Flats recycling and waste

As a resident of shared facilities, it is your responsibility to keep certain areas clean and tidy. A few ways you can do this is by:

• putting black sacks of non-recyclable waste inside the general waste bin – don’t leave bags on the floor as they won’t be collected and can block access to emptying the bins. If this happens, your managing agent can charge you to get the bin store cleaned up
• separating items for recycling – this helps to make sure the non-recyclable waste does not overflow
• sorting your recycling into the right bin - the recycling crew may not empty a bin if it’s got too many wrong items inside

If you live in a flat or a property with shared recycling and waste facilities, you will have separate bins for recycling. Please recycle as much as possible. Items that can be recycled are:

Mixed paper, cardboard and cartons

• newspapers and magazines
• envelopes and junk mail
• brochures and catalogues
• leaflets
• brown cardboard boxes
• grey card food packaging
• drinks cartons
• tetra paks

Mixed, any colour, glass bottles and jars

• glass wine and beer bottles
• glass jam jars
• glass sauce jars

Plastic and metal household packaging

• plastic bottles
• yoghurt pots
• plastic margarine and ice cream tubs
• plastic meat trays
• fruit punnets
• aluminium foil
• foil tray

No thanks

• takeaway boxes and pizza boxes
• paper towels, kitchen roll and tissues
• coffee cups
• Pyrex dishes
• broken glass
• wine and drinking glasses
• spectacles
• lightbulbs
• black plastic
• crisp packets
• carrier bags
• cling film
• soft plastic wrappers
• polystyrene
• old baking sheets

Do not leave bulky items like furniture and garden toys in communal bin stores. If you are moving out or replacing a bulky item, please arrange a collection using the bulky waste service or take your bulky item to a recycling centre. Large items left in bin areas can block access for collections and can be a fire hazard. The cost of any items removed can be recharged to residents by your managing agent.

We do not currently collect small electrical items from communal bin stores. Please do not put any unwanted electrical items (anything with a battery, plug or cable) in your general, non-recyclable waste bin as they can cause fires. Please take all batteries and unwanted electricals to collection points. There are battery recycling points in supermarkets. You can also check the recycle your electricals website for your nearest electrical recycling point.

We are continuing to introduce food waste recycling facilities to flat blocks where there is space in the bin store or bin area. 

Flats with a food waste recycling service are able to recycle all their food waste including:

• fruit and veg
• peelings
• plate scrapings
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• meat and bones
• bread and pastries
• cheese
• uneaten pet food

No amount of food waste is too small.

Individual flats are provided with kitchen caddies, a service leaflet and a one-off roll of free plastic bag caddy liners. Outside in the bin store a green food waste wheelie bin is provided for the collection of food waste. 

The outside bin is lined with a bag and the food waste is collected weekly and the liner replaced. This keeps the bin clean and fresh. 

Recycling food waste where possible helps to reduce the waste in general waste bins. As it is double-bagged and collected weekly, it reduces smells and flies in bin store areas.

How we process food waste

Food waste from flats is recycled with the rest of North Somerset’s food waste by anaerobic digestion at a farm in Wiltshire. The waste is turned into energy to power homes and a fertiliser which is spread on the farm fields.