Mixed recycling
Your brown bin is collected every fortnight on the same day as your green bin. Make sure your recyclables are empty and give them a quick rinse. If they are too dirty they may not be collected e.g. grease covered foil or plastic trays/pots with food in.

Paper recycling

There are no current plans to resume a separate collection of paper in the blue boxes, if this changes you will be notified by a hook-on on your black bin. Instead, please continue to recycle your paper in the brown bin.

Please check our service updates regularly for any further changes.

 

What to put in

Glass

  • Glass bottles (any colour) e.g. wine, beer, spirit
  • Glass jars e.g. sauces, jam, baby food
  • Other glass bottles e.g. perfume, aftershave, face/body cream


Plastic

  • Plastic cleaner and detergent bottles e.g. bathroom cleaners, washing up liquid, bleach
  • Toiletries and other plastic bathroom bottles e.g. shampoo, shower gel
  • Plastic drinks bottles e.g. juice, squash, milk
  • Plastic pots e.g. yoghurt, soup
  • Plastic tubs e.g. margarine, ice cream
  • Plastic trays/punnets e.g. meat trays, take-away trays, fruit/veg trays, including black plastic)
  • Chocolate and biscuit tubs and trays


Metal

  • Drinks cans
  • Food tins
  • Metal lids and tops
  • Biscuit/chocolate tins (including lids)
  • Aerosol cans
  • Aluminium foil
  • Foil trays e.g. take-away trays


Cartons

  • Drinks cartons e.g. juices and milk
  • Food cartons e.g. soup


Cardboard and paper

  • Cardboard boxes e.g. cereal boxes, delivery boxes
  • Corrugated cardboard
  • Plain greetings cards (no foil or glitter)
  • Cardboard egg boxes
  • Cardboard sleeves e.g. ready meal sleeves
  • Cardboard tubes e.g. from inside toilet rolls and kitchen roll
  • Brown packaging paper and brown envelopes
  • Newspapers
  • Magazines
  • White paper e.g. printer paper and letters
  • Brochures, catalogues and directories
  • Junk mail including leaflets and flyers
  • Envelopes (including windows)
  • Shredded paper - please wrap this in a newspaper or envelope.

Items to keep out

Glass

  • Glass cookware e.g. Pyrex dishes
  • Drinking glasses
  • Vases
  • Ceramics
  • Mirrors
  • Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes
  • Window glass


Plastic

  • Full plastic bags
  • Crisp packets and sweet wrappers
  • Film lids from plastic pots and trays
  • Laminated plastic food/drink pouches e.g. baby food pouches, cat food pouches or coffee pouches
  • Rigid plastics e.g. toys, Tupperware, pipes and hangers
  • Medicine pill packets e.g. blister packs
  • Toothpaste tubes
  • Polystyrene e.g. cups and packaging materials
  • Plastic straws and cutlery


Metal

  • Paint and solvent tins (full or empty)
  • General kitchen ware e.g. cutlery, pots and pans
  • Electrical items such as kettles, irons, pipes, white goods


Cartons

  • Pringles/Twiglet style tubes
  • Single use coffee cups


Cardboard and paper

  • Greetings cards with foil or glitter decoration
  • Paper towels and tissues
  • Gift bags
  • Wrapping paper
  • Wallpaper
  • Padded envelopes e.g. Jiffy bags
  • Sandwich boxes
  • Disposable nappies
  • Cotton wool/make up pads
  • Wet wipes

Compostable plastic

Whilst we recognise the benefit of reducing single use plastic some of the 'compostable' alternatives are not suited to the technologies used in Hertfordshire. For more information please see: Biodegradable Plastic - what you need to know.


What happens to my recycling?

Find out more about the journey of your recyclables from kerbside to end destination. Visit WasteAware and read some of the most frequently asked questions.

Flats recycling

Most flats have some form of recycling. It is important to only put the correct items in your recycling bin - see Recycling in Flats for more information.

Please note: you may need to cut up larger pieces of cardboard to make it fit in the recycling bins supplied to flats. Alternatively you can take any oversized/bulky items to a  Recycling Centre.