Essex County Council provides 5 centres in the Tendring District for household recycling and waste:

• West End Lane, Dovercourt CO12 3TA
• Maltings Lane, Kirby-le-Soken CO13 0EH
• Colchester Road, St Osyth CO16 8EH
• Rush Green Road, Clacton CO16 7AD
• Greensmill, Lawford CO11 1UW

Information on opening times and facilities available (this link will open an adobe acrobat pdf document and you will need the free adobe acrobat reader software to open it.)

The centres are provided to help you:

Recycle - items such glass, paint, scrap metal and garden waste and other items which are not collected kerbside or taken at local recycling banks.

Reuse - items such as electrical equipment, furniture and bicycles which are in working order.

Dispose - of non-recyclable rubbish which cannot be collected kerbside.

N.B. The sites are provided to accept only household waste from your own home. In order to maximise recycling black bags or other containers may be opened by site staff.

What can I take to the centres?

Any of the following household items can be recycled via your local centre.

Aerosols - please make sure they are empty.
Cans - steel and aluminium food and drinks cans
Car batteries
Cardboard - boxes, packaging, tubes, directories, catalogues, Yellow Pages, cards and brown envelopes. Please flatten boxes to save space.
Electrical and Electronic Equipment - see below.
Engine Oil
Fridges and Freezers
Furniture
Glass Bottles and Jars
Green Garden Waste - lawn cuttings, prunings, weeds, dead plants, leaves, Christmas trees, turf, branches up to 30cm (12 inches) diameter. No bags please
Hardcore* (e.g. bricks and rubble) - limited to 3 site wheelbarrow loads per household in any 28 day period (1 car boot load).
Non Hazardous Waste - which cannot be recycled
Paint - household paint, at least half full and less than 10 years old. Contact the Waste and Recycling Helpline for participating sites 0845 6037625
Paper - newspaper, magazines, household stationery and junk mail (brown envelopes in with cardboard please)
Plastic Bottles - e.g. drinks bottles, milk bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles
Scrap Metal
Soil and/or Hardcore* - limited to 3 recycling site wheel barrow loads per household in any 28 day period (1 car boot load)
Textiles - clothes, footwear, linen, curtains etc
Timber and other wood products
Tyres - maximum of 2 tyres per household. Tyres must be removed from metal rim

Electrical and Electronic Equipment

All Essex County Council Recycling Centres for Household Waste offer recycling facilities for anything electrical or electronic from the home - this means anything that either plugs into the mains or uses a battery. When you take an electrical item to one of the centres it will either be sent for "reuse" or, if it is not in near-to-working order, for recycling. Containers or storage areas for electrical items will be clearly marked at the centres but if you are not sure please speak to one of the site staff who will be happy to show you where to put your item. Look out for the bright pink signs at the centres.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment is called WEEE and includes large items such as washing machines, fridges and electric lawn mowers and smaller items from TVs, music equipment and power tools to battery operated toys and even battery-powered watches.

Some retailers will be offering to "take-back in store" your old "similar" electrical item when you buy a new one or offer to collect larger items from your home - a service for which they could charge. But some shops will suggest you take your old items to your nearest recycling centre or use your local district/borough council collection service, our contractors do offer a service to collect and dispose of bulky items but there will be a charge, for details please contact Veolia direct on 01255 431620.

Alternatively if your electrical equipment is in working order you could contact the Tendring Reuse & Employment Enterprise (T.R.E.E.) which is a charity providing volunteer and work placement opportunities for people in the local community specialising in those with learning disabilities.
They take donated white-goods and furniture and reuse or recycle them. Volunteers and placements are trained in refurbishing these items. T.R.E.E. also offers a collection service. For more information or to contact them see their web site, e-mail admin@tree1.org.uk, or telephone 01255 863007.

Why is there a limit on some materials?

Soil and hardcore fall into the category of construction, demolition or building waste, not household waste. Small amounts, however, are accepted as a special service to Essex residents, provided they originate from the resident's own home. This limit is the combined total of soil and hardcore. A more convenient way to dispose of this type of waste is to use a local skip hire or bulk bag company.

Can I use a trailer?

Trailers carrying residents own household waste will be admitted access to Recycling Centres subject to health and safety restrictions and provided there is sufficient space. If sites are very busy residents may be asked to wait until space is available or return at another time.

Further Information

Essex County Council provides the sites - to contact Essex County Council:

Telephone - Waste and Recycling helpline on 0845 603 7625
Email - waste.management@essexcc.gov.uk
Web address - www.essexcc.gov.uk/wastemanagement
By post - Waste and Recycling Branch, County Hall, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH