Most local authorities operate a kerbside recycling service via a blue wheelie bin or a box. Blue wheelie bins take the following materials:-

• Paper: newspapers; magazines, junk mail (please remove plastic sleeve and envelopes); office paper; exercise books; phone books; catalogues; paperback books (instead these can be passed on to someone else or donated to charity).
• Cardboard: cereal boxes; cardboard sleeves; clean frozen food boxes; shoe boxes; corrugated cardboard; greetings cards; post cards; paper fibre egg boxes; cardboard tubes (e.g. toilet roll, kitchen roll).
• Plastic: any rinsed and dried plastic bottles with their plastic lids attached: this includes plastic milk bottles, plastic drinks bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles etc. NB: lids can only be accepted if they are attached to the bottles.
• Metal: any rinsed and dried food and drinks cans; biscuit tins; aerosols - please do not attempt to squash or puncture aerosols as they may explode.

Blue Wheelie bins will NOT take:

• Paper: no shredded paper; laminated paper; cellophane; envelopes; wallpaper; wrapping paper; brown paper; paper napkins or tissues; hard back books.
• Cardboard: no take away food packaging; waxed cartons, waxed boxes or waxed packaging; boxes containing food remnants; boxes with plastic windows.
• Plastic: no plastic items other than bottles i.e. plastic cups, plates, cutlery, yogurt, margarine tubs, trays; plastic bags; plastic film; cling film; bubble wrap and jiffy bags; coat hangers.
• Metal: no aluminium foil; foil trays or lids; coat hangers.
• Miscellaneous: no glass of any type - take glass bottles and jars to your nearest bottle bank; batteries; corks; any other waste materials.

Most kerb-side schemes using the box system accept the following recyclable materials: Clean aluminium cans; old hand tools; clean steel cans; clean aluminium foil; paper; textiles; clean glass bottles and jars and clean plastic bottles.

Remember to contact your local authority to find out what is happening in your area, details can be found in the Yellow Pages.

NOTE: CHECK ALL OF THE ABOVE WITH YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL BY PHONE OR ON THEIR WEBSITE.