Recycling in West Sussex

Recycle this…

Recycling tips for West Sussex

WSCC Recycling Ambassador Colin McFarlin regularly shares his knowledge with the community on the tricky matter of recycling in our domestic blue bins and food waste. We, here at Haywards Heath Life, will be collecting all his invaluable tips and tricks and displaying them here on this handy online guide. We aim to add new recycling tips when they becomes available, so be sure to check back.
All the information collected here was correct at the time it went to press. To check it is still correct please email the editor at editor@haywardsheath.life

Important note: All items for recycling should be:

  • Clean - free from food and drink leftovers

  • Dry - keep your recycling bin lid shut

  • Loose - no plastic bags

Did you know that you now need to book an appointment to visit a recycling centre in West Sussex?

This is to cut down on long queues and give our staff more time to offer help and give you recycling advice. Here are the key points...
- Appointments are available 14 days in advance. www.westsussex.gov.uk/BookToRecycle
- You need to provide the registration number of the vehicle you will be attending the centre in when you book. If you are hiring a vehicle and this is unknown, you will be asked to show the hire paperwork at the centre.
- Anyone using a Recycling Centre is still required to provide proof of residency in West Sussex. You will still need to show one form of identification.

MSDC app

MSDC have introduced a free app for mobile phones for recycling, and all their other services. Simply go to you usual app store on your smartphone, search for Mid Sussex District Council and install. It is free to download.
This is a single, easy to use app. On the front screen, you will see you can report online 12 different issues, from reporting dog fouling, a problem with a parked car, reporting an abandoned vehicle, and reporting a missed bin collection. Also, you can view all your own bin and waste collections and even set yourself a reminder to put the correct bins out.

Old computers and IT

Have a clear out of all those old IT items and cables sitting in a drawer or box. MSDC will collect small electrical items and recycle them. Kerbside collections of small electrical appliances and household batteries are every two weeks.

Items should be left out with your scheduled black lid rubbish bin. Collection space on the bin lorry is very limited. If your collection is missed, please hold on to your items and place them out with your next scheduled black top rubbish bin.

Keep the cable with the item. Little and often, in a plastic carrier bag helps. Recycling – take data cables, phones, tablets and desktop PCs to Vodafone stores.

Items accepted are: small electrical appliances such as IT and smart devices like desktop PCs; laptops; tablets; fax machines; printers; phones; smartphones; smart speakers and fitness wearables.


Repair – does your local Repair Café repair electrical items?

Recycling – take to your local recycling centre – the tip. Did you know that all electricals taken to the tip are recycled? To find your nearest local electrical recycling site, I would recommend this website: www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk Do use the filter option: by item/ distance, for lots more options; donate; repair; recycle.

Blister Packs

There have been changes in our recycling process of blister packs. Your blue top recycling bin can now only accept blister packs that are made of foil on both sides. Always check before you throw that there are no tablets left in the packaging.

Many blister packs are plastic (of various colours) on one side and foil on the other. Going forward, we ask that you put this type of blister pack into either your black top rubbish bin or, preferably, take them to any Boots store and drop them off into their green recycling bin. Ask in store if you cannot find their bin.

Are you aware of the Boots Recycling scheme?
The Recycle at Boots initiative allows customers to recycle hard to recycle health and beauty empties from any brand and empty blister packs, as long as they have a Boots Advantage Card.
To get rewarded for it, customers need to: 1) register and opt in by downloading the Recycle at Boots App; 2) log empty items in the app and wait for up to 24 hours until they are validated; 3) bring their empty packs into a participating Boots store and scan the QR code on the deposit box.

Supermarket food netting

The photo shows a number of different nets that are used for packaging of all sorts of foodstuffs. The label sometimes says do not recycle, and sometime recyclable?

All of these plastic nets, labels and clips can be recycled. They can all go into your favourite supermarket flexible plastic recycling bin.

They are not recyclable in your home blue top recycling bin.

These bags are all are made of a similar plastic material. One explanation for the different recycling instructions is that the products have been packed overseas and are sold to many different markets in different countries, not just the UK, and it is not possible to provide recycling instructions for every country, so they take the easy option and say ‘not recyclable’.

For an up to date list of the flexible plastics that Sainsbury’s and the Co-op recycle do have a look at the following links:

https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/sustainability/plan-for-better/our-stories/2021/flexible-plastics

https://www.coop.co.uk/environment/soft-plastics

Home coffee pods

Many of you use your own coffee machine that uses coffee pods. However, the way you can recycle coffee pods has changed. The recycling service for all makes of coffee pods is provided by www.podback.org

Podback was created to give lovers of pod coffee simple and convenient ways to recycle, and is funded by the coffee manufacturers and supermarkets, but they have changed their funding of the schemes.

Until recently you could download a label from the Podback website and drop your pods off locally to be recycled. So, how can you recycle your coffee pods now? They are all detailed on the Podback website. Here is a resume:

Nespresso
Recycle your capsules through Nespresso’s partnership with Royal Mail, with two convenient options. Doorstep Collection: Schedule a pick-up from your doorstep. Drop off: Download a QR Code and take your Podback bag to any of 14,000+ Royal Mail locations.

Tassimo and all other coffee pods
The free Yodel returns service is no longer be available. You will need to use the Podback.org website Recycle Checker to find your nearest local drop-off location, the only option open to you now. What this means is the nearest drop off points are Tesco Burgess Hill, Lewes or Horsham or Asda in Crawley or Brighton.

Podback does work with local authorities, over 200 local authorities, and if you live in Horsham or Chichester Council areas then all your Coffee pods can be recycled as part of the councils kerbside service, for free.

You can now recycle all your coffee pods in the new bay at Recycling Centres. At Burgess Hill you will find it on the lower level on the right as you drive in.

Wrapping paper and seasonal


Wrapping paper – do the scrunch test – if it stays scrunched it can be recycled in your kerbside bin.


If it springs open it contains plastic and can be recycled at major supermarkets in their plastic bag recycling bins.
Always remove large bows and as much Sellotape as possible.





Had a real Christmas tree? www.midsussex.gov.uk/tree-recycling

Artificial trees – Take to the tip. Normal ones in the waste container bay please, fibre optic ones in the electricals container bay. Broken toys – if they cannot be fixed by yourself – or at a Repair Café – take to the tip.

In your blue top recycling bin:

Celebratory sweet and chocolate tins and tubes – metal, cardboard or paper can all be recycled in your recycling bin

  • Glass bottles, beer, wine and champagne. Without the tops please. Metal tops can go in the recycle bin separately. (Plastic tops and corks in the black top rubbish bin)

  • Mince pie plastic trays and the foil trays

  • Black plastic food trays can be recycled in West Sussex


Things to take to the tip:

  • Broken crockery or cups – it happens at parties!

  • Tinsel and baubles

  • Christmas fairy lights – these are classed as WEEE (Waste Electrical items)

Remember you will need to show you are a resident of West Sussex to use the Tip. Don’t forget your ID.

Please do not place batteries in your general rubbish bin or your recycling bin. Please recycle them at shops that sell batteries. All shops that sell batteries have to provide, by law, battery recycling points, and these are generally found near the checkout.