Recycle your Batteries

You can recycle used batteries where you see this sign.

Reuse your Wrapping Paper

It's estimated that more than 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper are used on Christmas presents, using the equivalent of approximately 50,000 trees.

Most people assume that all the left-over wrapping paper can be recycled like other paper. However the majority of gift wrap cannot be recycled because it is often made of poor quality material and can be layered with foil and plastic or covered in sticky tape and ribbons, all of which means it is not suitable for recycling.

Rather than putting your used wrapping paper in with your household waste you could try some of the following suggestions:

• Reuse large pieces of wrapping paper
• Torn and small pieces of gift wrap can go through your home paper shredder to make decorative packing for gift boxes and bags
• Use magazines, old road maps and comics to wrap gifts
• Reuse bows and ribbons
• Reuse gift bags
• Iron tissue paper to reuse
• Cover used gift boxes with wrapping paper
• Give your presents in reusable shopping bags instead of gift bags.

Reduce - the amount of the Earth's resources that we use.

You can reduce the amount of waste you create by choosing what rubbish you throw away.

Waste reduction starts at the supermarket. By making slight alterations to your shopping list you can significantly reduce the amount of waste created in and around the home.

• Buy only what you need
  Reduce unnecessary waste by avoiding those pointless purchases. Items that rarely get used can be borrowed or shared with others.
• Buy products that can be reused
  Buy bottles instead of cans and rechargeable batteries. Items such as this create very little waste, as they don't have to be thrown away after they have been used just once.
• Buy all-purpose household cleaner
  Instead of buying many different ones for each cleaning role.
• Buy products with little packaging
  So that less packaging ends up in your rubbish bin. For those items you use regularly, buy them in bulk instead of in smaller amounts. This will save you money as well as reduce waste.
• Use real nappies
  Over a third of a million nappies are buried in Essex landfill sites everyday. You can reduce nappy waste going to a landfill site by using cloth nappies, for more information please see our Real Nappy page.
• Reduce your CO2 output
  Downwithco2 offers help and advice for people wanting to save money on energy bills and reduce their CO2.

Junk Mail

Want to stop unwanted mail and telephone calls?

Junk mail is termed as unwanted mail, including advertising material and free newspapers. It is estimated that junk mail accounts for 4% of household waste. The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service designed to give the consumer, and in some cases businesses, the choice of opting out of receiving sales and marketing information by mail, phone or fax. They provide information to the direct marketing industry so companies know whom not to contact. Visit the Mailing Preference Servicewebsite to see how you can reduce unwanted mail and phone calls. The MPS can also be contacted by phone on 08457 034 599.

The Royal Mail also offer a opt out service. To use this service send your name and address to the following address: Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS, Royal Mail Door to Door Opt-outs, Kingsmead House, Oxpns Road, Oxford OX1 1RX or email: optout@royalmail.com. The Royal Mail will then send an opt-out form to the address, which the householder must sign and return. Once the form has been returned Royal Mail will stop delivering unaddressed items to the address within six weeks.

Reuse - don't just bin it, could someone else make use of it?

Think Before You Throw

Many of the items that you would normally consider as rubbish could be used for other purposes. So instead of throwing items away, reduce waste by using them for other roles.

• Paper and Envelopes
  Can be used as scrap paper for making notes.
• Shredded Paper
  Can be used as pet bedding or to protect fragile items in the post.
• Cardboard, Newspaper and Bubble Wrap
  Can be used as packing materials. Packaging products, such as foil and egg cartons, can be used for art projects in schools and nurseries.
• Jars and Pots
  Can be used as small containers to store odds and ends. Jam jars can be used again for home made preserves.
• Plastic and Paper Bags
  Can be reused in the shops, used as bin bags around the house or as wrapping paper.
• Polyestyrene
  Can be used as drainage in the bottom of plant pots or to line the pots of more delicate plants to prevent frost damage to their roots.
• Used wood
  Can be used in woodcrafts for making small garden objects such as bird tables or nest boxes. Alternatively it could be used as firewood.

DONATE IT, DON'T DUMP IT - Community reuse schemes

Tendring District Council is pleased to support schemes where surplus household items can be donated and reused through the local community sector.

Local schemes

Tendring Reuse and Employment Enterprise (TREE)

Electrical items recycled
Quality used furniture collected
House clearance service
Collection and delivery service
Light removals
Free estimates

Contact: Telephone 01255 863007
Unit 2, Oakwood Centre, Plough Corner, Little Clacton, Essex CO15 9ND
Email admin@tree1.org.uk
Web site www.tree1.org.uk

Bits and Bobs @ TREE

Non profit making scrap store working within TREE. Membership is £10 per year. This entitles you to visit as often as you like and take away bits and bobs suitable for use by children in art and craft activities. Donations of items that can be cut, stuck, coloured or created are always welcome.
Contact as for TREE

Tendring CVS Furniture Scheme

A scheme to take surplus furniture and provide it to local people who need it.
Contact 01255 476068

Tendring Re-Paint

Unwanted but useable tins of paint can be placed in the special collection container at the civic amenity and recycling centre at Rush Green, Clacton CO16 7AD. The paint is distributed for local reuse.

Re-Cycle

Re-Cycle collects unwanted bikes and parts in the UK and ships them to developing countries. Since 1997, when Re-Cycle was registered as a charity, over 9,000 bikes plus spare parts have been sent to six countries. For more details visit the Re-Cycle web site at http://www.re-cycle.org/ or contact them at 60 High Street, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex CO5 8JE, email info@re-cycle.org or telephone 01206 382207.

Freecycle

The Colchester branch of the Freecycle™ organisation is open to anyone local to the Colchester area who wants to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. You can post it (advertise it) on line. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. One main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. Non-profit groups, schools and charities are also welcome to participate too!

Contact: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colchesterfreecycleuk/

Give or Take - Recycling for the Community

Give or Take is a way of getting rid of things you don't need or looking for things you do. You can give away something, look at what others have to give away, or place an ad for something you need.

Their web site, giveortake.org, is a way of finding a good home for something too good to throw away and there is a local Essex wide site available via a link from the home page.

Local Charity Shops

There are many local charity shops that will accept your clean unwanted items for resale.

Jumble Sales and Car Boot sales

Many items can be sold through car boot sales or given to jumble sales. For information on some of the car boot sales in the area, visit http://www.bootgroup.com/.

On line auction sites

You will be surprised what some people will pay for your unwanted item.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/

Recycle - can the materials be made into something new?

Recycling is an important factor in conserving natural resources and greatly contributes towards improving the environment. Below are some helpful hints about recycling in and around the home.

Household Recycling

Tendring District Council operates a weekly recycling collection service, we collect paper, magazines, cardboard, cans and plastic bottles. For more information including how to check what day your collection is please see our Recycling Collection Service page.

Recycling in and around the home can be easy when you know how. By thinking carefully about what products you buy at the supermarket and how to recycle them is the first step towards efficient recycling.

• Find ways of recycling different materials
  Many materials can be recycled, such as paper, metal and glass. Other items such as furniture, electronic equipment, building material and vehicles can also be recycled but many people don't often think to do so.
• Buy products that can be recycled.
  When shopping at the supermarket, buy products that can be recycled easily such as glass jars and tin cans.
• Buy products that have been made from recycled material.
  You can tell if a product is eco-friendly by looking at the label on the packaging.
• Avoid buying hazardous material.
  It is difficult to recycle products that contain hazardous waste. Try to find safer alternatives to household cleaners and buy non-toxic products whenever possible.
• Recycle bins.
  Make sure you have a recycle bin in your home. Keep it in an obvious place so you won't forget to use it. Tendring provides you with a recycling box that can be used for paper, cardboard, tin and aluminium cans and plastic bottles.

Recycling In The Garden

By recycling garden products, you can help improve the environment in your garden.

• Composting
  Composting is a process where waste degrades into compost, which can then be used in your garden to help it grow. It is an excellent way to recycle garden and kitchen waste such as plant trimmings and leftover food. Tendring District Council is working in partnership with Essex County Council and to provide subsidised compost bins to residents. For more information on composting and to order a bin please see our Composting page.
• Grass cycling
  Grass cycling is an excellent way of recycling grass cuttings after mowing the lawn. Simply leave the cuttings on the ground instead of throwing them away, they will turn into nutrients and act as a fertiliser in the soil.

Recycling In The Community

Tendring District Council provide around 80 recycling points in the area, to check where your nearest recycling collection point is and what materials it takes - please see Recycling Points in Tendring (pdf document).

Essex County Council provide 5 Recycling Centres for Household Waste in Tendring to check their location, opening times and details of what you can recycle there please see our Household Recycling Centre page.

Other Related Information

Recycle for Essex - Ezine

Recycle for Essex have produced their first Ezine, a quarterly publication which is full of useful recycling information, tips and links. Sign up to receive your free copy of the Ezine here.

Some of the information provided above was reproduced from the Recycling Guide web site, for more information on how to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle please visit their site.

For other web sites of interest please see our Related Recycling links