Kirsty Warren
Recycle this…

Recycling tips

Recycle this…

Recycling tips for West Sussex

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WSCC Recycling Ambassador Colin McFarlin regularly shares his knowledge with the community on the tricky matter of recycling in our domestic blue bins. We, here at Hassocks Life, will be collecting all his invaluable tips and tricks and displaying them here on this handy online guide.

We aim to add a new recycling tip every month, so be sure to check back.

All the information collected here was correct at the time it went to press. To check it is still correct please email the editor at editor@hassockslife.co.uk.

Important note: All items for recycling should be:

  • Clean - free from food and drink leftovers

  • Dry - keep your recycling bin lid shut

  • Loose - no plastic bags

Did you know that you now need to book an appointment to visit a recycling centre in West Sussex?

This is to cut down on long queues and give our staff more time to offer help and give you recycling advice. Here are the key points...
- Appointments are available 14 days in advance. www.westsussex.gov.uk/BookToRecycle
- You need to provide the registration number of the vehicle you will be attending the centre in when you book. If you are hiring a vehicle and this is unknown, you will be asked to show the hire paperwork at the centre.
- You need to provide the registration number of the vehicle you will be attending the centre in when you book. If you are hiring a vehicle and this is unknown, you will be asked to show the hire paperwork at the centre.
- Anyone using a Recycling Centre is still required to provide proof of residency in West Sussex. You will still need to show one form of identification.

Books

Do you have shelves full of books, hardbacks and paperbacks, that you will not read or use for reference? They are there because, well, that is where they have been for years!

Well first of all, do look at all your books. Do you have any really old books? They could have a value. I had a copy of ‘When You Were Very Young’ by A A Milne. I contacted Jonkers Rare Books online and they paid me £20. I paid for postage and they paid £20 into my bank account.

Another option is to download an app from www.Ziffit.com. This will allow you to scan your books and tell you instantly if it has a value. For example, James Patterson’s The Ninth Month = 60p, and Lynne Truss, Eats Shoots and Leaves = 53p. Imagine what a whole shelf is worth?

Another site to try is www.webuyanybooks.co.uk. This website specialises in those big expensive academic tomes. Happy scanning.

And finally, if they cannot go to a charity shop, or you cannot sell them, you can take them to the Household Waste Recycling Centre – ‘The Tip’ to you and I. There is a special bin just for books, all will be recycled.

Biodegradable and compostable materials

Many organisations have changed their packaging to show a label, as illustrated.

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If it has this label, then it is suitable for home composting. However this is the only way to recycle this product as it cannot be recycled with your blue top recycling bin. If you put it into your recycling bin then it will get mixed up with the plastics. In West Sussex, we are able to recycle plastic bottles and containers (pots tubs and trays) but if compostable products find their way into kerbside recycling they end up at our Material Recycling Facility (MRF) as they contaminate the plastics material stream.

And do not put them into your green garden waste bin, if you have one, as this will contaminate the garden waste. The contents of your green top garden waste bin, if you have one, in West Sussex go to produce compost to strict standards set by the British Standards Association, which ensure that the soil produced is certified BSI Standard PAS100 as safe to use and be put back into the land.

Please do not place bioplastic material or food waste into your garden waste bin as this will contaminate the quality of the compost produced and then it cannot be returned to the land and used to produce food.

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So if you cannot compost it yourself, or give it to someone with a compost heap, then just place it into your black top rubbish bin.

If the packaging simply says it is compostable, then the same rules apply, apart from the fact that it cannot be composted in a ‘home’ compost heap. This is because your domestic compost heap cannot reach the high temperature required to break it down. It can be composted, but only in an industrial compost process – one that you do not have access to! So they should also be placed in your black top rubbish bin.

Reducing black bin waste

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Recycling as many products and items in our blue top bins isn’t the only solution to waste management. Keeping the amount we throw in our black top bins to a minimum can go a long way too.

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  • Rather than wipes, you can use small, washable face cloths

  • When shopping, pay attention to use by dates - keeping food waste to a minimum

  • Replace cling film and invest in a pack of reusable plastic covers

  • Face masks are now a part of our lives, so washable masks are a great investment

Cans, tins & packs

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All of the following can be recycled in your blue topped kerbside recycling bin.

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  • Biscuit tins – Metal and plastic biscuit tins and lids.

  • Aerosol cans – Deodorants, hair spray and air fresheners.

  • Blister packs – Plastic blister packs. Remember to check all the tablets are removed.

  • Cartons (including Tetra Pak cartons) – Fruit juice, long life milk, soup and smoothie cartons.

  • Envelopes – We can recycle window envelopes.

  • Plastic cups – If you do buy a takeaway coffee, remember that your plastic cup and the lid can be recycled in your blue top recycling bin.

  • Plastic bottles – Remove tops first, then recycle.