This page will be used to answer recycling based FAQ’s which are currently of particular interest to Rother residents.

If you are looking for information on what you can and cannot recycle in Rother please see household recycling in Rother.

Q: Can I recycle bubble wrap?

A:

Sorry bubble wrap cannot be recycled, it will need to go in your household waste or be taken to your nearest tip.

Q: I always fill my green bin, can I have another bin?

A:

Please make sure you flatten your cardboard, cardboard boxes which haven’t been flattened take up a lot of space in the green bin, making it appear your green bin is full. A single green recycling bin should provide plenty of space for most households. Containers are expensive to provide and deliver so if your household is struggling rather than request another green bin you can instead present additional recycling up to 2 x carrier bags next to your bin on collection day (please don’t use black refuse sacks).

Q: Can I put used coffee machine pods in my recycling bin?

A:

Sorry I am afraid these cannot go in the green bin. These pods are similar to cat and dog food pouches. They are made from different materials bonded together which cannot currently be separated at standard recycling facility. There are however specialists who can provide a recycling solution for this particular item.

Q: Is it ok to place my recycling into bags (carrier bags / bin liners) before placing in my bin?

A:

Please place recycling in your green bin loose. Any recycling presented outside the bin should of course be in carrier bags. We would advise you not to bag your recycling before placing into your green bin. Firstly it stops the crews being able to look at the contents of the container to check for contamination and secondly it may be considered or mistaken as household waste by the crew and not collected.

Q: Why is clean, empty, squashed & un bagged recycling important?

A:

In order for everything to be recycled as easily as possible and to avoid material being rejected these steps are very important. Please help us by giving your plastics, cans, foil, glass bottles and jars a quick rinse to remove food/drink residue before placing them loose in your recycling container. Please remember to remove plastic film from around magazines / junk mail and liners from cereal boxes.

Q: Can I recycle batteries?

A:

Yes you can recycle batteries through your household recycling collection. Please place them into a carrier bag and put the bag on top of your bin or by the side. DO NOT place inside your green bin.

Q: What do I do with excess cardboard?

A:

Please do not place cardboard boxes loose next to the bin. Operatives do not have the time to dismantle boxes and flatten them down. Health and safety means they cannot throw large boxes directly into the back of the collection vehicle. Please be aware cardboard in the green bin must be from domestic use only. You should not put packaging from your business into your bin, or if you run a business from home i.e. mail order host.

Excess cardboard will only be collected if placed in clear/translucent/white bags

Q: I have heard some Councils are telling their residents not to recycle plastic anymore, is this true?

A:

There has been a lot of news and information about plastics recently and their presence in our oceans. In particular news about plastic recycling going overseas and ending up unaccounted for, rumours of it ending up in our oceans. We are aware a few councils in the country have immediately told their residents to stop recycling plastic and put all plastics in their waste bin. Rother feel that this reaction at this stage is knee jerk and like the majority of Councils, Rother understands that there are other alternative locations for our plastics to be sent in the UK or overseas where these will continue to be recycled. Lastly Rother are waiting to see what measure are going to be implemented by the Government to tackle plastics, excessive packaging and reduce waste.

Q: Can I recycle my TV (television), vacuum cleaner, microwave, computer, white goods (large electrical appliance)?

A:

Yes you can but it has to go to a household waste and recycling site (known commonly as your local tip). Do not leave these items on the ground at your local recycling point, this is fly tipping and an offence. The WEEE banks are for small electrical items only (irons, kettles, hair driers etc.) that must be placed inside the WEEE bank.

Q: Where does our recycling end up?

A:

Material collected from your doorstep is firstly taken to a local transfer site for temporary storage. The material is then taken to a Viridor MRF (materials recovery facility) in Crayford near Dartford for processing. The MRF separates our recycling into various materials which are then sent on to further facilities both within the UK and overseas where the recycling is processed and turned into new products.

Q: Can I recycle black plastic?

A:

Sorry black plastic cannot currently be recycled. This is because the recycling sorting facility uses infra red optics to identify and separate out the plastic items and unfortunately black plastic doesn’t allow light to pass through unlike clear or lighter coloured plastic. Hopefully new technology is found to identify black plastics or regulations are brought in to stop the production of black plastic food containers.

Q: Why cant we recycle Tetra Pak?

A:

Recycling of cartons is often costly and inefficient. In general, Tetra Pak cartons are comprised of 6 layers of material (including 2 types of plastic) which need to be separated. While the paperboard fibres can be recycled into pulp and used to make household products such as paper towels and toilet paper, the remaining plastic and aluminium compound residue – called PolyAl – is not recyclable and has to be incinerated at facilities such as the Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility. Until such time that more efficient and economic methods of recycling cartons are available, we’re keen to preserve the quality of the recycling we’re collecting from residents.

Q: Why do recycling collections have problems after Christmas?

A:

The amount of recycling collected in the period immediately after Christmas is considerably greater than at any other time of the year. A collection vehicle can only collect so much before being illegally overweight and having to tip leading to delays. From a practical and financial view it is unrealistic to just obtain a load more collection vehicles and crews to support the regular collection rounds. The alternative would be to restrict residents and not allow any additional recycling at all but we know this wouldn’t help when you have piles of cardboard and wrapping paper left over from Christmas. So we ask for patience immediately after Christmas if the collections are running a day or 2 behind.

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