Think before you throw

To make sure your recycling can be properly processed, it's important to clean your items before placing them in the recycling bin. A quick rinse is usually enough, but for tough food residue, a brief soak may help.

If recyclables have leftover food or drink on them, they can spoil the entire batch, both in your bin and later at the recycling facility.

If you're worried about wasting water, you can use leftover water from other household tasks to rinse them.

Keeping your recycling dry is important to ensure it can be properly sorted and processed. Wet paper and cardboard become soggy and can't be recycled. They can also stick to glass and metal, making it difficult to separate these materials during sorting, which can clog up the machinery.

To avoid this, make sure your recycling bin lid is closed to keep out rain and ensure bottles and cans are empty before placing them in the bin.

If you have excess recycling, it is important that you check your local district or boroughs excess recycling policy. Please remember that all recycling must be dry, so keep it out of the rain prior to collection.

For the recycling machines at the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) to work properly, your items need to be loose in the bin. If they’re wrapped in plastic bags or bundled together, the machines can't sort them. So, don’t bag up your recycling and keep plastic bags out of your recycling bin.

Take plastic bags to your local supermarket or put them in the general waste bin.

You can recycle a lot at home, but if you’re unsure about something, don’t just throw it in the recycling bin and hope for the best. Check our preparing your household recycling web page to see where specific items should go.

You can also visit our additional collections page to learn more about special kerbside collections for unusual items so you can recycle as much as possible. If you are looking for recycling information on a specific item, check our A-Z of recycling.

Check our preparing your household recycling web page to see which specific plastics should be recycled at home.

We can only accept plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays in the kerbside recycling bins. Other plastic items, like coat hangers, plant pots, garden furniture and Tupperware (what we call ‘hard plastics’), can be taken to your local Recycling Centre.

You can’t recycle plastic plant pots and seed trays in your recycling bin at home because of the type of plastic they are made from. They can be recycled via the hard plastics container at your local Recycling Centre and some garden centres also accept them for reuse.

Alternatively, consider reusing them yourself or offering them to a neighbour, community garden, or allotment.

As long as they’re clean, dry and loose, we can accept all non-biodegradable (for example, compostable) plastic microwave meal trays and packaging. This includes cardboard, plastic and even black plastic. Just give them a quick rinse or wipe to remove any residue and then pop them in the recycling bin.

You can recycle takeaway containers including foil, cardboard, plastic and black plastic, as long as they are clean, dry and loose.

After your meal, give them a quick rinse and place them in your recycling bin at home.

See plastics for more information.

See plastics for more information.

See plastic bags and wrapping for more information.

No, do not put your recycling in plastic bags before placing it in your recycling bin. The sorting machinery at the Materials Recycling Facility cannot open plastic bags. Instead, place your recycling in the recycling bin clean, dry and loose and not in any bags or boxes.

Top tip: If you have to take your recycling to a bin store, use a reusable bag to transport your materials to the recycling bin instead of using plastic bags. You can reuse the bag over and over again.

See cleaning products for more information.

In West Sussex, we can only recycle plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays. The triangular recycling logos, or Plastic Resin codes, are used to identify the plastic type but don't guarantee that an item can be recycled at home. For example, a triangle with a 2 inside it represents HDPE, which includes items like yoghurt pots and milk bottles that can be recycled, but also items like hard plastic toys that cannot.

Logos with a green background might only refer to part of the packaging.

If you're unsure whether an item can be recycled in your bin, or if you need to know what to do with items that can’t be recycled at home, check our A-Z for guidance.

See black plastic, pot, tubs and trays for more information.

See compostable packaging (bioplastics) for more information.

See coffee pods for more information.

Yes, you can recycle your plastic cosmetic bottles and other bathroom materials such as shampoo bottles, aerosols and plastic tubs. Make sure you remove as much of the contents as possible from cosmetic tubs and bottles.

If you can, take off the pump mechanism and place it in your rubbish bin. If removal isn’t possible, just put the entire empty bottle in your recycling bin.

If you don’t have room for a separate recycling bin in your bathroom, you could hang a bag on your bathroom door to collect recyclables until you're ready to dispose of them.

See toothpaste tubes for more information.

See shredded paper for more information.

See envelopes for more information.

No, staples will be removed during the screening process at the paper mills.

Yes, remove the plastic wrapper. The Materials Recycling Facility cannot automatically remove it. Place the plastic wrapper in your rubbish bin or take it to a supermarket drop-off point if available.

Yes, remove as much Sellotape as possible. Small pieces of Sellotape will be removed during the screening process at the paper mills.

See greeting cards and wrapping for more information.

See greeting cards and wrapping for more information.

See Yellow Pages, telephone directories and catalogues for more information.

See books for more information.

See takeaway coffee cups for more information.

See Pringles tubes for more information.

Paper towels and kitchen roll are often coated with food residues and other substances, making them unsuitable for recycling. Put them in your rubbish bin.

Baby wipes cannot be recycled because they are a mix of materials and are often wet or dirty. Put them in your rubbish bin.

See carboard for more information.

See cartons for more information.

Cartons, often known as Tetra Paks, are made from paperboard with a plastic or wax coating and sometimes a foil lining. They are commonly used for products like fruit juices, smoothies and chopped tomatoes.

Clean cartons can be placed in your recycling bin.

Cartons are sorted and baled with mixed paper and card, then sent to a paper mill for reprocessing. They are turned into new paper and card products, such as packaging and plasterboard liner.

See cartons for more information.

See glass for more information.

Yes. Remove the metal lids from the glass bottles or jars and place them loose in your recycling bin.

See glass for more information.

See cans for more information.

It's important to rinse your tins and cans to remove any leftover food or liquid. If leftover food or liquid spills onto other recyclables, like paper, it can prevent those items from being recycled and may even affect all the items in the recycling lorry.

See biscuit and sweet tins for more information.

See cans for more information.

No, do not place these in your recycling bin. They can harm the recycling machinery and contaminate other recyclables. Take these items to your nearest Recycling Centre.

Some of our Recycling Centres offer the opportunity to donate old paint for reuse. For more information on what can be accepted and for locations visit our Recycling Centre reuse page.

See gas bottles for more information.

See household batteries for more information.

Yes, you can place the metal lids from your cans in your recycling bin.

See metals for more information.

No, these items have a plastic layer and are not recyclable with aluminium foil. For true aluminium foil, perform the scrunch test:

• if it stays scrunched up, it can be recycled
• if it springs back, it contains plastic

Some of these items can be taken to supermarket drop-off points. Find your nearest participating store.

Only put clean aluminium foil in the recycling bin. If the foil has food remnants that don't come off with a quick rinse, do not include it.

See aluminium foil and containers for more information.

You can recycle foil that stays scrunched up in a ball. If it bounces back into shape or needs to be tied to stay together, it likely contains soft plastic and should be taken to a supermarket that accepts plastic bags and crisp packets.

See electrical equipment for more information.

See light bulbs for more information.

See vapes for more information.

See textiles for more information.

Yes, you can recycle old CDs and DVDs at your local Recycling Centre, where there are designated bins.

See video and audio cassettes for more information.

See toys for more information.

See disposable barbeques for more information.

Some items cannot be recycled in your home bin, but your local council may offer additional kerbside collections. Check our website for information on additional kerbside collections near you.

Our easy-to-use online booking system will not only help you find your nearest Recycling Centre, but also manages demand, so that our team have the time to offer helpful advice and guidance and you won’t have to wait too long for your turn.

You can book a visit two weeks in advance or on the same day if there is availability through our website or by phoning 01243 642106.

Food residue, leftovers and unopened food packaging can contaminate other recyclable materials and affect the quality of the recycling process. Ensure all items in your recycling bin are food-free, clean, dry and loose.

The government has announced its plans for every council in England to collect a core set of materials for recycling, including mandated separate food waste collections. Visit our West Sussex Waste Partnership web page for more information.

Reusable nappies can reduce waste and save money compared to disposable nappies. They are easier to clean and use than in the past. Consider using reusable nappies at home or when convenient and use disposables when necessary.

See nappies for more information.

For information on recycling and waste prevention, visit our website. It provides detailed guidance on how to reuse, donate, recycle, or dispose of various materials.