What happens to your rubbish and recycling

Food waste

Food waste is taken to Scottish Water Horizons Deerdykes Anaerobic Digestion facility in Cumbernauld. Through a combination of anaerobic digestion and in-vessel composting it is turned into liquid fertiliser and compost and creates biogas that is converted into energy.

Watch our food waste recycling video.

Garden Waste

We take this waste to a composting facility owned by Forth Resource Management (FRM) at Braehead, Edinburgh. The waste is shredded, put into large piles called windrows and allowed to compost. We use the end product as a soil improver which can be bought by members of the public.

Watch our garden waste recycling video.

Red and blue boxes

The kerbside collection scheme is operated by one of our recycling partners, Palm Recycling. Recycling collected from the kerbside is sorted by hand into compartments on the collection vehicle for glass, tins, paper and textiles. The material is then taken to a transfer station to be stored until it is taken to various re-processors:

 

Paper collected from your blue bag is taken to a paper mill at Kings Lynn in Norfolk where it is processed back in to newsprint.

 

Mixed tins and cans are taken to a Palm Recycling transfer station in Middlesbrough for sorting. Aluminium cans are sent to Novelis in Warrington and steel cans are sent to Sims Metal Management where they are recycled back into new tins and cans.

 

Glass is stored in separate containers for clear, green and amber glass before it is taken to a facility operated by Berryman Glass where it is reprocessed and made into new glass jars and bottles.

 

Cardboard is segregated via a Material Recycling Facility (MRF) at Teesside and then taken to Severnside (Part of DS Smith Group)

 

Textiles are collected for I & G who recycle and donate them to various charities including the national Blind Children's Association, The World Cancer Research Fund and Christie Manchester Hospital and have donated over £1million since being in business.

 

Household batteries that are collected will be taken to G&P Batteries Ltd in Darlaston.  Components of the batteries are extracted and recycled in the steel industry and other industrial applications.

 

Plastic bottles are segregated via a Material Recycling Facility (MRF) at Teesside and then taken to Eco-Plastics in Lincolnshire.

Watch our red and blue box recycling video.

 

Paper collected from the paper points is also taken to a transfer station and from there it is sent to a paper mill in Kings Lynn, Norfolk where it is reprocessed and made into newsprint.   

 

The 7 different types of things collected from packaging points are taken to a recycling sorting centre owned by Shanks who sort the recycling and send it on to be processed.

Watch our paper, packaging and glass recycling points video.