We can collect the following materials in our clear recycling sacks:

> Newspapers, magazines & catalogues including telephone directories and Yellow Pages.

> Paper, junk mail & envelopes.

> Cardboard boxes, cardboard food packaging such as cereal boxes, clean pizza boxes, toilet roll & kitchen roll tubes etc.

> Food & drink cans and aerosol cans

> Plastic bottles & plastic packaging

> Yoghurt pots, margarine tubs & ice cream tubs

> Plastic food trays, fruit & vegetable punnets and ready meal trays (but NOT the polystyrene ones)

> Empty plastic carrier bags

Please make sure items for recycling are clean and free of food traces as any contamination could result in our recycling loads being rejected by the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF).

Need more recycling sacks?  Collect more sacks free of charge from your local Library, the Council Office at Causeway House, Braintree or call 0800 074 8243 and we'll deliver them to you within 10 working days.

What happens to our recycling?

Your clear sacks of recycling are collected by our recycling crews and brought back to our depot in Lakes Road, Braintree.  There they are bulked up for transport to a commercial Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) for sorting before being sent for reprocessing.

Recycling Labels

Residents often ask us about the symbols they see on packaging and other items as they can be confusing.

Please note that the presence of what appears to be a recycling symbol does not necessarily mean that the product or material can be recycled by our kerbside collection scheme or in our recycling banks.

For up-to-date information on the new packaging symbols and other recycling symbols and their meaning please click here.