Home Environment & waste Recycling and waste Improving recycling facilities for flats
Lithium battery fires

Lithium batteries have caused fires in the rubbish lorries. Please do not put batteries in your waste or recycling bin. All batteries (including lithium batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters and other re-chargeable devices) can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Northumberland Wharf.


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Improving recycling facilities for flats

We are working with landlords and managing agents to make improvements to communal recycling facilities at blocks of flats.

More recycling bins are being added to improve residents’ access to recycling bins. We are also upgrading existing bins.

To make it clear what can and cannot go in your recycling bins, we are:

  • installing new signage,
  • updating bin stickers, and
  • delivering leaflets with information on how to recycle.

The new purple bins have an opening big enough for recycling to be emptied into it loose or in a clear plastic bag.

The bin is locked, so all recycling must go through the opening.

Why are the bins changing?

For most recycling bins in the borough, we are fitting a new lid and repainting them. We are also swapping outdated bins for newer bins.

These bins stop people from adding rubbish that cannot be recycled, such as:

  • black sacks
  • polystyrene
  • bulky waste (i.e. furniture).

Keeping rubbish out of recycling bins improves the quality of the recycling we collect. This can:

  • reduce the cost of sorting your recycling,
  • help keep your collections more reliable and
  • means that more recycling can be turned into new products.

How do I use the new bins?

Open the flap and empty your recycling inside loose. Putting your recycling in loose means:

  • less single use plastic bags,
  • less energy is used in the sorting process and
  • there is no need to collect or buy clear sacks.

Clear bags

You can use other clear plastic bags for recycling if you want to. Bags must be clear so we can see it is recycling inside. Please make sure they are not too full, so they fit through the bin opening.

Do not leave any sacks or bulky waste around the bins

Please consider other residents, caretakers and the collections teams and do not leave any sacks or bulky waste around the bins.

Cardboard boxes

Cardboard boxes must be flattened before being slotted through the opening into the bins. 

Please remove:

  • polystyrene,
  • packing foam or
  • bubble wrap from boxes before recycling.

They are not recyclable and must go in your general waste bin.

Collecting and taking your recycling to the bin

Collect and take your recycling to the bin using your own reusable:

  • bag,
  • container or
  • cardboard box

Then put the recycling in the recycling bin loose, so that you have a container/bag to collect and transport your recycling all the time.

Find out more