What can and cannot go in a green box for recycling

Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

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What can and cannot go in a green box for recycling

The following items can be put your green box:

Paper – including newspaper, magazines, catalogues or brochures, junk mail, envelopes and telephone directories. Shredded paper can be collected for recycling but due to possible spillage problems this must be contained within a paper bag or envelope, not in plastic bags.

Glass bottles and jars – all colours of glass containers can be placed in your green box. Please ensure they are empty of their contents and have been rinsed clean if necessary.

Cans and aerosols – including food and drinks cans. Please ensure cans are empty and clean with no sharp edges.

Aluminium foil – please ensure this is cleaned of any food contamination.

Plastic bottles – plastic bottles are the only kind of plastic that you can put in your green box at the moment (see below for more details). All lids need to be removed from the bottle and the contents emptied. Please pay particular attention to containers for bleach and other caustic materials which need to be washed out thoroughly before placing for collection.

Clothing and textiles - good quality clothing, shoes and household linen should be placed in carrier bags (not black sacks) and put on top of or next to the green box for collection.

Batteries and mobile phones - car batteries should be placed next to your green box. Domestic batteries and mobile phones should be placed in a clear bag in your box.

The following items cannot be put in your green box:

Cardboard - cardboard of any type cannot be placed in green boxes. This can however be taken to one of the County waste recycling centres or to some Vale recycling collection points – check to find your nearest point. Cardboard can also be collected for composting as part of the Council’s brown bin scheme – please our pages about The brown bin scheme for more details.

Yellow Pages – cannot be put in your green bin. Special banks are provided for Yellow Pages at the time of distribution. They can also be taken to County waste recycling centres or placed in cardboard banks at Vale recycling collection points.

Window or broken glass – please do not put window glass, drinking glasses or broken glass of any kind in your green bin.

Other plastics - we are currently unable to collect other plastics from green boxes. This will be reviewed when the contract for recycling is due for re-tender. In the meantime plastics can be taken to one of the County waste recycling centres or to some Vale recycling collection points – please check to find your nearest point.