Recycling rules are a lot like a cricket test match – confusing, frustrating, and they never seem to end. But we’re here to change that! We’ve laid out what you can and can’t recycle, as well as some general bin rules that may have been lost in translation.  

According to High Peak Borough Council: 

Here’s what you CAN put into your recycling bins: 

Here’s what CANNOT go into your recycling bins: 

Brown bin: 

• Black plastic bottles, pots, tubs or trays 
• Plastic bags or film 
• Food waste or liquid – containers should be empty and rinsed clean 
• Polystyrene trays or packaging 
• Plastic toys or coat hangers 
• Electrical items 
• Photographs 
• Wrapping paper and cards made from foil or contain glitter or plastic 

Green lidded bin: 

• Plastic bags 
• Glass, metal, plastic, paper or cardboard 
• Cat and dog litter and faeces 
• Soil, stones or rubble 
• Himalayan Balsam 

Red textile sack: 

• Dirty or wet clothing 
• Duvets, pillows or cushions 

As well, your council has a few extra notes to keep in mind when sorting out your waste.  

Some of your collection vehicles no longer have cages to collect red bags. If your red bag can’t be collected on your scheduled bin day, the crew will notify their supervisor, and they will come back the following day to collect it.  

If you don’t want to buy compostable bags, that’s no problem! Food and garden waste can go directly into the green lidded bin without any liner.   

If you do want to use compostable bags, and need more of them, you can find them at most local supermarkets. But make sure your bag truly is compostable, and not a sneaky biodegradable plastic bag in disguise. Compostable bags will have the EN13432 code and compostable seed logo.  

For more of High Peak Borough Council’s recycling details, just follow the link here. 

Where does it all go? 

All your recycling is collected by AES, on behalf of High Peak Borough Council and taken to a depot in Buxton. Then, depending on what material it is, your recycling is taken to a different place.  

Paper or card 

Your paper and card are taken to be sorted in Shotton (but not into Hogwarts houses). Newspapers and magazines are taken to a recycling plant in Deeside, which turns them back into newspaper for the print industry. Any other paper is sent to Manchester to be recycled and used for packaging. 

Glass 

Your glass is loaded onto lorries (say that 5x fast) and taken to a depot in Ellesmere Port. There, it is washed and sorted to remove items such as paper labels or other materials accidentally mixed in – which is why it’s so important to put waste in its correct bin. The glass is sorted by colour and taken to be remelted and turned into shiny new glass bottles – how cool? 

Cans and aerosols 

Your cans and aerosols are taken to be sorted in Shotton. Steel cans are then taken to a recycling plant in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, to be made into new steel products. Aluminium cans are taken to a recycling plant in Warrington, Cheshire, to be turned into new drink cans. Who knows, you could be drinking out of a can you used months ago! 

Plastic 

Your plastic is taken to be sorted in Shotton. It is then cleaned and sorted by plastic type and colour, then it’s shredded, melted, and re-formed into pellets to make new plastic products. Plastic bottles are taken to a recycling plant in Newport and Corby to be turned into plastic piping and packaging. Mixed plastics are taken to Rochester and turned into bottles, food packaging, and agricultural piping. 

Textiles 

Your old clothing is taken to a warehouse in Bilston where it is sorted and assessed by quality. Good quality clothes are sold for reuse, and poor-quality clothes are sent away to be made into industrial rags and insulation. So always make sure to recycle everything from your good band t-shirt to your holey socks! 

Food and garden waste 

Your food and garden waste stays at the facility in Buxton and is turned into compost using a process called in-vessel composting. What’s in-vessel composting? Basically, it’s a massive compost bin that turns your food and garden waste into compost in as little as 6 to 8 weeks. The compost is then checked for quality and sold as a soil improver in farming and land reclamation. 

If you’d like to learn more about where your recycling goes, just follow the link here. 

We hope this helps uncomplicate your local recycling rules and makes it easier to sort through your paper and tins. We know recycling isn’t the answer to the waste crisis, but it’s a step in the right direction. Happy recycling! 

This information is up to date as of 16^th March 2022.