If you cannot re-use any items of waste then the next stage is to recycle them. The following materials can all be very easily recycled:

• Metal
• Glass
• Paper
• Textiles
• Oil
• Garden Waste
• Food Waste

How To Recycle

It is very easy to recycle our waste with minimum effort:

1. Use kerbside collection services:

The easiest and most efficient way to recycle up to 60% of the rubbish you produce is to use your local kerbside collection scheme. In Colchester you can recycle the following items in this way:

• Food and drink cans
• Glass jars and bottles
• Paper and cardboard
• Plastic – not all types but particularly bottles made of HDPE and PET(E)
• Food waste – although you may want to compost veg and fruit peelings to produce free compost for your garden
• Garden Waste – but don’t forget to compost as much as you can for your garden
• Textiles  – although you may want to donate textiles to your favourite charity

2. Use recycling centres such as Bottle banks etc.

If you do not have a separate kerbside collection or you need to get rid of your waste more frequently, then the borough has several recycling centres throughout the town, at local villages and superstores. Recycling centres typically consist of banks for:

• Food and drink cans
• Glass jars and bottles
• Paper
• Textiles (including clothing) and shoes
• Plastic bottles (HDPE and PET(E) only)
• Books
• Beverage cartons (tetrapaks)

TIP: Don’t make a special journey to a recycling centre, as the use of transport could negate the good your doing. Instead, try to fit it in with your normal visit to the shops, or when you are passing anyway.

3. Household Waste Recycling Centres
   
   In addition to allowing to to dispose of bulky household waste items that cannot be colected at the kerbside they also provide recycling facilities for a range of items including:
   
   – Garden waste
   – Electrical goods & appliances
   – Engine oil
   – Metal
   
   
4. Use Scrap metal merchants

If you have other forms of metal you can normally recycle these at scrap metal merchants.

Don’t forget to recycle metal waste from DIY projects such as copper pipes, old sinks etc at scrap metal merchants. You will normally get paid, but bear in mind that the scrap metal market is volatile and prices fluctuate from day to day.

4. Give an item a new purpose… Upcycle it! 

Another way to recycle something is to re-use it as something else, also known as up-cycling. Check out our great upcycling tips blog full of inspirational ideas!