Recycling at home
Recycling at home is easy, and with a few simple steps you can make a big difference. A quick rinse and a shake out of your items before putting them into your bin helps us to recycle your items properly.
Recycle loose - no bags please!
Plastic bags and soft plastics can’t be recycled in Kent yet. When your recycling reaches our sorting facility, these plastics can:
- get caught in our machines
- wrap around other items
- slow everything down
This means we may have to reject some recyclable items. This is something we want to avoid.
If collecting your items in a plastic bag indoors works for you, that’s okay. Just 'shake it out' before emptying it into your bin. Then you can reuse the bag or recycle it at a supermarket.
This small step makes a big difference to how much we can recycle across Kent.
How you can help
Across Kent you can recycle the following items at home. Remember to put clean, dry and loose recyclable items into your mixed recycling bin or containers. A few good habits at home really do make a difference.
Items you can recycle
- Empty aerosols
- Foil (clean with no food on it)
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal tins and cans
- Paper and card (some districts separate these items)
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
- Toothpaste tubes
Items you cannot recycle
- batteries
- candles
- crisp packets
- electrical items
- food waste (put this in your food caddy)
- nappies
- packaging with food or liquid still inside
- plastic bags and soft plastics (the plastic on food packaging)
- textiles
Visit Recycle Now to check what else you can and cannot recycle. You'll also find where to take items you can't recycle at home. Or visit your local council's website to find out when they're be collecting your recycling.
Tips to recycle your items
These simple steps help your recycling get sorted quickly and correctly:
- Give your recyclables a quick wash once you’ve used them.
- Collect your items in a plastic bag or a cardboard box indoors if it helps you stay organised.
- If you’re using a plastic bag, don’t forget to shake it out and empty items loose into an outdoor recycling bin.
- Use your box or bag again for the next collection. Or recycle your plastic bag at your local supermarket.
What happens next
After your local council collects your recycling items, they go to a sorting facility. There, it gets separated and sent for processing. The cleaner and looser your items are, the easier it is for us to recycle them.
Don’t forget to shake your items out of your bag to help us:
- recycle more
- reduce waste
- keep sorting machinery working smoothly
- provide a better service to everyone in Kent