Not in your blue bin

Our residents do a great job at recycling, but all that hard work could be wasted if the wrong items are put in the blue bins.

This could spoil a whole lorry load of recycling, be dangerous and unpleasant for people who sort it, and waste taxpayers’ money.

Here's a guide to what items you shouldn't put in your blue wheelie bin at home, and what you should do with them instead.

Please make sure that all recycling is loose (not in bags), and clean - rinsing food containers/jars in your used washing up water should do.

Not in your bin:

None of these items can be recycled through your blue bin, so please put them in your black wheelie bin or take to the household waste recycling centre.

• plastic film such as bubble wrap, magazine wrapping, lids from food trays
• crisp and biscuit packets, sweet wrappers
• polystyrene such as packaging, takeaway food trays
• foil pouches such as pet food, coffee
• Pringle tubs with the metal bottoms
• wallpaper
• nappies and general waste

Please don't put these types of glass in your blue bin:

Pyrex and drinking glasses, microwave plates, window glass - none of this glass waste can be recycled, so please put it into your black wheelie bin or take it to the household waste recycling centre.

Light bulbs - unbroken light bulbs and fluorescent tubes can be recycled at the household waste recycling centre. Broken light bulbs should be wrapped carefully and put into your black wheelie bin.

Full glass jars, bottles and other food containers - please empty out all food/liquids, rinse, and remove lids before recycling.

The following items can be recycled, but not in your blue bin:

Plastic bags - many supermarkets are offering soft plastic recycling in-store.

Food waste - this can go into your green wheelie bin if you subscribe to our garden waste service.

Hard plastics such as coat hangers, buckets, toys - these can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre; some supermarkets may recycle coat hangers, check in store. Remember that most plastic bottles, pots and containers can go into your blue bin.

Metal items such as pans, baking trays - these can be recycled at the Household Waste Recycling Centre which accepts a wide range of metal items.

Textiles such as clothes, bedding - good quality, clean items can be donated to local charity shops, animal rescue centres or placed in textile banks; some accept poorer quality items as long as they are clean as they can be recycled into other products. Textiles can also be recycled at the household waste recycling centre. Wet and dirty items, if they can't be cleaned, should be disposed of in your black wheelie bin.

 Find out what you CAN put in your blue bin.

You can find out more about reducing, reusing or recycling your waste in the Derbyshire County Council A to Z of recycling.