Recycling rules are a lot like navigating public transport on a hangover – confusing, frustrating, and a little bit overwhelming. 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 Tameside Metropolitan Council:
Here’s what you CAN put into your recycling bins:
Black bin:
- • Aerosol cans
- • Plastic bottles
- • Rinsed glass bottles and jars
- • Aluminium foil
- • Rinsed cans and tins
Blue bin:
- • Rinsed drink cartons
- • Newspaper
- • Paper
- • Cardboard
- • Junk mail
Brown bin:
- • Plants, leaves and small twigs
- • Grass cuttings
- • Compostable bags
- • Cooked and uncooked food
As well, your council has a few extra rules to keep in mind when sorting out your waste.
Your council cannot recycle plastic bags, yogurt pots, or plastic food trays at this time. So instead, just pop them into your green bin.
If you need more compostable caddy liners, tie a liner or bag around the handle of your brown bin, and they’ll get you a new roll. It’s almost like sending a secret message!
For more of Tameside Metropolitan’s recycling details, just follow the link here.
Where does it all go?
In Tameside, your paper and card are taken to a facility where it’s sorted and graded (but not into Hogwarts houses). It’s then transported to a reprocessing facility that recycles it into new products. According to Recycle for Greater Manchester, these new products are then sold – with 51% of recycled paper and card sold to UK markets and 7% sold to EU markets. The rest went to other world markets outside of the EU.
Tameside’s mixed recycling is taken to a Materials Recovery Facility in Manchester. There, your plastic bottles, tins, glass jars, and drink cans are all separated. It’s then all put together and ready for the recycling process. 66% of recycled plastic bottles are then sold to UK markets, and 33% are sold to EU markets. 100% of your glass bottles, jars, aerosol cans, food cans, drink cans, and foil were then sold to UK markets (Recycle for Greater Manchester).
All your food and garden waste is taken to an in-vessel composting facility in the UK. What’s that? It’s basically one huge compost that can break down everything in just six weeks. The compost is then used in the UK as a soil improver.
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 waste. 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 16th March 2022.
