Further Recycling

Polythene and carrier bags

There are two ways you can recycle non degradeable and non biodegradeable polythene and carrier bags.

Polyprint in Rackheath just north of Norwich have a 24hr drop off point for polythene (type 2 and type 4 plastic). This includes carrier bags, bubble wrap and bread bags. More information can be found on their website:  http://www.polyprint.co.uk/pages/recycling.php

You will also find many supermarkets now offer polythene and carrier bag collection bins inside their foyers. Please check with your local supermarket.

 

Fewer than 2% of batteries are currently recycled. Most end up in landfill sites where the harmful elements in them can escape. The average household uses 21 batteries each year.

Use rechargeable batteries when possible as these will save you energy and money in the long run.

Used batteries can be recycled at any of the recycling centres in Norfolk. You can also find your closest battery recycling bank using the Battery Can Finder tool at http://www.batteryback.org/battery-collection.html

Businesses should contact Battery Back or a similar scheme directly. 

We currently have over 300 recycling banks located across the district at Village Halls, Car Parks, Supermarkets, etc. (click here to find your nearest bring bank).

By making use of these banks you will be helping us to achieve our recycling target and you have the opportunity to help raise valuable funds through "Recycling Credit" payments. In 2009/10 we donated nearly £86,000 to site providers chosen charities and good causes. These included payments to Parish Councils, R.N.L.I., church funds, schools, charities, the Schools Waste Action Club and many more. As you can see, by using your local recycling bank you can help raise valuable funds for local communities and other good causes.

If you need any other information please call our Customer Services Team on 01263 516189.

BRITA take their responsibility to environmental issues very seriously and in line with growing consumer demand for greener living, BRITA has launched a new in store recycling scheme. Recycling bins are now situated in a range of high street stores such as Robert Dyas, Argos and Cargo. Other major retailer collection points will be following soon.

The BRITA branded bins will be located next to the existing water filter category in store. Customers can recycle any BRITA consumer product filter cartridge, including those for the new BRITA water filter taps.

For further information regarding this scheme please contact the BRITACare department on 0844 742 4800.

Glass cannot be recycled in your green recycling bin. Please take bottles to your nearest bottle bank for recycling. Find your nearest bottle bank visit www.recycle-more.co.uk and type in your postcode, alternatively telephone NNDC's Customer Services Team on 01263 516189 and they will be able to advise you.

If you are not able to take glass to a bottle bank, please place any in your grey waste bin for collection.  Please note that flat glass (for example broken window panes) cannot be put in bottle banks, but can be taken to any of the 6 main recycling centres, including Caister, Hempton and Mayton Wood.

We are keen to site more glass recycling banks across the district to make it easier for residents to recycle. To encourage site providers to come forward we make a "Recycling Credit" payment (based on the weight of glass collected) to their chosen charity or good cause.

If you know of a possible site for a new bank, please approach your Parish Council or Customer Services Team on 01263 516189. Popular sites include village halls, car parks and supermarkets.

Note: Recycling credits are only payable to charitable causes

According to YouGov 72% of consumers want between 50% and 90% of their junk mail stopped. This is said to equate to 1.8 billion items. With an average weight of 75 grams, the estimated weight of unwanted junk mail comes to nearly 137 million tonnes of wasted paper or 900 million trees!

If you wish to reduce the amount of junk mail that you receive there are options available...

Royal Mail offers an opt-out service which stops delivering unaddressed mail within 6 weeks. To sign up for this consumers need to send or e-mail their name and address to: Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS, Royal Mail Door-to-Door Opt-outs, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1RX or optout@royalmail.com.

Mailing Preference Service provides people with the opportunity to opt out of addressed mail or direct mail for free. To register for this service please visit www.mpsonline.org.uk.

Don't bin your old mobile! Mobile phones contain some valuable components, and their batteries can be harmful to the environment as they break down.

Type “Recycle my mobile” into your search engine and you’ll find hundreds of charities and companies that can recycle your mobile phone. Some will even pay for your handset. Mobile phones can also be taken to your local recycling centre where they should be placed in the electrical items container.

Liquid paint in tins should not be put in your grey bin but can be taken to any of the 7 main recycling centres in Norfolk (see Norfolk County Council website for details of the 'main' recycling centres).  Tins of dried paint can also be taken to any of the recycling centres, or can be placed in your grey bin.

Today's re-usable nappies are shaped and easy to fasten; they come in all sizes and colours; and by washing them, you can use them again and again.  Washable nappies have many advantages:

Babies' Health

• Washable nappies do not contain gels or chemicals and are made of natural and/or breathable materials.
• They are soft and kind to your baby's skin.
• Not changing the nappy frequently is a main cause of nappy rash rather than the type of nappy worn.
  

The Savings

• Using washable nappies at home can save you up to £500 for your first child, and more for a second child, compared with using disposables.
• More savings can be made if you are prepared to use second-hand washable nappies.
  

The Environment

• One baby uses about 4700 disposable nappies compared with between 20 and 25 washable nappies
• Every disposable nappy that has ever been buried in a landfill site still exists, so it is unknown how long it will take for disposable nappies to decompose
• Washable nappies allow all bodily waste and associated viruses to be flushed down the toilet, instead of being buried in landfill sites
• The equivalent of 7 million trees are used every year just to produce Britain's disposable nappies.
• Washable nappies can be 40% more environmentally friendly if washed at 60 degrees celsius, line dried and used on a second child (according to a comparative life cycle study by the Environment Agency in October 2008).
  

What About Convenience?

Paper nappy liners are biodegradable and can be flushed down the toilet with any solids (check manufacturers’ instructions, particularly for septic tanks, but most liners can be flushed).  Soiled nappies can be kept in a lidded nappy bucket and washed at 60 degrees celsius (no soaking or boiling are needed).  Wraps and wet nappies can be washed at 40 degrees celsius along with other items of washing.  Use an outside line or indoor airer to dry nappies wherever possible, and tumble dry when this is not convenient.

Local Nappy Suppliers

For a washable nappy supplier list and other useful contacts, call Norfolk County Council on 0344 800 8004, or go to www.norfolk.gov.uk/nappies
 

Other Useful Contacts:

• The Real Nappy Campaign - http://www.realnappycampaign.com/ - 0845 850 0606
• The Women's Environmental Network - http://www.wen.org.uk/ - 020 7481 9004
• Norfolk County Council Waste Management Section - 01603 222259
• Nappy Line - 01983 401959

Tetra Paks are the packaging used for liquid food - for example, milk, fruit juice and soup cartons. They are made from layers of paperboard, aluminium and polyethylene. These can now be taken to any Norfolk County Council Recycling Centre.

Tetra Paks can also be recycled in bring banks provided at the following sites:

• Co-op Food Stores, Middlebrook Road, Cromer
• Sainsbury's, Bacton Road, North Walsham

For more information on beverage carton recycling, visit http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/

Clothes and textiles cannot be collected for recycling through our Twin Bins scheme. As part of our contract with Kier Street Services Ltd they have teamed up with charities to collect textiles from every household in the District on a quarterly basis. Look out for textile bags that will be delivered to your door, with the first collection being undertaken in July/August 2011.

You can also use one of the SCOPE's textile banks at the Norfolk County Council Recycling Centres or donate good quality items to a local charity shop.

SCOPE textile banks are also located at:

• Queens Road Car Park, Fakenham
• Meadow Road Car Park, Cromer
• Station Approach/Road Car Park, Sheringham
• High Street Car Park, Stalham
• New Road Car park, North Walsham
• Stearmans Yard Car Park, Wells-next-the-Sea

If you are interested in finding out more about SCOPE, visit their website at http://www.scope.org.uk/

If you have unwanted CD's or DVD's try taking them to your local charity shop to see if they can sell them. Alternatively, you could try selling them yourself on eBay or at a car boot sale or if you’re feeling generous, by giving them away on Freegle.  If they are not suitable for resale/reuse, CD's and DVD’s, including damaged ones. can be sent away for secure recycling.  You can even send the CD 'jewel' cases for recycling too.

Send your mixture of CD's, DVD’s and Jewel Cases to: Polymer Recycling, Peninsula Business Park, Reeds Lane, Moreton, Wirral CH46 1DW.  No payment is required except the cost of postage.  For more information visit www.polymerrecycling.co.uk