Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Bulletin

On By peterlongden

The Eastbourne and Lewes Council tips to help you waste less and recycle more.

Todays tips:

  1. Size matters! Wash and squash to get the most out of your bin
    When it comes to making the most of the space in your recycling bin size really does matter. By washing and squashing your recycling you can massively increase the number of items that will fit in your bin. For example squash plastic bottles then put the lid back on to keep them from expanding again.
  2. Food waste all adds up 
    The average UK family with children throws away £720 worth of food a year, that’s £60 a month! All that food has to be replaced, meaning more shopping, more cooking and more expense. We’d all like to avoid those extra trips to the supermarket and save money – here’s where you can find out a few ideas to help: lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/it-all-adds
  3. Choose veg without packaging
    Try to buy vegetables, fruit and salad without the unnecessary plastic packaging wherever possible. Most supermarkets are now selling loose items, alternatively local farmers’ market will usually have loose produce for sale.

This last tip appears on the Plastic Free Eastbourne website – check this out to find out about great work of this wonderful local group: www.plasticfreeeastbourne.co.uk

Orange bin tags: what are they and what should I do if I have one on my recycling bin?

Orange bin tagOur collection crew will place an orange tag on your recycling bin if they see items we don’t collect and can’t recycle (known as contamination). The crew will tick the boxes on the tag to show what items can’t be recycled.
What is contamination?
Common items of contamination in recycling bins include food, clothing, wood, garden waste and bags of rubbish. If there is too much contamination in a lorry full of recycling the entire load has to be rejected at the processing plant.
What should I do if my recycling bin has an orange tag on it?
All you need to do is remove the items we don’t collect then remove the orange tag and put your bin out on your next recycling collection day.
For full list of what you can recycle and of our other waste services please visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling

Check your next bin collection day

Unsure of when your next bin collection will be? You can find out via our website any time at lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/when-is-my-bin-collection-day