Sort out rubbish before going to recycling centre, say Wiltshire Council

We're being asked to make sure everything that can be recycled is

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 27th Dec 2023

If your house is full of paper and cardboard to be recycled after Christmas, we're being asked to 'sort it' before taking it to one of Wiltshire's Household Recycling Centre's (HRCs).

Wiltshire Council data shows that that a over a third of items general rubbish skips at HRCs could actually have been recycled.

We're being encouraged to make sure we have put everything that can be recycled into our recycling bins, in an effort to reduce waste and help the council in their bid to reduce carbon emissions.

To help, designated sorting areas have been introduced at HRCs for us to use, giving us an extra chance and space to make sure our materials are sorted correctly.

Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

“We know how tempting it might be to just put things in a bin bag so that they can be thrown into the household waste container at our centres, but that means we’re not recycling as much as we should be.

“We’re asking people to take extra time and care when sorting out their materials before they visit their local HRC so that as much as possible can be recycled – which is more important now than ever before. Those who visit our HRCs clearly have good intentions, but more than a third of what’s put in the household waste skips could have been recycled, so it’s vital we all go that extra mile.

“Staff at the sites are on hand to help provide advice and assistance to anyone who sorts their waste at one of our new designated areas."

We should also note that recycling collection days have changed during the Christmas period.

Wiltshire Council have been working hard to make sure we're recycling as much as possible, through its Recycling Let's Sort It campaign.

Over the last year, they've achieved:

• Increasing its messaging to advise residents on what materials goes into each household bin.

• Rolling out small battery collection as part of its kerbside service.

• Commencing a new kerbside recycling service so small rechargeable electrical items can now be collected.

We're also reminded that HRCs are currently in their winter opening hours of 10.00am to 4.00pm on the days they're open.

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