What goes in your recycling boxes

Within the Tendring district we operate an alternate weekly collection for recycling.  We have green recycling boxes for plastic bottles, tins and cans and red recycling boxes for paper and cardboard. 

Food waste is collected every week.  We have two sizes available; a small internal food caddy for use inside your home and a larger external food caddy to present for collection.

To ensure that your box is emptied, please place it just inside your front boundary by 7am on the day of collection, but no earlier than the night before.

What goes in your green box

Remember

• If its plastic and a bottle - recycle it
• Rinse and squash all plastic bottles
• Wash out all tins and cans
• You can leave the lids on your drink and milk bottles

What goes in your red box

Remember

• Make sure your recycling is dry and clean
• Please flatten larger cardboard boxes and present them alongside your recycling box

What goes in your food waste caddy

You can purchase a roll of 52 food caddy bags from your local library for only £1.80.  Alternatively you can line your food caddy with newspaper and shredded paper.

To make sure you put the right box out in time for collection, take a look at our rubbish and recycling collection days page, which tells you when your boxes are due to be emptied.

Missed collection - What can I do if my box has been missed?

If your rubbish or recycling is missed, you should report it instantly to us via our online portal or call on 01255 686788 on the day collection was due. We will arrange for it to be picked up by the end of the following working day. Please note this is the responsibility of Veolia so before reporting a missed collection, please check all the correct items are in the correct boxes and have been placed on your boundary correctly.  If you have a yellow sticker on your recycling box then this means an incorrect item has been placed in the box, please refer to this and remove the item.  Unfortunately Veolia are not able to re-collect if an incorrect item was placed in the box, this will now be collected on your next pick up date for that particular box.

Assisted Collections

If all the residents of the property are elderly or disabled and have difficulty presenting the bin to the boundary of the property, assisted collections are available.  If you require this assistance please complete our online Assisted Collection form.

Recycling for Flats

Your communal recycling bins will be collected on an alternate weekly schedule.  You will have wheelie bins for paper and cardboard and another wheelie bin for plastic bottles, tins and cans.

Paper and cardboard recycling bin

Plastic bottles, tins and cans recycling bin

To help store and transport your recyclable items, a reusable bag is available for free on request, please email recycle@tendringdc.gov.uk or contact us on 01255 686788.

Please be aware that these bags are only available to residents who live in flats.

What happens to your household recyclables?

Green box materials

1. Your green recycling box is emptied into one of our collection vehicles at the kerbside
2. The plastic bottles and cans are taken to a materials recovery facility (MRF) at Rainham Essex
3. Here, the materials are sorted and separated out before being baled up
4. The bales of material are then sent on for recycling.  Plastic bottles are sent to the Veolia plastic bottle processing facility at Dagenham in Essex where the bottles are processed into food grade pellets, which can then be used to make more plastic bottles

Red box materials

1. Your red recycling box is emptied into one of our collection vehicles at the kerbside
2. The paper and card is taken to a paper mill recycling facility in Kings Lynn, Norfolk
3. Here, the paper and card is processed and turned into new, lower grade paper, where it is used in both the domestic and EU market

Food waste

1. Your large food waste caddy is emptied into one of our collection vehicles at the kerbside
2. The food waste is taken to a treatment facility in Halstead
3. Here, the food waste is processed and turned into compost
4. The compost is then used as soil improver for horticulture

Recycling Frequently Asked Questions

Q) Why don’t you collect glass for recycling?

A) The cost of providing this service currently is too high. We do have sites around the district where you can recycle glass and most houses are within half a mile of a local recycling point – details of their locations can be found on our local recycling points page.

Q) Why do you only accept plastic bottles for recycling and not cartons/yoghurt pots?

A) Whilst most plastic bottles are made from a type of plastic that is in high demand and can be therefore be recycled and turned into new useable products cost effectively, cartons such as yoghurt pots and margarine tubs are not so easy to identify in the sorting process. This makes it harder to find cost effective markets to recycle them at present.

Q) Why can’t we recycle shredded paper?

A) It is not possible to cost effectively recycle the small pieces of shredded paper into a useable product.