Recycling is the process of turning old products into new products. Recycling stops valuable items from being thrown away and buried in landfill.
Various items can be put in your recycling bin or taken to our waste facilities.Only place the following items in your recycling bin:
All items collected from recycle bins are taken to a Materials Recovery Facility. This is where the mixed recyclables are sorted into categories and prepared for transport and sale.
For information about where you can take other recyclable materials, see our A to Z of waste disposal.
Why do we recycle?
Less energy is used to recycle an old product than to create a new one.
Everything ever made has at some point been made from raw materials sourced from the earth. Most of the natural resources used to make these products are non-renewable. Recycling means these natural resources can be used again. Recycling also reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill, which can help to save:
- fuel used for transportation
- space used for landfill
- greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycled items can be made into a variety of useful products. They are not necessarily turned into the same product every time. For example steel and aluminium can be turned into bike parts, appliances and car parts. Plastic bottles can be turned into polar fleeces, backpacks, sleeping bags and ski suit insulation.