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Environment and Planning

You are here:

Refuse and Recycling

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Mid Sussex District Council has an Alternate Weekly Collection Service for Refuse & Recycling.

Since the introduction of the new service in Autumn 2007 we have seen a significant rise in the amount of material we are recycling and a reduction in what we are sending to landfill.

The Council came first out of 75 local authorities in a ‘league table' of figures submitted by all local authorities in southern England to the Government, for the first quarter of 2008. The figures show that over 44% of waste in Mid Sussex is now sent for recycling, composting or re-use.We have also seen a reduction in waste going to landfill of about 14%. 

This is fantastic news and we would like to thank residents for doing such a good job with their recycling.

Outline details of how the service works are shown below, and further details & answers to your questions can be found by looking at the the pages on the left & the links on the right.

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RECYCLING MATERIAL QUALITY

As you will be aware, the world is currently experiencing a financial crisis, which in turn is affecting many major industries, the recycling sector sadly being one of them with a reduction in demand for household recyclables, especially paper and plastics.

The current economic situation means that for recycled rubbish to resist ending up in landfill, quality is key. 

Reduced manufacturing in the Far East, combined with some competitively priced raw materials, has resulted in an overall dip in the demand for recycled materials.

The markets that continue to operate are those that rely on a guaranteed supply of good quality materials. The quality of materials collected across West Sussex is generally high, but during this period of global downturn the public have a valuable part to play.  Mid Sussex residents are asked to continue their excellent recycling efforts. 

Please ensure you remove all plastic covers from paper and that you only recycle plastic bottles and no food trays, yoghurt pots or ice cream tubs etc Providing quality material for recycling means Viridor Waste Management are less reliant on the overseas market at this restrictive time.

The items that we most commonly find in bins that we are NOT CURRENTLY ABLE TO RECYCLE are:

• Plastic Bags
• Yoghurt/ Margarine/ Ice Cream Cartons
• Plastic Food Trays
• Aluminium Foil

Please put these items in your Grey Lidded Landfill Bin.

If you are unsure what you can recycle please look at our Refuse & Recycling Service Leaflet or contact the Refuse & Recycling Team.

If you would like a new / replacement sticker for your blue lidded recycling bin to remind you what you can recycle please get in touch.

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HOW THE REFUSE & RECYCLING SERVICE WORKS

Every household has two wheeled bins.
One bin will be grey with a blue lid – for recycling
One bin will be grey with a grey lid – for landfill waste

We collect your bins on alternate weeks: Recycling bin one week and your Landfill bin the next week.

A leaflet detailing how the service works is available to download  from downloads / links section to the right or by contacting the Refuse & Recycling Team on 01444 477440 or emailing wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk

When will my collections be made?

Collection Calendars are available to download at Collection Day Information or by contacting the Refuse & Recycling Team.
Bins need to be available for collection from 7am.

What can I put in my bins?

Recycling bin:

• Plastic bottles (only bottles - no cartons/ punnets/ yoghurt pots etc)
• Mixed paper & cardboard (including newspapers & magazines)
• Food and drink cans
• Glass bottles & jars
• Tetra Paks
• NO PLASTIC BAGS PLEASE!

Landfill bin:

• Anything else EXCEPT clinical waste, garden waste, electrical goods or large items of household waste

Your recycling bin is provided with a sticker to remind you what you can recycle. A leaflet explaining what can go  in your bin is available for download in the download / links section to the right.

Chargeable collections of bulky household waste are available.

Local Bring Sites and Household Waste Recycling Sites (Civic Amenity Sites) are also available.

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Why are you collecting my recycling materials all mixed together now and how can we be sure the materials are being recyled?

When your recycling is first collected from your blue lidded bin the vehicles compact the materials creating space on board making for an efficient collection scheme.

Your recycled material is then taken to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Kent. Next summer West Sussex County Council will be opening a new MRF at Ford that we will be able to use. Sorting technology today is very impressive.

All materials are separated mechanically using a variety of techniques including a trommel (like a large rotating drum that separates paper from other items), magnets, shaking conveyor belts and sieves through which different size materials drop, visual sensors and separators. The end result is well segregated materials that are then sold on.

If you would like more details please look at 'What Happens to Your Recycling'

Collecting material to be recycled all together makes it easy for everyone - for residents and collection crews. This means that more people will likely recycle and more waste will be diverted from being buried forever in landfill.

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If you need to know more, or have any questions please contact us.

• E-mail wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk
• Telephone 01444 477440
• Write to:

Cleansing Services
Mid Sussex District Council
Oaklands
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH16 1SS

Last Updated 04/03 /2009

Tel: 01444 458166,  Fax: 01444 450027,  Enquiry Form,  Webmaster,  Contact Us

Mid Sussex District Council, Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1SS