View this email in your browser

31 July 2024

Welcome to the July edition of Recycling: Let’s Sort It News, your waste and recycling newsletter from Wiltshire Council.

In the newsletter this month:

• Recycling tip of the month
• Plastic free July
• Climate and Environment Summer Showcase – 7 August
• Missed bin collection
• Items to keep out of your household waste bin
• Monthly myth buster
• Group-buy discounted solar panels
• A beginner’s guide to composting
• Think before you shop

Keep up to date with rubbish and recycling by visiting our website Welcome to Wiltshire Council - Wiltshire Council.

Recycling tip of the month

BBQ and recycle too. Simply recycle your aluminium drink cans, clean foil trays, wrapping foil and screw caps when the fun’s over! Small recyclables can get lost during the recycling process, so make sure to scrunch foil together so that is bigger than a tennis ball.

Plastic free July

To mark the end of Plastic Free July we have put together some tips to help you reduce your plastic waste.

• Where you can, swap single-use plastic bottles for reusable ones. This saves the need to use raw materials to create new plastic bottles, and saves the energy needed to recycle them.
• If we all stopped using single-use plastic bags and used sustainable reusable bags instead, we could save 9,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year.
• Did you know liquid soap uses around 20 times more packaging on average than solid soap? Make a big difference by simply swapping to solid soap

Climate and Environment Summer Showcase - 7 August

Drop in to our Climate and Environment Summer Showcase event to ask an expert and gain ideas from a number of climate and environment-themed projects and organisations.

Our Climate and Environment Summer Showcase event takes place on 7 August, 11am – 3pm at County Hall in Trowbridge, and includes:

• Energy saving tips and advice
• Home Upgrade Grant – support for eligible off-gas households
• Advice on how to keep homes warm, healthy and safe
• Solar Together – group buying solar technology scheme
• Consumer protection advice
• Find out how you can get a subsidised hot composter
• Waste and recycling information
• Septic tank replacement rollout details
• Fun family activities

Missed bin collection

If your bin collection has been missed, please report it within two working days using the online form.

Before reporting a missed collection make sure your bin, bag or box was presented on your collection day by 7am. For our own records, our crew may take photos if your bin is not presented.

Items to keep out of your household waste bin

The most common items incorrectly placed in blue-lidded bins in Wiltshire are:

• Carrier bags and bin bags - put these in the general waste bin for energy recovery.
• Hard plastics , such as toys and plant pots - take these to a household recycling centre for recycling; or put in the general waste bin for energy recovery.
• Scrap metals - take these to a household recycling centre for recycling.
• Nappies - put these in the general waste bin for energy recovery.
• Remember most of the general waste we collect from households does not go to landfill and instead is sent to waste treatment facilities for energy recovery. Unfortunately contaminated material found in recycling bins goes to landfill. Therefore, putting items that are not suitable for recycling in the general waste bin still has an environmental benefit.

Monthly myth buster

Myth –the recycling symbol found on packaging labels tells me how to recycle the item.

Fact –Not quite, these labels are based on what most local authorities collect, or do not collect, as collections can differ between local authorities, the label is not always 100% accurate. The best way to check if you can recycle something is by checking our website.

Group-buy discounted solar panels

Following the success of the previous schemes in 2022 and 2023, we’ve launched a third solar together scheme with Swindon Borough Council and independent group-buying experts, iChoosr.

Solar Together is a group buying initiative where residents and businesses can club together to get the best prices for solar panels and installation as well as battery storage and EV chargers from trusted providers.

The process is straightforward with dedicated support throughout, and residents and businesses can expect to make a 10-25% average saving against the market average.

The previous schemes have delivered 1,110 installations, totalling more than 10,660 solar panels and resulting in over £11 million invested by residents into the green economy. All of the schemes combined are also estimated to lead to a reduction of 22,000 tonnes of CO2 over the 25-year guaranteed lifetime of the solar panels installed.

The scheme is a great opportunity to reach the climate targets for the county and for residents to save money on their energy bills, and even sell excess energy back to the national grid.

You can register your interest with no obligation to accept the deal that is offered to you.

A beginner's guide to composting

Composting is nature's way of recycling. Millions of tiny bugs break down the things we put into our compost bins and turn it into compost. It can then be used in your garden to improve the condition of your soil.

Here is how to get started:

• Make your own compost heap at home – this is an easy and eco-friendly process which can help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. For instructions on how to do this, visit the Garden Organic website here.
• Purchase a subsidised food waste composter - We have teamed up with Great Green Systems to offer Wiltshire residents subsidised food waste composters, called a Green Johanna. Find out more here.

Think before you shop

Before you visit the shop, take a moment to think about what you need.

• Check your fridge -move the older food to the front of the shelf and make some space for the food you will be buying. Make sure to update your shopping list.
• Who’s in & and Who’s out? -sense-check your meal plan and update the meals if the plans have changed.
• What do you actually need? -check the fridge, freezer and cupboards just before you leave for the shop.
• Quick shopping list -forgotten to write a list? Simply take a shelfie of your fridge to remind you what food you have at home.