Separated Recycling

Recycling collections in the Vale of Glamorgan are changing, the changes are being phased in.

Collections: Weekly

When the changes come to your area, you will receive three new containers:

• Orange bag  for cardboard
• White bag for paper
• Grey caddy for glass bottles and jars

You will also need to continue using some of your existing recycling containers:

• Blue bag for plastic, cans, empty aerosols, foil and fruit and drink cartons

• Green caddy for food waste

• Green bag for garden waste 

When will the changes be introduced?

• Rural Vale: October 2019

• Barry: 19 October 2020

• Penarth, Dinas Powys, Sully and surrounding areas: 2022

Orange Bag - Cardboard

• Cardboard boxes
• Egg boxes
• Toilet roll tubes
• Cereal boxes 
• Toothpaste boxes
• Brown paper

• Food and drink cartons such as Tetra Pak

Please note: All cardboard should be folded or broken down to fit in your orange recycling bag with the lid closed. This will help ensure cardboard is dry and of the correct size to be recycled in the new system.

 

Large boxes that do not fit in the bag and cannot be broken down need to be recycled at our Household Waste and Recycling Centres. 

White Bag - Paper

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Envelopes
• Shredded paper

• Wallpaper
• Wrapping paper 
• Tissues
• Paper towels
• Kitchen roll
• Brown paper

Grey Caddy - Glass bottles and jars

• Glass jars
• Glass bottles

• Ceramics or china
• Drinking glasses
• Glass panes
• Light bulbs
• Pyrex
• Broken glass

Blue Bag - Plastic, cans, empty aerosols, foil and food and drink cartons

• Shampoo/conditioner bottles
• Milk bottles 
• Drinks cans
• Drinks bottles
• Food and drink cartons e.g. Tetra Paks
  
• Food tins e.g. soup tins
• Empty aerosols 
• Foil 
• Foil cartons 
• Cleaning product bottles
• Yoghurt pots
• Plastic rigid containers e.g. punnet of strawberries or plastic muffin tray
• Takeaway cartons e.g. chinese takeaway plastic boxes and lids 

• Crisp packets
• Food pouches e.g. for pet food
• Biscuit packets
• Carrier bags
• Black or brown plastic
• Film e.g. cling film or ready meal lids
• Soft plastic packaging e.g. fruit and vegetable bags
• Hard plastics e.g. toys
• Gas cannisters
• Lighters
• Plastic wrapping and packaging such as bags that goods are delivered in
• Sleeve/film lids on yogurt pots
• Bubble wrap
• Bread bags
• Any non rigid food coverings

Green Caddy - Food waste

• Fruit and vegetables
• Bread, cakes and pastries
• Meat and fish
• Cat and dog food
• Guinea pig, rabbit and hamster food
• Fruit and vegetable peelings
• Bones and shells
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Egg shells

• Packaging 
• Liquids
• Oil or fats
• Animal or human faeces

Green Bag - Garden Waste

• Grass
• Shrub cuttings
• Leaves
• Plants
• Flowers
• Most weeds
• Hedge clipping

• Soil
• Stones
• Invasive weeds e.g. Japanese Knotweed
• Animal or human faeces

For more information on items that can and cannot be recycled please check the recycling A-Z.

• Why is it changing?   

  This change is aimed at improving the quality of the materials we collect for recycling, which is better for the environment and will help us to recycle more in the UK. It is also in line with the advised approach for all of Wales set out by Welsh Government.

   

  The experience of other local authorities in Wales shows us the best way to increase both the quantity of waste being recycled and the quality of this recycling, is by using separate containers for the different types of materials in your waste, such as cardboard, paper, glass, etc. It means the recycling we collect from your home is as free from contamination by other materials as possible, so it can eventually be made into something new.

   

  The new vehicles collecting your recycling will have different compartments for the different materials, and our collection crews will place your recycling directly into the correct compartments.

• Will I receive new containers?

  We will be providing you with new containers, which will be delivered in time for the launch of the new service in your area.

   

  Your new containers will include:

  • an orange bag for your cardboard
  • a white bag for your paper
  • a grey caddy for your glass bottles and jars.

   

  Please use your existing blue bag for your plastics, cans, and food and drink cartons (such as Tetra Pak). 

   

  Please continue to use your existing green caddy for your food waste and your existing green bag for your garden waste.

   

• What can I do with my old containers?

  You may continue to use your existing blue bag to recycle additional plastics, cans, and food and drink cartons (such as Tetra Pak), and your existing green box to recycle any additional glass.

• What will happen if I accidently put something in the wrong container? 

  If you place something in the wrong container your recycling may not be collected.

  
  If this happens, the crews will place a sticker on your container.

   

  If you're unsure of where to place certain items, please check our A-Z which lists specific items and where they should be placed.

   

  A to Z of Recycling

• What happens to my recycling and waste once its collected?    

   

  •  

    Separated dry recycling collected will be taken to our recycling processing facility in Cowbridge, each compartment is emptied into their corresponding bays ready to be processed separately e.g. card bay, paper bay

  • Food recycling is taken to an anaerobic digestion facility in Cardiff. The process produces renewable energy that is put back into the national grid to power homes and communities, and a compost-type material that can be used to fertilise land.

  • Garden waste is taken to a facility in Cardiff where it is turned into compost. 

  • Black bag waste is taken to an Energy Recovery Facility in Cardiff, where it’s used as a fuel to produce energy that’s put back into the national grid.

   

• What if I live in a flat or apartment?

  Residents living in flats and apartments with communal bin stores are excluded from the changes. These will be subject to alternative trials at a later date.

   

   

  Those living in flats who currently place their waste and recycling at the kerbside, are included in the changes.

   

   

• What will collection crews do with my recycling containers once they’ve emptied them?

  Our collection crews have received training to support the change to your recycling collections, including how to return your bags and caddies correctly.

   

  Crews will fold all your bags and place them inside your grey caddy (for glass), and leave them on the kerbside outside your home.

• Can I get extra recycling containers? 

  Yes, as council offices are currently closed due to Covid-19, residents can order replacement reusable recycling bags or containers for delivery. Simply complete our online order form to request. We will aim to deliver within 14 days. 

   

  Please only order if absolutely essential.

   

   

  Order additional recycling containers

• What if I live alone and do not produce much waste?

  We can provide a quad bag for single occupancy households and older people that do not produce enough recycling to fill the separate recycling containers. 

   

  To request a bag, please contact C1V:

  • 01446 700111

   

  Please note: Only one quad bag, per household. 

• Why can't you recycle soft plastics, such as cling film and plastic carrier bags? 
  
  Unfortunately, thinner, softer plastics reduce the overall quality of plastic recycling, this would mean that less of the plastics we collected could actually be recycled into new good quality products.

• Why can't you collect cardboard outside my orange bag?

  Cardboard should be folded or broken down to fit into your orange bag. This will help ensure it can fit into the recycling vehicle compartment and is ready for baling at the recycling centre. 

   

• Why does brown paper go in my orange bag, and not my white bag for paper?

  Brown paper should be placed in your orange bag for cardboard.

   

  Even though it’s paper, brown paper has already been recycled multiple times, and each time it’s recycled it’s tiny fibres get shorter, making it more like rough card and therefore needs to be recycled with cardboard.

For more information on the reasons for these changes please see the Changes to Recycling and Waste Collections Consultation page.