What happens to your waste and recycling?

By recycling you are helping to protect the environment for future generations. We are proud to be one of the best communities in the country at recycling.

Blue bin recycling

Our recycling goes to Biffa in Aldridge, as seen in the video above, where it is then sent on to further locations for sorting and processing, which is detailed below:

Tins and cans

Food tins are melted down to make new steel items: car parts, fridges, or even parts of bridges!

Drinks cans are crushed, melted and made into ingots and sent to can makers. New drinks cans are in the shops again in only six weeks.

Glass bottles and jars

Glass bottles and jars are washed, crushed, melted and moulded into new glass bottles.

Some recycled glass is ground down and used to make roads.

Plastics

Plastic bottles are cut into flakes, washed, dried and made into new products, such as signposts, garden furniture and wheelie bins!

Paper and card

Paper is sent to a paper mill, pulped down and turned into new paper. Your newspaper could be back on the news-stand in as little as two weeks.

Cardboard is flattened and folded and recycled to make new packaging, such as cereal boxes and washing powder boxes.

Recycle paper and card today:

  • It uses less energy and water than producing it from new.
  • Paper and card breaks down slowly in landfill sites and produces harmful methane gas.
  • To produce paper, trees are felled and valuable wildlife habitats are lost.

Garden waste

Your garden waste goes to an outdoor composting facility (Greener Composting, Wall) and is used on local farms.

Black bin waste

All waste from your black bin is sent to a plant (Energy from Waste plan, Four Ashes) where it is converted into energy. It does not go to a landfill site where it can take years to decompose. By disposing of waste in this way, the contents of black bins across Staffordshire could generate 23 megawatts of energy - enough to power 30,000 homes for a year.