Your recycling

Including:

• cardboard boxes
• newspapers
• magazines
• envelopes (including ones with plastic windows)
• shredded paper
• brochures and catalogues
• corrugated cardboard (eg delivery boxes)
• brown paper bags
• telephone directories
• white computer paper
• gift wrap
• food and drink cartons including Tetra Paks

Break and fold any large boxes and leave them next to your green sacks.

Including:

• margarine tubs
• ice cream tubs
• yoghurt pots
• fruit punnets
• ready meal trays

Remove any film lids and absorbent pads in the bottom of trays and put these in your general rubbish.

Rinse clean all traces of food before placing in your green sack.

Including:

• drinks bottles
• shampoo and detergent bottles

Remove plastic tops on cartons before placing into your green sack.

Rinse clean and remove any plastic tops from bottles and cartons before placing into your green sack

For hazardous chemicals, please check the bottle for disposal instructions.

Including:

• steel and aluminium including aerosols
• drinks cans
• food tins

Make sure aerosols are empty but please don’t squash or pierce them.

Rinse all food residues from tins and cans before placing into your green sack.

Including: kitchen foil and foil trays. Please rinse them clean.

Including: glass bottles and jars including non-food bottles (eg perfume, aftershave, face creams).

All coloured glass accepted. Please remove and rinse lids.

No broken glass. Wrap and tape up the broken glass or sharp item as much as possible. Then place them in your general waste.

Leave a note on your waste bag or bin. The note needs to inform the bin crew that the sack contains broken glass or sharp items. This method of disposal is the safest way in which our crews can collect the item(s). It has minimal risk of them cutting their hands.

• nappies
• tissues
• paper towels
• tampons and other sanitary items
• wet wipes
• cotton wool
• make up pads
• toothpaste tubes (although pump action tubes are accepted)
• medicine packaging such as foil or plastic blister packs
• chemical bottles
• cling film
• freezer bags
• hard plastic containers eg lunchboxes
• bubble wrap
• crisp packets
• sweet wrappers
• film from ready-meals
• laminated pouches eg cat food
• polystyrene
• metallic wrapping paper
• paper or card that’s stained or dirty with food, grease, paint etc
• glittery greeting cards or glittery wrapping paper
• wallpaper
• mirrors
• lightbulbs
• plastic toys
• general kitchenware such as cutlery, pots and pans, drinking glasses, and ceramics
• disposable plastic plates, cups and cutlery
• black bags – if you put your recycling in black bags it won’t be recycled

The quality of plastic in carrier bags is poor compared to pots and tubs.

The best thing to do with carrier bags is to reuse them as much as possible in the first instance. Try to use reusable bags instead.

Or take them to supermarkets which allow for more plastic film packaging recycling. Find out more about recycling plastic bags.

Do not put your recycling in black bags – it will be incinerated.

Rinse out all food and drink containers. Lock all food waste in a food waste bin – that way there won’t be anything to attract rats or foxes.

You can use as many green sacks as you like and you don’t need to separate materials.

Green sacks are not provided to residents who use the orange communal recycling bins.

Instead, you can order an orange reusable bag to store and transport recycling to the communal recycling bins.

Take them to your nearest public recycling bank.

Take electrical appliances and low energy bulbs to your nearest public recycling bank.

There are battery recycling points at all Hackney Libraries.

Check with the shop where you bought them.

Check the bottle for disposal instructions.

Visit Recycle Now’s website to find a recycling facility

Communal recycling bins are locked to stop bags of non-recyclable waste being put into the recycling bins. It contaminates the recycling.

Use the opening at the front of the bin.

Avoid putting non-recyclable items or food waste in your green sack or communal recycling bin. It could result in us disposing of all your recycling as waste.

This is because the sack or bin contains items that can’t be recycled or the quality of the recycling has been spoiled ie by food waste. Therefore it will not be accepted at the materials recovery facility (MRF).

This is an added cost to the Council and a loss of valuable recycling material.

To report a problem with the communal bins email recycling@hackney.gov.uk or call 02083566688.