Could you recycle more

We can all help to protect the environment we live in by reducing the amount of waste we generate and recycling as much as we can. 

Why recycle more?

By recycling, you are helping to protect natural habitats and the environment. Using recycled materials to make new products uses less energy and avoids the need to mine for raw materials or cut down trees and rainforests. Try to avoid disposable or single-use plastics.

Why recycle right?

It is important to recycle right.  If you put the wrong items in your light green bin, it can contaminate the full load of recycling, which will be rejected by the sorting facility. When waste is incinerated, it costs much more than recycling it. By recycling correctly, we can spend more of your council tax on essential services.

Your light green recycling bin for mixed dry recycling

Yes please

• glass
• paper and card (clean and dry)
• metal cans and tins
• plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays

No thanks

• carrier bags or bin liners (recycling must be loose)
• food (use your food waste caddy)
• drinks cartons (Tetrapaks)
• crisp packets/sweet wrappers/plastic film
• pizza/take-away boxes (cardboard must be clean and dry)
• polystyrene
• hard plastics e.g. toys or coat hangers

Food waste, textiles, electricals - 3 services in 1 weekly

In Spelthorne, food waste is collected weekly from your caddy and recycled into fertilizer and electricity. Textiles placed in tied bags are collected weekly to be reused or recycled. Small electricals placed in carrier bags are also collected weekly and recycled into their component materials. There are textile and electrical recycling banks around the Borough if you do not have kerbside collections.

Using our collection services for these materials' means they are disposed of in a more responsible way rather than being incinerated or landfilled. Separating these items will save space in your rubbish bin.

Recycling garden waste in Spelthorne

You can subscribe to our Garden waste collection service to have your green waste collected and recycled into compost. 

If in doubt, use the recycling tool

Use the recycling search tool if you are unsure about whether an item can be recycled.