Paper and cardboard

See confidential waste

Please do not put books into your kerbside recycling box as they cannot be recycled by the same process. Unwanted items in good order could be reused, or recycled in a book bank at one of the recycling sites.

Otherwise, these can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Please do not place cardboard in the black box kerbside recycling scheme.

Large, clean sections of cardboard are sometimes useful to local artists - contact Island 2000 on 01983 298 098, or can be reused for storage.

Smaller boxes and packaging can also be donated to nurseries and primary schools for play material.

A small amount of torn up cardboard can be added to your compost bin to remedy very wet sloppy compost and also help air circulation.

Otherwise, these can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Please do not place cards in the black box kerbside recycling scheme

These can be donated to playgroups and schools or can be cut up and turned into gift tags or home made cards. Your local playgroup or school may be able to use them.

Christmas cards can be recycled during January each year at various supermarkets and primary schools. Click here for participating schools.

Otherwise, these can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Stapled magazines can be placed in the black box kerbside collection.

Do not place glued spine catalogues in the black box kerbside collection box, as they can not be recycled.

These can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Christmas cards can be placed in the Christmas card recycling boxes located at participating supermarkets and primary schools during the Christmas and New Year period.

Try to buy cards made from recycled paper, available in charity merchandise catalogues, charity and fair trade shops, e.g. Oxfam, and large stationers.

Remember to shred any personal information to safe guard against identity theft, then dispose of it with your general rubbish. Shredded paper can also go in your compost bin!

For commercial waste: the Data Protection Act places companies under statutory obligation to ensure the safeguard of information. When companies are disposing of large amounts of confidential waste, especially in paper form, it can be recycled. Check the phone book for companies who provide confidential collection and destruction services for sensitive documents and data.

Cardboard egg boxes can be torn up and added to your home compost bin. Some local butchers and grocers will take egg boxes for re-use.

Try to avoid polystyrene egg boxes as these cannot be broken down or recycled. These can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Remember to buy envelopes made from recycled or environmentally friendly paper. These can be bought from most stationery stockists, many large supermarkets and charity shops such as Oxfam. Envelopes can be reused by placing labels over the old address or used as scrap paper.

Otherwise, these can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Junk mail can not be put in your kerbside black box
Junk mail can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.
For information on our junk mail campaign click here.

Ask about donating old magazines to your local Doctor or Dentist Surgery.

Stapled magazines can be recycled in your kerbside black box

Otherwise, these can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Newspapers can be recycled in your black box

Otherwise, these can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Most products require some packaging for health or product information reasons but you can try to avoid buying items with excess packaging.
Packaging components include:

Paper and board

Plastics - rigid and flexible

Glass

Metals - tinplate and aluminium

Try to reduce the amount of waste packaging by:

Buying lightly or non-packaged products

Avoiding wasteful or gimmicky packaging

Refusing extra bagging

Using products with refillable containers whenever possible.

See also plastic containers

Try to reduce waste paper by using both sides and only printing when necessary.

Otherwise, this can be placed with your general rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

See cards.

Collecting Stamps can help raise money for Charities. Call Oxfam's Stamps and Coins Unit on 01869 355 100.

Much of the wrapping paper available now is not paper, but plastic or foil coated.
If the wrapping paper is shiny, or will not stay scrunched in a ball it should be disposed of with your normal rubbish and will be converted into fuel at the resource recovery facility.

Please do not place yellow pages in the black box

The Yellow Pages Directory Recycling Scheme offers a free phone recycling helpline - 0800 671 444 - which provides advice on where and how to recycle old Yellow Pages directories.

Local schools may collect Yellow Pages when the annual Yellow Pages are distributed, check back for more details.