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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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