Please use your blue bag to recycle the following items/materials 

All the below items/materials can be put into your blue bag. Although the list is not exclusive, we can only accept materials that the recycling facility is capable of sorting so please use this list to guide you.

IMPORTANT: All the recyclables in the blue bag should be put in loose or in envelopes or paper bages, not in plastic bags.  Any blue bags found to contain bagged waste will be rejected and not emptied. 

What can I recycle? 

Paper and cardboard, for example: 

• Catalogues
• Cereal boxes
• Corrugated cardboard  
• Envelopes
• Greeting cards
• Junk mail
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Phone directories (including the Yellow Pages)   
• Tissue boxes
• Toilet roll tubes
• Writing paper 

IMPORTANT: Please do not put milk/fruit juice cartons (Tetra Pak) in the bag with the paper and card. These are made of a mixed material of wax, made from paper and foil and cannot be recycled with paper and card. If any cartons are put into the bag, the bag will not be emptied.

Guidelines for the collection of the Blue Bag

1. Blue bags are put out with your blue bin, they need to be put out by 7.00am on collection day. If you have room you can put your bag in the top of your bin.
2. Seperate cardboard will be collected from next to the bag, if broken down to a similar size of the blue bag.  If you need additional recycling capacity please contact waste and recycling services on: 01543 462621 or email: wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk
3. Recyclables should not be put into bags as this will not be collected.
4. Bins and bags that have unaccepted items/materials will be tagged and left until the next collection, where the contamination should have been removed.  For help and advice if this happens please contact the waste and recycling services on: 01543 462621 email wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

5. Missed collections should be reported with 24 hours (by the end of the next working day)

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   To report a missed bag collection, lost or damaged bag you can report it online 24/7, telephone 01543 462621 or email: wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

All the below items/materials can be put into your blue recycling bin. We can only accept materials that the recycling facility is capable of sorting so please use this list to guide you.

IMPORTANT: All the recyclables in the blue bins should be put in loose, not in bags.  Carrier bags cannot currently be recycled at our facility, please take your unwanted carrier bags to your local supermarket carrier bag recycling bins.  Blue bins containing bagged waste will not be emptied. The bin will be emptied on the next scheduled collection if the recycling in loose.

Glass 

• Mixed glass bottles and jars - any colour (we can't take window panes, glass cookware/pyrex, glasses, broken glasses, light bulbs etc) 

Metal 

• Aerosols
• Foil
• Food tins Steel and aluminium food and drink cans

Plastics and packaging, for example: 

• Detergent bottles
• Drinks bottles and tops
• Food trays
• Ice cream tubs
• Margarine tubs
• Plastic milk bottles
• Shampoo bottles
• Yoghurt pots

Please ensure that all recyclables are clean and free from food contamination and are put in the blue bin LOOSE.

For information on how your recycling is sorted visit: What happens to my recycling after collection

Guidelines for the collection of the blue bin

1. Your blu bin should be placed at the rear of the footpath, by 7.00am on your collection day.
2. Additional recycling placed by the side of the blue bin WILL NOT be collected. If you feel you need additional recycling capacity (larger blue bin) please contact waste/recycling services on: 01543 462621 or email: wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk
3. Recyclables should not be put into bags, they should be put loose.
4. Bins that are contaminated with unrecyclable items will be tagged and not emptied.  The bin will be emptied on the next scheduled collection if the contamination is removed.  For help and advice if this happens please contact the waste/recycling services on: 01543 462621 email wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

5. Missed collections should be reported with 24 hours (by the end of the next working day)

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   To report a missed bin collection, lost or damaged bin you can report it online 24/7, telephone 01543 462621 or email: wasterservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

Organic Garden Waste (Brown Bin)

Your brown bin is for the collection of compostable garden waste.

Please put all your garden waste into the brown bin loose, not in bags.

It is very important that the correct materials are put into the garden waste bin, as contamination could result in the whole load being spoilt and rejected resulting in the material not being composted.

If your bin contains unaccepted items, the bin will be tagged and not emptied. We will empty the bin on your next collection day only IF the unaccepted items have been removed. 

Please see the below list of acceptable and non-acceptable materials.

What you should put in the brown bin

• Grass cuttings / Clippings
• Leaves
• Hedge and Plant Clippings / Trimmings
• Tree Pruning’s, Bark, Twigs and Small Branches
• Shrub Trimmings
• Weeds and Cut Flowers, (excluding any noxious weeds, such as Japanese Knotweed, Rhododendron, Yew, Ragwort or Hemlock)
• Chipped Bark
• Real Christmas trees (broken up)

What you should NOT put in the brown bin

• •    Japanese Knotweed and other invasive plants
  •    Diseased plants
  •    Animal bedding or animal faeces 
  •    Turf
  •    Mulch
  •    Timber
  •    Plastic liners/plastic bags/biodegradable/compostable bags
  •    Rubble, soil or bricks
  •    Tea Bags & Coffee Grounds
  •    Any food waste - such as leftovers, meat and bones, veg or peelings, dairy products and bakery products.
  •    Pond Weeds and residues
  •    Nappies and sanitary products
  •    General or household waste
  •    Furniture/garden furniture
  •    Plastic, glass or metal

Guidelines for the collection of brown bin

1. Bins are to be placed out, at the rear of the footway, by 7.00am on the collection day. Wheelie bins will be returned to the rear of the footway.
2. Only the contents of the brown bin will be collected. Do not leave any refuse in bags at the side of the bin as they will not be collected and may be classed as flytipping
3. Please ensure bin lids are closed or they will not be emptied.
4. Do not use compostable/plastic bags.
5. Overweight bins can not be emptied. The bin lifts have a maximum lifting weight of 96kg.
6. Red tags will be left on bins explaining why they have not been empyied, residents must take out the contaminants.  The bin will then be emptied on the next brown bin day.
7. Missed collections should be reported with 24 hours (by the end of the next working day)

To report a missed bin collection, lost or damaged bin you can report it online 24/7, telephone 01543 462621 or email: wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

Green Bins (household waste)

Every household is provided with a green bin for non-hazardous household waste.

What you should put in the green bin

• General or household waste
• Polystyrene
• Waxed Food/juice cartons (Tetra Pak)
• Waxed paper (ie off loaves of bread)
• Cold ashes from a coal fire or wood burner
• Pet litter and bagged pet faeces
• Tissues and wipes
• Pet faeces (should be wrapped in newspaper or bag to prevent smells)
• Generally any items not currently allowed in the blue/brown bins
• Sanitary products (incontinence products may need double bagging in hot weather to prevent smells)
• Crisp packets and other plastic/foil packets
• Nappies and hygiene products
• Hard plastics (i.e plastic buckets or toys)
• Thermos flasks
• Glass cookware (pyrex), glazing (windows) and from picture frames
• Chinaware/pottery

What you should NOT put in the green bin. (They can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre (Tip))

• Paint and oils
• Hazardous waste and chemicals
• Gas bottles
• Small household electrial appliances
• Batteries or vapes (Supermarkets and vape shops have a duty to take these back).

• Fluorescent tubes

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  Guidelines for collection of the green bin

• Bins are to be placed out, at the rear of the footpath, by 7.00am on the collection day. 
• Please ensure bin lids are closed or they will not be emptied.
• Do not leave any excess waste at the side of the bin, as this will not be collected and may be classed as flytipping.
• Overweight bins will not be emptied. The bin lifts have a maximum lifting weight of 96kg.
• Tags will be left on bins explaining why refuse has not been taken
• Households with 6 or more permanent residents or those with medical issues may be entitled to a larger bin in replacement of their normal bin. 
• Missed collections should be reported with 24 hours (by the end of the next working day)

To report a missed bin collection, lost or damaged bin you can report it online 24/7, telephone 01543 462621 or email: wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

What you should put in the grey caddy

• Fruit and vegetables - including peelings.
• Fish, meat and bones.
• Tea bags and coffee grounds.
• Eggshells and dairy products.
• Bread, cakes and pastries.
• Leftovers and plate scrapings.
• Out of date and mouldy food (no containers or packaging).

What you should NOT put in the grey caddy

• Liquids, oils or fats (once solidifield oil can be disposed of in the green bin).
• Garden waste
• Animal bedding, litter or faeces.
• Food packaging.
• Non-food waste.

Guidelines for collection of the grey caddy

1. The caddy needs to be placed at the collection point by 7:00am on your collection day.
2. Please ensure that bin lids are closed or they will not be emptied.  Closing the lid will also help keep smells to a minimum.
3. Missed collections should be reported within 24 hours (by the end of the next working day).
4. When you need more liners, tie the yellow re-order tag (about 5 liners from the end of the roll) on the handle of the kerbside caddy on your collection day and a new roll will be left.
5. Any plastic or carrier bag can be used as a liner.

For more information on the food waste service click here: www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/foodwaste

To report a missed bin collection, lost or damaged bin you can report it online 24/7, telephone 01543 462621 or email: wasteservices@cannockchasedc.gov.uk

Below are some common asked questions in regards to the waste and recycling collection service.

Why are we stopping residents from disposing of food waste with their garden waste?

There are a number of reasons, in brief they are:

• Expensive considering the amounts of food waste being disposed of.
• Not widely used by all residents
• Only one local disposal point
• General waste is now used to create energy (see below)
• Not uncommon across Staffordshire
• Increasing financial pressure on Councils
• Saving will help to protect and develop other services

Yes, Lichfield, Tamworth, South Staffordshire and Stafford Borough Councils all collect their residents food waste with their general waste and do not compost it.

We are not; since Oct 2013 general waste from across Staffordshire, including our Councils, has been disposed of by incineration at a plant in Staffordshire and used to create energy

We try to reuse, recycle or recover as much as we can from the waste our residents create.

Cannock Chase Council along with most other Councils across Staffordshire is in the top 25% of Councils across England for its recycling performance.

It doesn’t, the last large scale improvement of the waste service came in 2010 with the introduction of wheeled bins for dry recycling.

On average the Council disposes of around 9,000 Tonnes per year.

The Council estimates that only between 10-12% of its total garden and food collection is made up of food waste.

It costs over double the amount to dispose of mixed garden and food waste than garden waste alone per tonne.

Because of animal by-products mixed garden and food waste has to be disposed of in a much more controlled environment at controlled temperatures and cannot be initially allowed to rot away naturally as garden waste alone can.

Food waste could be disposed of by using the general (green) bin or garden and food (brown) bin in the past. But now due to the cost and the low amounts of food waste being disposed of the Council cannot justify the expense of disposing of mixed garden and food waste.

Maggots and flies can be kept to a minimum by wrapping food waste in waste /news paper or small waste bags such as pedal bin liners.

Yes you can, the Council’s website has some hints and tips on home composting and the Council may even provide you with a free composter.

Bins that are contaminated cannot be recycled. If they are added to a recycling load the whole load of between 8-10 Tonnes of good recycling may be rejected at the disposal point. It may also have to be sent to landfill as at that point it is no longer classed as domestic but commercial waste.

If a resident gets it wrong their bin will be tagged and will be left un-emptied. They will be required to remove the contamination before the bin will be emptied on the next collection day.

While the provision of a general waste collection is a statutory requirement, the provision of dry recycling and garden waste collections are not and therefore can be removed by the Council if it considers a resident is not using them correctly.

Yes, Under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 the Council has the power to decide the type of service provision it provides and specify how it should be used by residents.

The Council uses a number of methods to help its residents identify what items go into what bin including:

• Council Website
• ‘Which Bin’ website widget
• Annual waste and recycling calendars
• Leaflets

In no particular order they are:

1. Nappies
2. Animal Bedding
3. Textiles
4. DIY Materials (including paint tins and paint)
5. Waste electrical goods in the bin.

Unfortunately, the Councils materials recycling facility can not take clothing, textiles or shoes. They require a different process to be sorted and can become contaminated by other recycling if mixed; making them un-reusable. Clothing, textiles and shoes can however all be recycled (along with other products such as small waste electrical and electronic goods) at your Local Recycling Centres at many supermarkets and carparks across the district or at the Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRC’s) in Cannock or Rugeley.

The household waste and recycling centres are operated by Staffordshire County Council.  Locations and details can be found by clicking on the following link HWRC webpage