Mansfield urged to check rubbish after study shows recyclable materials ‘lost’ in general waste

Research commissioned by Nottinghamshire County Council and waste partners Veolia, has revealed some shocking findings in our general household rubbish – cans, tins, paper, and cardboard that could all have been recycled, sorted and reused to make new things.

Around 7 per cent of the rubbish in general waste bins across the county, could have been sent for recycling and made into something else.

Here in Mansfield waste from across Nottinghamshire is brought for sorting and recycling at the materials recovery facility, which provides employment for about 80 local people. It is these waste operatives who help sort out the things householders put in the recycling bins – but we could be putting even more in there!

Check before you chuck

People in Mansfield, and across Nottinghamshire, are being asked to “check before you chuck” to see if it can be recycled – then to make sure it goes in the recycling bin and not in the general waste, so the opportunity to give it a new lease of life is not lost.

With lots of festive visitors and get-togethers happening in households across the county this Christmas and New Year, more waste than ever will be making its way to our household bins – so careful checking of empty drinks bottles, cans, tins, paper, and cardboard packaging could make a massive difference to the county’s bid to recycle more.

Going to waste

Paper is a widely recyclable product, which can be turned into packaging, stationary, loo roll, tissues, insulation, cardboard and a host of other things. And yet, in Nottinghamshire alone the equivalent of around 15 million newspapers are thrown away in the general waste bin every year, and miss the chance to become something useful.

Nottinghamshire County Council shared some of the startling findings with us.

What happens when we recycle?

In Nottinghamshire once items are placed in your recycling bin at home, they are collected and sent for sorting at the Materials Recovery Facility in Mansfield. From here they are sent on to reprocessors to be made into new items and start their journey again. The items that are not recyclable – like nappies, polystyrene and greasy pizza boxes for example – are mainly sent for energy recovery which provides heat to local district heating systems.

Very little of the waste collected from households goes into landfill, last year it was just over one per cent.

Rescue that recycling

That’s good news, but it would be even better if more recyclable items were sent to Mansfield so the council can recycle as much as possible, helping to save precious natural resources. The research which studied household waste from all seven districts, was carried out in March, and showed there are still items being found in the wrong bin.

That’s why it is calling on Nottinghamshire households to help them rescue these lost recyclables from the general waste bin.

Depending on where you live in Nottinghamshire, glass bottles and jars are either collected by separate kerbside collections or can be taken to bottle banks and household recycling centres.

How do I know if it’s recyclable?

There’s an online checker on the Nottinghamshire County Council website which can quickly identify your item and tell you if it’s recyclable in Nottinghamshire or not, so if in doubt, check it out. The Recycling Checker is also available in the MyNotts app.

All you need to do is enter the item you want to recycle and your postcode and it will tell you which bin to use at home or if you need to take it to a recycling centre.