Recycling Advice

Reduce Your Waste

The best way to tackle the problem of waste is to reduce the amount we produce. Some tips on how to reduce your waste include:

• Take your own bags when you go shopping

• Buy products with less packaging

• Avoid wasting food - wasted food costs the average person in the UK around £200 a year - Love Food Hate Waste (external link) have loads of tips ranging from food storage to recipes for leftovers

• Stop receiving unsolicited advertising mail by contacting the Mailing Preference Service (external link)

Reuse and Repair

We've all heard the phrase 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'- many of the things we throw away haven't always reached the end of their useful life. Before throwing them away, consider the below tips for what to do with them.

• Choose to repair your furniture and appliances before buying new

• Love Your Clothes (external link) - get more out of your existing clothes by getting repairs and alterations

• Donate to charity shops, sell online and buy second hand- online marketplaces like Facebook and Gumtree are popular sites for selling or giving away furniture, or buying second hand

Recycling right

• Make use of our kerbside collection scheme- ensure you have a blue bin for plastics, glass and metal, and a green bin for paper and cardboard. For information on purchasing bins please click here.

• Set yourself up for composting at home. For purchasing and setting up a compost bin please click here (external link)

• Use our A-Z of Recycling page to find out what can go in your bins

Other Useful Websites

• Love Food Hate Waste (external link)

• Recycle Now (external link)

• Clothing and textiles recycling (external link)

• Reuse Network (external link) for buying and selling used furniture

• Preloved (external link) for buying and selling used furniture

• Community Repaint (external link) for donating leftover paint

What Happens to Your Recycling?

West Lancashire Borough Council are the collection authority for your waste and recycling, and Lancashire County Council are the disposal authority. To find out what happens to your recycling, visit the Lancashire County Council website here (external link).