What and how can I recycle this Christmas?

Household recycling

Scrunch Test! – if wrapping paper or plastic doesn’t unravel straight away when scrunched then it can be put in a blue bag for recycling.  If it unravels then it cannot be recycled and therefore must be put into a black bag.

Delivery boxes & packaging - cardboard boxes should be flattened and placed out in blue bags for collection.  Any brown packing paper or plastic film can go in your blue bag, but please do not put polystyrene in.  If you have large amounts of polystyrene, please take it to a recycling centre, or place small amounts in your black bag.

Eto – donate, repair, reuse

For any household appliances that have been replaced over Christmas, you can donate them at one of our household waste recycling centres (HWRC) to be repaired and reused under our Eto scheme.   For bulky items such as fridge freezers, beds, carpets and wardrobes, the Council provide a bulky waste collection and will collect up to three items for £25 from your usual refuse and recycling collection point.

Glass collections – Most households are provided with a black box for glass recycling, which is collected every 3 weeks on the same day as your black bags. There are also over 120 bottle recycling points throughout the county. 

Textile banks – Clothing and shoes as well as media banks are also available throughout the county and can be used to recycle clothes whilst decluttering the house or donate to charity. 

If you have a real Christmas tree that needs to be disposed of please take it to one of our HWRCs, where you’ll receive a free bag of Merlin magic compost.

Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Edward Thomas said:

As we approach the end of 2023, I would like to thank our residents for their collective effort to recycle as much of their domestic waste as possible this year.

This benefits our local environment and future generations by adopting a more sustainable approach by reducing and recycling waste produced in our homes. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

For more information and to check your collection day visit our recycling page.