Tips for recycling more

Tips for recycling more

How to recycle more and waste less

Love your blue bin

You may be surprised by the amount of waste you can recycle in your blue bin. Did you know you can recycle clean foil trays, biscuit tins and empty aerosol sprays?

You can check items for recycling on our A-Z of Recycling page.


Love Food Hate Waste

The average person in Newcastle could save up to £200 a year simply by not throwing away good food and drink. This could be as much as £700 for a family.

The amount the UK throws away each year would fill 23 million wheelie bins, with most wasted foods being fruit and vegetables.

By putting a little thought into shopping for and cooking food it will go much further:

  • Plan ahead and buy what you need

  • Keep an eye on use-by dates

  • Store items correctly to keep them fresher for longer

  • Cook the right amount

  • Get creative with leftovers

Visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for more details and tips.

You should also think about home composting. This is one of the easiest options to reduce the amount of waste you produce. It’s great for your garden too.

 


Greener gardens

Sign up for garden waste collections and we can collect your garden waste for you. Garden waste is used to produce high quality soil conditioner for local gardens, allotments and farmland. Apply for garden waste collections.

You could also try home composting – 20% of an average household waste bin is made up of food waste. Home composting is the best environmental option for dealing with food waste. For more information on home composting, including how to get a reduced price compost bin, visit the home composting webpage.

 


Use a Household Waste & Recycling Centre

You can take any extra recycling you may have to one of our three Household Waste Recycling Centres in Newcastle. 

Alternatively, find your nearest supermarket recycling point where you can take metal tins and cans, paper, plastic bottles, cartons, clothes, shoes, glass bottles and jars. Please note that these sites do not accept general waste.

 


Donate or re-use unwanted furniture

Use free websites such as Freecycle to give away or get unwanted furniture locally. There are also local charities who will collect your unwanted furniture or household items to help local people in need:

  • St. Oswald’s Hospice

  • Community Furniture Service

  • Changing Lives

You can find more details here about other organisations who may be able to help.

 


Support local charity shops

Donate your unwanted textiles, clothes, shoes, books, toys and bric-a-brac to shops or door-step charity collections.

Find your nearest charity shop.

 


Donate unwanted food to a Food Bank

Food banks accept donation of usable food. The received food is sorted, stored and made available to people who are in crisis.

Some supermarkets also have donation points for usable food and pet supplies.

 


For everything else…

Visit the Recycle Now website for a comprehensive list of where and how you can recycle household items such as carrier bags, printer cartridges, mobile phones, spectacles, bicycles and more.

You could also:

  • Register with the Mailing Preference Service to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.

  • Try to buy items that don’t have a lot of packaging. For example, buy loose fruit or vegetables in supermarkets or buy items in bulk or family packs.

  • Around 20% of rubbish in a general waste bin is food waste. In addition to composting, why not sign up to Love Food Hate Waste for top tips on understanding food labels, portion sizes and clever recipes.

  • There are lots of websites and groups where you can share and trade items. You can also sell items that you may no longer need.

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