Recycling

The Parish Council is keen to encourage all residents to recycle as much of their rubbish as possible. Not only is this essential for the environment (eg every aluminium can you recycle saves energy equivalent to 4 hours of TV, and the energy saved by recycling one plastic bottle will power a 60W light bulb for six hours), but it saves on the landfill tax payable on every tonne of waste sent to landfill. The cost of this is £72 per tonne from April 2013, rising to £80 in April 2014.

The latest printed version of RBWM’s Recycling Guide was delivered to households in March 2017.  Here is the online version.

Clean aluminium foil can now (June 2015) be recycled at home along with your other recyclables in your weekly recycling bin.

You can recycle the following

  • Clean sheet cooking foil – please rinse off all cooked-on food bits
  • Aluminium foil tops e.g. yoghurts, cream tops & lids
  • Aluminium food containers e.g. takeaway containers

No thanks

  • Crisp packets or any other items of foil coated with plastic
  • Foil lined food pouches
  • Shiny foil gift wrap
  • Dirty foil – if you cannot remove the cooked-on food bits, please put the dirty foil in the rubbish bin

The scrunch test

To make sure your foil can be recycled, try to scrunch it – if it springs back it isn’t alumium foil and we cannot accept it.

Household Collection – blue wheelie bins

You can help by recycling your waste and earning points with GreenRedeem at the same time.

The BLUE wheelie bins operate on an incentive basis whereby you earn points. The concept is simple – the more you recycle the more rewards you earn. Greenredeem’s scheme offers rewards from national and local businesses including Marks and Spencer, Haven Holidays, Jojo Maman Bebe, Planet Organic, Cineworld and many more. In addition to its local rewards programme, Greenredeem also works with companies like Unilever to deliver bespoke rewards schemes around CSR initiatives such as the recent ‘From Cup to Compost’ campaign with PG Tips to encourage people to compost or recycle their tea bags. Alternatively, points can be donated to good causes. 200 points is worth £1. See the RBWM webpage on Neighbourhood Budgets for further information. However, you must register to participate in the scheme and ensure that your bin is being weighed and points awarded. For more information visit https://www.greenredeem.co.uk/

For the weekly household collection, please put the following into the BLUE wheelie bins:

  • any cans, steel and aluminium (having been rinsed out and crushed), and aerosols
  • all plastic bottles including milk, detergent, shampoo, fizzy drinks and water bottles (having been rinsed out and with the caps removed).
  • plastic pots, plastic trays and plastic tubs
  • all plastic yoghurt and dipping sauce pots
  • Tetra Pak liquid, food and drinks cartons
  • fruit and vegetable punnets
  • margarine, ice cream, salad and takeaway tubs
  • ready meal and biscuits trays
  • glass bottles and jars of any colour (but not sheets of glass)
  • metal bottle tops
  • paper (newspapers, brochures, directories, envelopes, junk mail, office paper, shredded paper)
  • card and cardboard (flattened cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, cards, cardboard egg boxes).

From November 2016 it has been possible to recycle clean, worn-out  clothes and textiles. Clothes which are still in good condition should ideally be donated to charity, as you may already do. The worn-out items should be put into a plastic bag which is then left next to the blue bin on your weekly collection day. Items include: clothing, socks, shoes (paired), belts, knitwear, curtains, bedding, blankets, towels and any unwanted handbags. Old clothes and textiles will be made into new products such as fillings for mattresses, furniture and cars.

Here is RBWM’s latest Recycling Leaflet which summarises what can and cannot be recycled in the blue wheelie bin at the present time.

Household Collection – food waste

The Borough now provides a weekly food waste collection service. Put your food waste into the caddiy container which is provided. It is collected at the same time as your rubbish. The waste will go to a composting digestion plant where it will be converted into fertiliser and energy.

The following food waste items can be recycled:

  • all food, cooked and uncooked
  • meat and fish including bones
  • dairy, bread, pastry and cakes
  • rice, pasta and beans
  • pet food
  • fruit and vegetables
  • coffee grounds and tea bags

Do not put plastic bags in the caddy.

RBWM “bring sites” and other collection points

There are various collection points around the local area where specific items can be recycled, as indicated in the following table.

RecycleTable

Here are some other items that can also be recycled by taking them to various collection points (but they are NOT to be placed in the blue wheelie bins):

  • Plastic bags – Waitrose and other large supermarkets
  • Plastic film – Waitrose and other large supermarkets will accept certain clean plastic film packaging. Check what your particular supermarket will accept
  • Batteries – Waitrose and other supermarkets
  • Ink cartridges – Village Venues at Holy Trinity Church, Sunningdale. It also acts as a collection point for used stamps on behalf of RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)
  • Mobile phones – many charities can provide envelopes for posting your unwanted mobiles (e.g. National Trust, Guide Dogs for the Blind), or the Internet has many sites through which you can sell your mobile.
  • Spectacles – some opticians for prescription glasses, Oxfam for others
  • Returned medicines. Inter Care is a registered charity that operates a service where unused medicines which have at least 15 months before they reach their use by date are transported to Africa for use. Magnolia House is one of 1,200 surgeries that are registered with Inter Care. Ask your own surgery if it is participating in this worthwhile scheme
  • Christmas trees – Broomhall Recreation Ground usually during the first 2 weeks of January. Please ensure that all decorations have been removed. This service is provided by the Royal Borough in association with Sunningdale Parish Council. Helpline number 01628 683801.

Green garden waste

RBWM operates a household collection system for green waste – for more information see the details on the RBWM website: http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/wm_green_waste_service.htm

More Information on Recycling

There are several websites which provide more information on what can be recycled and where. They include Recycle Now and Recycle More.

Freegle

If you have serviceable items that you no longer have any need for but you consider that they may be useful to somebody else, and you are prepared to give them away free, then you can always offer them on Freegle rather than throw them away.

Electrical and electronic goods

These items MUST NOT be put in your BLACK wheelie bin. If you cannot recycle them via Freegle or some other method then you must take them to the Civic Amenity Centre in Stafferton Way Maidenhead. Alternatively, if you live in the SL5 post code you can take them to Surrey’s Bagshot Community Recycling Centre in Swift Lane. It is advisable to take some form of identification, e.g. driving licence, with you to Bagshot to confirm your SL5 residency, if asked.

Page last updated on November 29, 2016.