Latest Recycling News
97% of Wyre Forest households are now recycling. There are now ten recycling rounds travelling around the district every week servicing nearly 43,000 homes.Each crew is collecting, on average, between 60 and 70 tonnes of recyclables per month. To put this into proportion, 1 tonne would fill an average sized garage.
The recycling banks are still going strong with high volumes of recyclables being collected.
As for the future we have been awarded a grant from DEFRA to extend the kerbside collection and will be looking to do this later in the year.
Government Targets
The strict annual target set by government for the minimum percentage of total waste that must be recycled is 18%.The local target set by Wyre Forest District Council for the minimum percentage of total waste that must be recycled is 28.03%.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information on recycling read the answers to your frequently asked questions below.Q1 - Why are we having a Recycling Service?
- Quite simply household waste is a particular problem that is getting worse. The quantity produced (30 million tonnes per year) is rising by 3% each year, faster than in most other nations. In the UK we produce enough waste in one hour to fill the Albert Hall.
We need to act now to reduce waste growth and recycle more. Simply landfilling rubbish: -
- accounts for over a quarter of all UK methane emissions (a greenhouse gas).
- squanders valuable resources that could be reused or recycled.
- is unpopular with people who live near landfill sites.
- the UK is running out of potential sites – would you want one near your house?
- The District Council accepts its responsibility for protecting the environment. The Government has set all local authorities with challenging recycling targets that must be met to reduce rubbish going to landfill. In Wyre Forest we are required to recycle 18% or face heavy fines from the Government. The Council is also aware that a recycling service will not fully resolve the problem, and that an integrated recycling and waste collection service will meet the challenges.
- No – many households up and down the country have been recycling successfully for a number of years. We will issue each household with two recycling boxes. All you need to do is sort your different materials as follows
- paper, newspapers and magazines
- light non-corrugated card (e.g. cereal boxes)
- textiles (e.g. clothing/towels/fabrics)
- glass bottles and jars (all colours), washed
- cans washed and with the lid pushed into the inside of the can
- aerosols, drinks cans, clean aluminium foil
- plastic bottles (i.e. pop/squash bottles, plastic milk bottles, fabric softener/cleaning bottles)
- Glass – broken, pyrex dishes or window panes
- Paper – dirty items, heavy cardboard, books, liquid cartons (e.g. milk)
- Plastic -yoghurt pots, fast food containers, bottle tops, black or brown plastic bottles, plastic carrier bags, cling film, meat trays
- Textiles – dirty or wet items, curtains, shoes, duvets, pillows
- Cans and foil – dirty cans or foil, plastic coated foil
- Find out when your refuse and recycling collections will be.
- Food waste contaminates the cans, which may prevent reprocessing, and could smell during storage.
- No - all the evidence from other local authorities operating this scheme and Environmental Health Officers confirms that this is not a health hazard. To prevent smells occurring we advise you to wrap food waste before placing it into the bin, and to tie the top of bin liners. Also remember you can compost your vegetable peelings, egg shells, tea bags and other kitchen waste.
- Yes, as long as it is clean, but we will not take plastic foil such as crisp wrappers. The way to identify this is if you scrunch up the wrapper in your hand and afterwards it returns to its original shape, then it is plastic foil.
- No, the crews will sort the materials when placing them into the vehicle. We will not be able to take any plastic bags, so please do not use them to separate the materials within the recycling box.
- Paper is pulped to be produced into more paper.
- Glass is used as road aggregates.
- Cans are separated into steel and aluminium. They go to their separate reprocessing plants and are then melted before being turned back into more steel or aluminium products.
- Textiles are sent to third world countries.
- Plastic is shredded and used to produce many different items including bin liners, garden furniture and fleece clothing.
Q11 - What happens if I am elderly or disabled and can not lift my box?
- If you ring our Customer Services on 01562 732928 we can assess your situation and consider a pull out service where the crew will pick the boxes up from your doorstep. The Council reserves the right to undertake a home visit to assess the situation.
- Please use the recycling banks located throughout the district, telephone our Customer Services on 01562 732928 for your nearest sites.
- You may need to consider recycling additional items. If you recycle and compost everything possible, you should be able to reduce the contents between 60 and 70%. If you need any help or advice on what you can recycle then please telephone our Customer Services on 01562 732928.You could also look at minimising the amount of rubbish you produce by buying items with less packaging, buying in bulk and reusing and repairing where you can. We will not take any side waste, or empty any bins where the lid is not completely closed.
- Please telephone customer services on 01562 732928, they will be able to advise you of the special offer we are running for Worcestershire residents where you will be able to purchase a bin from £10 including delivery.
- You can request extra recycling boxes, one of each colour. If you really are not able to cope, even with the extra boxes, we will look into providing you with a larger wheelie bin for the period where there are 6 or more people living in the household. The Council reserves the right to undertake a home visit to assess the situation.
- This is actually trade waste. You should be paying to have any waste disposed of that has been made as result of your business. Please telephone us on 01562 732928 to arrange for a trade waste collection. Alternatively have you thought about using real nappies?
- Different types of plastic are made from different types of polymer, which need to be reprocessed separately. It is too expensive to separate them all therefore we collect the most commonly found plastics.
- We will be unable to collect your boxes until the next week. As an alternative please use the recycling banks. The times of your collection may vary, so please always ensure that your boxes are out by 7.00am (unless otherwise notified) at the latest. Please note that for public safety reasons wheelie bins and recycling boxes should not be put out overnight.
- Please ring us as soon as possible on 01562 732928 and we’ll assess your situation.
- No, some people may still prefer to use the recycling banks rather than the kerbside collection. In fact we are looking to expand the number of sites we have within the District.
- Please telephone customer services on 01562 732928 as soon as you realise so that we can assess the situation.
- Yes, your bins and recycling will be collected as normal on bank holidays with the exception of the christmas period, where separate schedules and details will be provided.
