Eco & Environment | Posted on September 23rd, 2024 | return to news
Residents urged to add cartons and foil to recycling bins in Dorset
Instead of having to take cartons and foil to banks in car parks, residents can now put them in their home recycling bins.
People living in the Dorset Council area are now able to put empty food and drink cartons, as well as foil trays and sheet foil, into their household recycling bins.
The Recycle for Dorset kerbside collection scheme was introduced over a decade ago and Dorset Council is currently the number one unitary council in England for recycling, with 59.1 per cent of the waste collected being recycled.
Cartons have been difficult to recycle in the past as they are similar to cardboard when sorting mechanically but contain foil and plastic. However, the council’s sorting facility partners are now able to separate these cartons for recycling, which it is hoped will be more convenient than the banks in car parks.
The council now accepts empty food and drink cartons – for soup, milk, juice etc – alongside the usual paper/plastic/cans etc already collected.
Also accepted are cardboard tube-shaped containers for products such as curved crisps, hot chocolate, and gravy granules.
They should be completely empty and flattened with their lids before being placed in the recycling bin.
The following foil items can also be collected: pie trays and take-away dishes; foil sheets; confectionary foil wrappings and foil lids.
The council says it would be very grateful if everyone could rinse foil trays and wipe sheet foil clean if possible. Sheet foil or wrappers should be scrunched into a ball roughly the size of a tennis ball before placing in the recycling bin. If it does not scrunch, it’s not the kind of foil that can be recycled.
Some items that look like foil such as crisp packets, sweet/biscuit/chocolate bar wrappers and pet food pouches are joined with plastic or paper. Therefore, people should continue to keep these out of recycling.
Cllr Jon Andrews, Dorset Council’s Cabinet member for place-based services, said:
“We’re very proud of our kerbside recycling scheme, and this development makes a great service even better. By adding cartons and foil to the list of items we can receive in household recycling bins, we can prevent even more waste from going unrecycled.
“Not only does recycling waste help us protect our natural environment, but it also saves us money that can be spent on essential services. I’d like to thank everyone that has been involved in this service improvement and look forward to seeing just how much of an impact it will make.”
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