After you have reduced, reused and repaired any items you buy the next option is to recycle what you have left. The first thing to do is to check out what recycling facilities are available through your Local Authority.
In Colchester and North East Essex the following local collection points can help you recycle even more. In some cases it will also help the local groups raise money.
– Please make sure your items are clean and dry
– Please don’t make a special journey to deliver by car
Supermarkets
The large supermarkets collect a range of soft plastics and other items for recycling. Check what your local supermarket collects:
Co-op
Tesco
Waitrose
Battery Recycling
*Biscuit Wrappers
- All Brands of non savoury biscuit wrapper
- All Brands of cracker wrapper
- All Brands of cake wrapper
- Rice cake packs
Collected by:
en–form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Tendring Primary School
Biscuit wrapper recycling info page: terracycle.co.uk
*Bread Bag & Bakery Recycling
- Any brand of bread loaf bag
- Baguette packaging
- Bread roll packaging
- Bagel, pretzel and crumpet packaging
- Wraps, pitta breads, naans and garlic bread packaging
- Croissants, brioche and pastry packaging
- Teacakes, fruit loaves and scones packaging
- Doughnuts, cookies and muffin packaging
- Cake, cake bars and slices packaging
- Pancake and waffle packaging
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Stanway Fiveways Primary School
Tendring Primary School
Cameras and Optics Recycling
Camera equipment (old film, digital and video) and optics, including binoculars.
Collected by:
en–form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Essex Wildlife Trust
CD’s, DVD,s, Books and Games
Of course you can give these unwanted items away on giveaway sites such as Freegle or charity shops.
*Cheese Wrapper Packaging
- Any brand of flexible plastic cheese pouches
- Any brand of individual plastic cheese wrappers
- Any brand of sliced cheese protective plastic film
- Any brand of plastic nets for mini cheeses
- Labels from Cathedral City Minis packs of 6
- Babybel labels
- Babybel net bags
- Babybel metal clasps
- Babybel individual wrappers
- Babybel wax
The following items are not acceptable:
- Plastic cheese tubs and trays (these can be recycled through local council facilities)
- Cheese wax and wax paper (except Babybel)
- Squeezy cheese tubes
- Labels from other Cathedral City nets products or from other brands of mini cheeses
Collected by:
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
*Chocolate Packaging
Ferrero Rocher brand only:
✅ Chocolate bar aluminium wrappers
✅ Aluminium wrappers
✅ Gold Plastic tray
✅ Transparent plastic box
✅ Ice cream plastic packaging
Kinder Brand only
✅ Aluminium foil packaging
✅ Chocolate wrappers
✅ Flexible plastic packaging
✅ Rigid plastic packaging (the eggs)
✅ Nutella biscuits flexible plastic pouch
*Cleaning Packaging Recycling
- Fragrance twin pack plastic sleeves
- Flexible stain remover powder packaging
- Flexible cleaing product refill packaging
- Flexible home cleaning wipe packaging
- Flexible dishwashing tablet packaging
- Outer Plastic sleeves
- Dishwasher cleaner outer packaging
- Foil inside dishwasher packaging
- Flexible plastic dishwashing salt bags
And
Any brand of:
- Plastic air freshener containers
- Plastic air freshener caps
- Plastic car air fresheners (except electric plug ins)
- Flexible wipe packaging used for cleaning only
- Flexible laundry washing capsules and pods packaging
- Tinted fabric conditioner bottles and caps
- Tinted rigid plastic tubs used for home cleaning
- Laundry detergent packaging
- Toilet freshener packaging
- Aerosols (recycle with kerbside can collection in many areas)
- Plastic bottles and tubs (recycle with plastic collection in many areas)
- Dishwasher liquid bottles, rinse aid packaging
- Fragrance candles, reeds, plug ins and auto sprays
- Soda Crystals packaging
- Washing machine and oven cleaner packaging
- Cardboard packaging (recycle with kerbside paper collection in many areas)j
- Flexible wipe packaging not used for home cleaning (such as baby and beauty wipes packaging)
Coffee & Tea Bag Packaging Recycling
- Individual coffee bag Sachets – All Brands
- Bulk bags of tea bags – All Brands
- Loose leaf tea bags – All Brands
Collected by:
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
*Coffee Pods Recycling
*Lavazzo Eco Caps – All types Lavazzo Eco Caps compatible with Lavazzo A Modo Mio coffee machines only. This scheme is operated by Terracycle
Collected by:
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS.
For information on recycling all other brands check out:
Podback
Nespresso
Nescafe Dolce Gusto
Tassimo & L’Or
*Contact Lens Recycling
*Cosmetic Packaging Recycling
Accepted Items: All Brands of
- Flexible plastic and metallic plastic tubes used for body creams, ointments or moisturisers
- Flexible plastic packaging used for facial cleaning wipes
- Eye shadow compacts
- Lip and cheek, highlighter and bronzer sticks
- Mascara tubes and wands
- Lipsticks, lip glosses and lip balms
The following items are not acceptable:
- Glass
- Rigid plastic bottles, pots and tubs used for personal care unless not accepted by local council facilities
- Flexible plastic tubes not used for personal care and as for moisturisers or body creams (such as hair care, shower gels, food and glue tubes)
- Flexible plastic wipes packaging not used for personal care ( e.g. baby wipes and cleaning wipes)
- Deodorant, body spray or perfume
- Cardboard packaging (recycling through council recyc;ling)
Collected by:
en–form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Tendring Primary School
Tescos Highwoods and The Hythe, Sainsburys Tollgate and Superdrug Colchester High Street through Maybelline Recycling Boxes
*Crisp and Snack Packet Recycling
This scheme is closing on 2nd December 2024 please ensure you drop off this receycling by 28th November 2024.
*Snack Packets (Crisps, nuts, popcorn and pretzels)
- Any brand of Crisp packet
- Any brand of Crisp or snack packet multipack wrapper
- Any brand of nut packet
- Any brand of pretzel packet
- Any brand of popcorn packet
- Quavers
- Doritos
- Hula Hoops
- McCoy big crisps
- Cheese Puffs
- Onion rings
- Monster munch type snacks
- Pork Scratchings
- Meat snack packets
- Dried fruit packets
Collected by:
en–form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Stanway Fiveways Primary School
Tendring Primary School
Currency and Stamps
- any coins or banknotes, UK & foreign, even if it’s out of circulation currency
-
Stamps: loose, single, albums, first day covers, presentation packs, collections, postcard collections
en–form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
*Disposable Gloves
- Disposable Latex Gloves
- Disposable Vinyl Gloves
- Disposable Nitrile Gloves
- Disposable Cast Polyethylene Gloves
- Marigold Disposable Gloves
- Marigold Durable Gloves
- Marigold Gloves Plastic Packaging
- Non-disposable gloves
- Disposable gloves that have not been used in a domestic environment
- Disposable gloves that have been used with harsh chemicals or unhygienic substances
- Any cardboard glove packaging (this can be recycled through your local council)
Electrical Goods and Appliances
Unwanted working and non working electrical appliances (excluding fridges and freezers) and scrap metal can be recycled and collected free of charge in the Colchester area by Colchester Children’s Charity Appeal. They operate a free collection service of:
scrap metal broken electrical appliances (not fridges or freezers) working electrical appliances (not fridges or freezers).
Gadgets and Phones (see also Mobile Phone Recycling)
Inhaler Recycling
Jewellery & Watches
Light Bulb Recycling
Energy Efficient light bulbs only.
Collected by:
Robert Dyas, Colchester High Street
Mobile Phone Recycling
Pringle Tubes
We can accept old style Pringle tubes with a metal base. The new all cardboard tubes should be recycled in your council kerbside paper recycling. The seal should be put in your general waste and the plastic lid in your plastic recycling.
Collected by:
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Printer Cartridges (Inkjets) Recycling
Inkjet cartridges only from HP, Canon and Epson
Please note, Laser Toner cartridges should be returned to the manufacturer if the facility is available or take a look at Laser Toner cartridge recycling. Check manfactuers website. Or have a look at this webpage.
Collected by:
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Stanway Fiveways Primary School
Razor Blade & Disposable Razor blades
You can recycle these through the Gillette Recycling Scheme using a freepost envelope. Order your free envelope using this link.
Spectacle Recycling (see also “Contact Lens” Recycling)
Many opticians collect unwanted spectacles which are then recycled.
School Uniforms
Unwanted outgrown school uniforms
Collected by:
Essex Uniform Project
Tetra-pak Food and Drink Cartons and Coffee Cups
In Colchester and the local area these can ONLY be recycled at large supermarkets using the special Tetra- pak recycling banks. Check for your local bank here
In Colchester that means the recycling bank areas at Asda and Tescos at Tiptree.
*Toothbrushes and Oral Cleaning Recycling
- Any brand of toothbrush
- Any brand of electric and battery toothbrush heads
- Any brand of dental floss containers
- Flossing sticks and interdental brushes
- Electric flosser nozzles
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Tendring Primary School
Stanway Fiveways Primary School
More info on recycling toothbrushes etc here: terracycle.co.uk
Toothpaste Tubes
Toothpaste tubes can be recycled at Boots and can be put in the recycling box in stores. See details on this website
Toys
LOL Surprise brand only (producrs, packaging and accessories)
Collected by:
en-form – 15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Tendring Primary School
- BROKEN OR DAMAGED toys & games from all brands, in plastic, metal, wood, cardboard or paper.
Water Filter Recycling
- Aqua Optima Universal Water Filters
- Aqua Optima Evolve 30 and 60 Day Water Filters
- Aqua OptimaOriginal 30 and 60 Day Water Filters
Brita Filters only:
Can I add Age Concern onto this list for wool
where and how are pet food pouches recycled? (not sent to Malaysia/elsewhere?)
what charities do you support?
can my local school be in receipt of ‘collection points’ if I am the central collector for the village?
Can we recycle empty pill blister packs please
Please would you add Prettygate Junior School Recycle Scheme to your list. We are collecting…Baby food pouches, biscuit wrappers, Bread Bags, Chocolate bars and Sweets, Cleaning Packaging, Crisps and Snacks, Pet food pouches, Toothbrushes, Writing Instruments. Oh and ink cartridges with InkBin. We have a 24hr public access bin on Plume Avenue by the main entrance.
Wow I wish I had come across this information sooner. The fact that many things that seem to be non-recyclable via the council can be collected by you rather than going to landfill needs to become common place knowledge.
Thank you for offering this service and I hope the word spreads.
Hi guys,
We spoke on Sunday in Castle Park about the recycle items you collect for Colchester via Enform.
I have looked at your website, but cannot see ‘rubber gloves’ which I am certain one of you said you collected?
Please could you let me know because I intend to do a display at work, perhaps a washing line of the items you take and if it’s permitted, some collection bags alongside our recycling points and want to get it right.
Hi
My school council are big on recycling at the moment. We have an Ink Cartridge box and a battery recycling box.
Would you be willing to come into school to:
a) give an assembly on importance for recycling or
b) give a talk to my school council about different opportunities to recycle.
c) both!
I am impressed by the variety of items you are able to recycle. I am wondering why the Council isn’t collecting them itself. Could I chat to you?
Tel 07785537767
Better still come and meet you at the shop.
Where do you send what you collect? How is it managed downstream?
I write a column in the Gazette as their” green campaigner” so material which it is useful to pass on to the wider public would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi there
Just a thought….do you know what happens to all the thousands and thousands of plastic AD Blue containers that you need to use when driving an AD blue vehicle?
I asked at many petrol stations and they said just throw it in the waste bin 🤷