Details of the types of materials we can and can't collect

Paper

Yes Please

The following are examples of the types of paper we can collect for recycling

Newspapers	White Phone Books	Envelopes (no need to remove windows)
Magazines	Computer Paper	Brochures
Catalogues	Junk Mail	Shredded Paper

No Thank You

We are unable to take the following materials in the paper recycling bins.

Material	Reason why we can't accept it in the paper bin	Can it be recycled in another way
Yellow Pages	The company who reprocesses the paper collected by Wealden do not accept Yellow Pages because the yellow dye on the pages contaminates the white paper. If they were to accept them then they would either have to be kept separate from the white paper or they would have to use more bleach in the recycling process, which is a costly, environmentally unfriendly process.	Visit our business waste and recycling page for companies who can recycle Yellow Pages.
Wrapping Paper	The company who reprocesses the paper collected by Wealden does not accept wrapping paper for recycling as it usually contains contaminants such as sellotape and glitter	Providing all contaminants are removed this can be shredded and placed in a home compost bin.
Cardboard	The company who reprocesses the paper currently does not accept cardboard as they do not do anything chemically strong enough to turn brown fibres white.	Cardboard can be broken up and placed in a compost bin. Alternatively, by april 2008, you can set up a collection though Wealden.
Plastic Bags	Please do not place your papers in carrier bags as this slows down the recycling process and leaves the reprocessor with additional contaminants to dispose of.	Visit our business waste and recycling for companies who can recycle plastic bags.
Tissues and Kitchen Roll	The company who reprocesses the paper can not accept tissues because they are made from a lower grade of paper and for contamination reasons.	Tissues and kitchen roll can be placed in a compost bin.

Cans, Foil and Aerosols

Yes Please

The following are examples of the types of aluminium and steel we can collect for recycling

Food cans	Drinks cans	Aluminium foil tops e.g. milk bottles tops and yoghurt tops
Aluminium foil food trays	Aerosol cans (please ensure they are empty. please do not pierce or squash)	Biscuit Tins

Please remember to wash your cans and foil and bag any aluminium foil separately.

If you are not sure if an item is made of just foil, try the following test: squash the foil and if it doesn't bounce back it can go in the can bin. If it does bounce back it is not the foil we want.

No Thank You

We are unable to take the following materials in the can recycling bins

Material	Reason why we can't accept it in the can bin	Can it be recycled in another way
Plastic Bags	Please do not place your cans in carrier bags as this slows down the recycling process. However, as the aluminium foil is separated by hand, we would appreciate it if you could continue to bag this up separately.	Visit our business waste and recycling page for companies who can recycle plastic bags.
laminated foil such as coffee packs, crisp packets and chocolate bar wrappers.	This type of foil has a plastic layer which we are unable to recycle at this time. If you are not sure if an item is made of just foil, try the following test: squash the foil and if it doesn't bounce back it can go in the can bin. If it does bounce back it is not the foil we want.	There are currently no alternatives for recycling laminated foil.
Other Metal Items	The sorting equipment at our materials reclamation facility in Uckfield is not designed to accept large metal items. Items such as saucepans are specially designed with heat resistant properties and are therefore not accepted by our reprocessor.	Visit our business waste and recycling page for companies who can recycle large metal items. There are currently no alternatives for recycling metals with heat resistant properties.

Glass

Yes Please

The following are examples of the types of glass we can collect for recycling

Glass bottles

Glass jars

Please ensure you separate your glass into the different colours to enable us to recycle it into new bottles and jars. please note blue glass should be placed in with the green glass.

No Thank You

We are unable to take the following materials in the glass recycling bins

Material	Reason why we can't accept it in the glass bin	Can it be recycled in another way
Glass from windows or green houses	The company who reprocesses the glass do not accept these items as they are made from a different type of glass with toughened properties that cause problems in the recycling process.	There are currently no options available for recycling this type of glass.
Pyrex or vision ware cooking dishes	These items are made from a different type of glass to normal bottles and jars called Borosilicate glass. Around 10% boric oxide is added to the basic glass raw materials enabling the glass to withstand very high temperatures and rapid changes from hot to cold. If consumers recycle these items with their glass bottles and jars it will become broken and mixed in with the other glass where it is visually impossible to tell the difference. Borosilicate glass does not fully melt in the furnaces used to make glass for bottles and jars and so gets into the finished containers as small hard pieces called “stones”. These “stones” form weaknesses in the bottles and jars which can lead to them breaking. In the factories making containers there is a range of inspection equipment which checks every single bottle or jar made and detects the “stones”, stopping them going out to be filled with food or drinks. If the factories making glass bottles and jars find lots of “stones” in containers they have to reduce the amount of recycled glass they are using until the problem stops.	There are currently no options available for recycling this type of glass.
Light bulbs and other electronic equipment with glass components	Light bulbs and other electronic equipment which have glass components contain many metal elements and a range of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium and should be disposed of by specialist companies. If the public use recycling points for these items it creates quality problems for glass manufacturers and reprocessors in all markets.	Certain companies recycle Energy saving light bulbs , fluorescent tubes and electrical equipment, for further information please visit our business waste and recycling page. There are currently no options available for recycling normal light bulbs.
Glass Crockery e.g. drinking glasses	Glass crockery is made from a different type of glass with different properties which can cause problems in the recycling process.	There are currently no options available for recycling this type of glass.
Plastic Bags	Please do not place your glass in carrier bags as this slows down the recycling process and leaves the reprocessor with additional contaminants to dispose of.	Visit our business waste and recycling page for companies who can recycle plastic bags.