We’d like to see 55% of household waste recycled by 2020 – but we need your help. Below are some tips to help you reduce the amount of waste your household produces and help make Newcastle a greener place to live.
Love your blue bin
You may be surprised by the amount of waste you can recycle in your blue bin. Did you know you can recycle clean foil trays, biscuit tins, batteries and empty aerosol sprays? Find out what you can put in your blue bin.
Love Food Hate Waste
The average person in Newcastle could save up to £200 a year simply by not throwing away good food and drink. Find out how you can reduce food waste and save money.
Sign up for garden waste collections and we can collect your garden waste for you. Garden waste is used to produce high quality soil conditioner for local gardens, allotments and farmland. Apply for garden waste collections.
You could also try home composting – 20% of an average household waste bin is made up of food waste. Home composting is the best environmental option for dealing with food wastes. For more information on home composting, including how to get a reduced price compost bin, visit the home composting webpage.
Use a Household Waste Recycling Centre
You can take your extra recycling and rubbish to one of our three Household Waste Recycling Centres in Newcastle. At the Centres you can recycle fluorescent lights and energy saving lightbulbs, waste wood, gas cylinders, vegetable oil and much more. Alternatively, find your nearest supermarket recycling point where you can take metal tins and cans, paper, plastic bottles, cartons, clothes, shoes, glass bottles and jars. Please note that these sites do not accept general waste.
Donate or re-use unwanted furniture
Use free websites such as Freecycle to give away or get unwanted furniture locally. There are also local charities who will collect your unwanted furniture or household items to help local people in need:
Support local charity shops
Donate your unwanted textiles, clothes, shoes, books, toys and bric-a-brac to shops or door-step charity collections. Find your nearest charity shop.
Donate unwanted food to a Food Bank
Food banks accept donation of usable food. The received food is sorted, stored and made available to people who are in crisis.
For everything else…
Visit the Recycle Now website for a comprehensive list of where and how you can recycle household items such as carrier bags, printer cartridges, mobile phones, spectacles, bicycles and more.
You could also:
- Register with the Mailing Preference Service to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.
- Try to buy items that don’t have a lot of packaging. For example, buy loose fruit or vegetables in supermarkets or buy items in bulk or family packs.
- Around 20% of rubbish in a general waste bin is food waste. In addition to composting, why not sign up to Love Food Hate Waste for top tips on understanding food labels, portion sizes and clever recipes.