Recycling FAQ's
What goes into my kerbside ‘dry’ recycling collection container?
Paper - any ‘clean’ paper: newspaper, envelopes, junk mail, pamphlets, wrapping paper (not foil), scrap paper, magazines, directories (including yellow pages), brochures, catalogues, shredded confidential papers (please bunch up, put in a paper envelope or wrap it in newspaper, we prefer the rest of your paper whole), computer printout paper. No what we call ‘play school paper covered in paint/glitter/material please.
Card - greetings cards, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, sleeves from ready meals. Corrugated cardboard torn or cut into A4 size pieces (the size of a magazine, regular cereal box or letter). No takeaway pizza boxes or any other box which might have food on it please.
Cans - any food or drink cans, rinsed and squashed if you can (this is only to make more space in your recycling container and to keep lids inside).
Plastic bottles - anything bottle shaped e.g. milk, shampoo, detergent, water, pop. Rinse, squash and put the lids back on. No other plastics even if they have the recycling symbol/number on them.
Why can’t I put other plastics (yoghurt pots/food trays/plastic bags/tetra pak) in the kerbside dry recycling collection?
Although all of these items can be recycled the markets for them are not very well developed in the UK. Once we find a reprocessor who can take these materials from us we will add them to the recycling collection scheme.
Why can’t I put glass bottles and jars in the kerbside recycling collection?
The recyclables are all hand sorted at the MRF in Elstow and broken glass would obviously cause a health and safety problem. It would also contaminate other materials with tiny fragments of glass. Kerbside glass recycling boxes are being trailed in some areas of South Beds. You can take glass bottles and jars to your nearest HWRC or local recycling site.
Why don’t we have a separate kerbside glass collection then?
Trials for kerbside glass are currently taking place in some areas of South Beds where glass is collected in boxes on an alternate week basis. There are several issues which need to be overcome before kerbside glass can be introduced, mainly health and safety and the cost of new vehicles and crews.
What is the MRF (pronounced MuRF)?
The Materials Recycling Facility is a sorting facility based at Elstow on the A6 south of Bedford where the recycling is taken for sorting.
What happens to my recycling?
They are taken to the MRF at Elstow, they go through a bag splitter, along a conveyor belt and are hand sorted into the different materials. They are then baled and sent on to reprocessors who are specialists in recycling waste materials in to new items.
What goes into my kerbside garden waste collection container?
Plants- grass cuttings, weeds, flowers, leaves, dead plants, vase plants .
Woody stuff- twigs, hedge trimmings, small sectioned branches and bark.
NO food waste, vegetable peelings, soil or gravel, bags or wrapping, other garden waste like plant pots or seed trays.
Can I put vegetable peelings/food waste in my garden waste recycling collection?
No. The sites we use for composting are not licensed to take vegetable peelings and the process is also not suitable for handling other food waste. Also there is new legislation in place since foot and mouth. The County Council have trialled the separate collection for food waste in some areas of Mid Beds in Conjunction with Mid Bedfordshire District Council.
What happens to my garden waste?
It is taken to one of three on-farm compost sites in Bedfordshire. It is shredded and stored in windrows (long toblerone shaped piles). The temperature, water and oxygen content are monitored and the material turned regularly. After about 12 weeks the material has decomposed and the resulting compost is used as a soil conditioner on the farms to reduce the need for chemical fertilizer.
Can I buy the compost made from my garden waste?
Not yet, we are awaiting permissions and quality checks. We will eventually be selling it at subsidised rates from all HWRCs. In the meantime compost from garden waste collected in other areas is available at all HWRC’s at £3/ bag or 2 for £5.
I live in a flat, can I still have a kerbside collection?
Your local council should be able to organise a collection depending on the space you have available for communal bins. Call your local council to express an interest.
I’ve heard that in other areas they have bins for recycling, why can’t we have them instead of orange bags?
Each district has made their own decisions on the containers they use. You can order a bin to replace your orange bags by calling your local council.
I’ve heard that in other areas they have bins for garden waste, why can’t we have them instead of biodegradable bags/polypropylene bags?
Each district has made their own decisions on the containers they use. In Bedford Borough and South Beds District Council you can have a green lidded bin to replace your biodegradable bags. Call your local council to place an order.
Do I need a permit to use the HWRCs?
It depends on the type of waste and the vehicle you are using. A permit is only needed for DIY waste or if you are using anything other than a car e.g. van, pick-up, or large trailer. See Household Waste Recycling Centres for further information or call (01234) 276386.
I’ve heard you do visits with an exhibition trailer/ and visits to the MRF?
Yes, we have recycling exhibition trailer which visits schools to teach children about recycling using interactive games. It also goes to events over the summer like carnivals, fetes and country fayres to give advice to the general public.
We also run educational visits to the MRF for school groups (throughout the year) and the general public during open days (run twice a year).
Call (01234) 228385 for further details.
Is it definitely all recycled? I’ve seen bags going into the back of the normal refuse vehicle?
When the scheme first started in 1998 orange ‘survival’ bags were collected with the rest of the waste in the normal refuse vehicles and then picked out at the Materials Recycling Facility at Elstow. Now all recyclables are collected separately so that shouldn’t happen anymore.
Where do the recyclables go after they are sorted?
Our contractors Shanks set up contacts with reprocessors and merchants to collect the material. Each time the material changes hands official paperwork is completed so that we know that ultimately the material has been recycled.
Real nappies, better for the environment?
A report from the EA indicated that there is no environmental benefit using real nappies versus disposables. However the report did not include the manufacturing and disposal of the nappies, only the day to day usage of them. The EA have since withdrawn the report and the County Council are backing their use with a £25 cash back incentive scheme.
Some people have a brown bin for food waste collections… can I have one?
The food waste collections have been trialled for a year in 6,000 homes in selected areas of Sandy, Potton, Cranfield, Shefford and Flitwick. Due to the success of the trials the food waste collection scheme is being rolled out across Mid Beds this year. For more information about the food waste trial, read our case study| or call Mid Beds District Council| (new window) on 08452 304040.