Swindon residents needlessly throwing recycling into landfill
You're being urged to help the Borough Council - as part of its mission to 'build a greener Swindon'
Analysis of the refuse collections in Swindon shows recycling worth £2 million is being needlessly thrown away into the landfill each year.
You're being urged to help the Borough Council improve this - as part of its mission to 'build a greener Swindon'.
Their message is to carefully consider what you dispose of - and putting the right rubbish in the right bin.
According to the local authority, a recent snapshot analysis of waste placed in Swindon’s bins revealed that while food waste made up 38 per cent of the contents of Swindon’s black bins in 2023, this had fallen to 28 per cent in 2024.
It follows a new food waste collection service being introduced in November 2023, which saw 5,280 tonnes of food waste recycled in the first year.
However, more than two thirds of the food waste produced across Swindon still went into general refuse bins - and by not recycling food waste correctly, we're told it ends up in the residual waste stream costing residents £150 per tonne to incinerate.
Locals in Swindon are also recycling 45 per cent of their plastics, 55 per cent of their cans and 40 per cent of paper incorrectly.
The message from the council is:
- Put all food waste in the caddy
- Place all paper and card products into a black/orange box
- In another box all glass products, including glass bottles and jars
- Plastics and metal recycling (such as tins) into the reusable blue bag
- Plastic films, plastic bags and wrappings can be taken to a local supermarket for specialist recycling
Councillor Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport said “I’d like to say a big thanks to all residents who make a big effort to recycle their waste. In the first year of our food waste collection service, Swindon recycled 5,280 tonnes of food waste that otherwise would have been thrown away in black bins costing residents £150 per tonne to incinerate.
“But clearly the waste composition analysis shows that we can all do more and based on this year’s prices, we’re essentially burning £2m worth of income that could be going back into the service.
“We want to increase our recycling rates even further and are asking residents to make sure they’re checking what they’re putting in their wheelie bin. The analysis shows we can do more to recycle food, cardboard, plastic and glass.
"By recycling properly, together we’re able to both generate income during financially challenging times and produce a significant benefit for the environment, helping us to build both a better and greener Swindon.”
Residents who are unsure if something can be recycled, can search items on the Council website, using the Waste Wizard.