union Street car park, Rochester; n Balmoral Gardens, Gillingham; n Parkwood Green car park, Rainham. Battery recycling in Medway libraries and contact points In the UK currently, only about three to five per cent of all household batteries are recycled. Most old batteries end up in landfill, where they can leak harmful chemicals into the soil. You can help tackle this problem by recycling your household batteries at any of Medway s libraries and contact points, as well as many shops and all three household waste sites. WEEE: Recycle your old electricals WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) can be anything electrical that is no longer wanted. If you have small WEEE, you can use one of four mini banks placed around Medway. This is for things like, hairdryers, DIY equipment, chargers, toasters, and anything that will fit into an opening of 300mm x 20mm. Look out for the bright pink small WEEE banks located at: n Kestrel Road shops car park, Lordswood; n Parkwood Green shops car park, Rainham; n Union Street car park, Rochester; n Hoo Village shops car park, Stoke Road, Hoo. If you have large WEEE, it must be taken to one of the three household waste sites (see page 6). Or you can use the bulky waste collection service (see page 8). 7

8 Getting rid of large or bulky items Large or bulky items we will collect n Armchair n Barbecue n Bath (not cast iron) n Bed n Bicycle n Cabinet n Carpet/underlay n Central heating radiator n Chairs n Chest of drawers n Cupboard n Desk n Garden gate n Internal door (not glass) n Ironing board n Mattress n Small musical instruments n Settee n Shower tray n Sink n Table (not glass) n Wardrobe (not mirrored) n WC n Items must be left at the front boundary of your property by 7am on the booked collection day. n The first collection booked in any 12-month period is free but each additional booking (of up to three items) costs per booking*. n An express service is available for collection within 8 hours at a cost of 3.* n Collections must be booked well in advance by booking online or phoning n We will collect up to three items per collection. Book your bulky waste collection online at * Correct at time of print. To find up-to-date prices please visit the website. Why not donate to charity? You could find bulky items a new home by donating to local charities. Other reuse and recycling schemes are: n Neighbourhood Furniture Store ( ) n Abacus Furniture Project ( ) n Freegle ( n Reuze ( n Vskips ( Electrical items Don t use up your one free bulky collection on electrical items. We have teamed up with Veolia Environmental and SWEEEP Kuusakoski to collect any unwanted or broken electrical or electronic items free of charge. n Collections must be booked by phoning Sweeep direct on or ing recycle@sweeep.co.uk n Please do not leave items outside as items are collected from your home, garage or back garden due to the risk of materials being stolen and then fly-tipped. n Any item that uses a plug or batteries are accepted, below are some examples. n Computer or laptop n Cooker n Dishwasher n Electric Fire n Electric toys n Extractor fan n Fridge or freezer n Games console n Hi-fi system n Lawn mower n Microwave n Mobile phone n Sewing machine n Television n Toaster n Tumble dryer n Vacuum cleaner n Washing machine Who to contact % Customer First: am to 8pm (Mon-Fri) 9am to 1pm (Sat) Calls may be recorded or monitored for security and staff development purposes. Customer First, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME TR customer.first@medway.gov.uk Web: Minicom: This information can be made available in other formats by phoning If you have any questions about this supplement and you want to speak to someone in your own language please ring G Designed by Medway Council s Communications Team. Printed on recycled paper