In Southend-on-Sea we want to make sure at least 50% of your waste is recycled.
To do this, it’s really important to remember to put anything that can be recycled into your pink sacks or blue box (click here for a guide to what goes where) and anything that’s food waste into your blue bin and not in black sacks. Remember we can collect your textiles or small electrical items at the kerbside too!
Black sack waste is only to be used for anything the recycling containers cannot accept as this waste is not recycled.
How can you increase recycling in Southend?
Recycling is just one way to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill sites. You can also reduce the amount of waste you produce by reusing items around your home. Before you throw an item away why not see if you could reuse it or repair it?
To make a real difference to our environment we work on the waste principles set out by WRAP.
The unusual suspects
Veolia, together with Southend-on- Sea City Council are asking residents to help identify a few ‘Unusual Suspects’! The City currently recycles around 43% of its waste, but the Council and its recycling and waste partner want to point out a few more items that residents may not think they can recycle. Find more information by visiting this page.
What happens to my recycling?
Pink sacks are taken to a Materials Recycling Facility where they are split and sorted into their different types. These are then sent on to different reprocessors where they are made into new things.
Paper and card is taken to a reprocessor to be recycled into more paper and card!
Your food waste is taken to a compost site or an anaerobic digester. Anaerobic digestion is a form of biological treatment which digests food waste in a biological reactor.
Have a look here to see how we recycle food waste.
We also compost garden waste at Pitsea. Residents can sign up to the garden waste collection scheme here. When fully composted the material is bagged as Pro-Grow. This peat free product can be purchased online, or at one of the two Household Waste and Recycling Centres in the Borough!
Have you ever thought about home composting? This is a great way to help the environment! Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Composting at home reduces the need to transport your waste by carbon emitting lorries, and you can use the compost you make on your own garden! For more information please click here.
Recycling is just one way of reducing residual waste. Reducing the amount of waste produced can really help, and also save you money! Take a look at some hints and tips here.
