Council makes plastic plea to residents

A new £1m recycling separator and baler at Swindon Borough Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centre has been introduced to improve the way plastics and metals are sorted as well as the quality of the recycling produced at the site.

By using the new machine, the Council is able to increase the value of the material it recycles generating additional income which can be reinvested into green services.

The separator sorts plastic and metal collected from homes across Swindon through filters and magnets. This allows the waste to be separated more effectively, while residents can continue to place their metal and plastic waste into their reusable blue bags. The waste is then compacted into bales, which are easy to transport.

For the machine to work properly, it is important that local people sort their plastic waste correctly.

Soft plastics, such as films and single-use bags, can prevent the machine from sorting metals and cans from plastics. These plastics mean the machine must be run at a reduced speed, in turn reducing the amount of waste it is possible to process.

Most supermarkets will accept soft plastics for recycling, and where they can’t be recycled, soft plastic packaging should be placed in general waste bins.

Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “This new machine will help us to recycle more of our waste, make us more environmentally friendly and support our mission to build a greener Swindon.

“While residents can continue to place their plastic bottles, tubs, trays and metals in the same blue bag, we’re asking everyone to support us to run our machine as efficiently as possible by correctly recycling plastic bags and films. These flexible plastics should be taken to your nearest accepting supermarket, which you can find by using Recycle Now's Recycling Locator.

“Thank you to everyone who is already helping our service, which will only be helped by this investment in the latest technology.”

For more information on how to correctly recycle, visit the dedicated FAQ page on the Council’s website: https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20015/bins_rubbish_and_recycling/138/recycling_guide/2

To view upcoming collection dates, ahead of planned changes, , which take effect from Friday, 27 December, residents are asked to enter their postcode into the Council’s dedicated look-up tool for more information: https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20122/rubbish_and_recycling_collection_days