Festive recycling plea over glitter and Santa hats - what you can and can't recycle in South Tyneside, and other tips

Residents in South Tyneside are being urged to dispose of their waste correctly this Christmas season.
Don't forget your recycling this ChristmasDon't forget your recycling this Christmas
Don't forget your recycling this Christmas

Thousands of tonnes of rubbish is sent for energy recovery or recycling every year from the borough.

According to council bosses, mountains of recyclable materials are lost by either being placed in the incorrect bin or through contamination.

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Festive items placed in recycling bins such as foil wrapping paper, decorations, cards with glitter and tinsel can also cause issues for waste crews.

“We should know it can’t be recycled and I have seen lots of things on the council’s Facebook pages making people aware of that,” Coun Anne Hetherington said.

“Is it viable to have some kind of service where those things can be picked up separately rather than going into their [recycling bin] and causing contamination?

“I think every household in South Tyneside will have this type of waste at this time of year and I’m wondering if it’s possible to do something about that.”

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Festive recycling: What to avoid putting in your blue recycling bin.

Christmas cards with glitter, glue, metallic or 3-D elements Plastic carrier bags / black sacks Wrapping paper Glitter Food waste Soft toys Christmas tree lights Wreaths Baubles Tinsel Bows and ribbons Santa hats

How glitter can ruin your recycling

Coun Hetherington was speaking at a meeting of South Tyneside Council’s Standards Committee during a presentation on waste services.

Corporate lead for area management, Andrew Whittaker, speaking at the meeting, said the council doesn’t offer an extra service for Christmas waste.

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He added public information around which festive items can and can’t be recycled was important to tackle festive challenges.

He told the meeting: “It’s a work in progress and I do hope the government will work with local authorities in order to get that message across.”

A council spokeswoman added: “Glitter can’t be recycled so any Christmas cards with glitter on should be disposed of in the grey household waste bins along with wrapping paper which is often foil, laminated or dyed which makes it unsuitable for recycling.

“Glitter placed in the recycling bin scatters and contaminates the other contents, meaning the entire load will have to be rejected.

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“To avoid this, we would encourage everyone to simply dispose of wrapping paper and cards containing glitter and foil in their grey bins.”

The Recycling Village at Middlefields is open for all excess waste gathered over the festive period including cardboard, cans, plastic and glass.

Around 14 sites are also available around the borough to recycle Christmas trees.

For more information on festive waste services, visit: www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/33353/Christmas-waste-and-recycling