How to do your recycling
A little note from the nice chaps at waste collection
Welcome to Chester!
Many of you will be living away from home for the first time, so it’s now down to you to do your bit to save the planet, keep your neighbours happy and help cut the amount of rubbish that goes into landfill.
The average student produces 1.5 tonnes of rubbish during a three-year degree course, but recycling that waste couldn’t be easier as we have put together lots of information to help…
You will all have received a copy of the Student Recycle First guide through your door; but just in case you’ve missed it, here is the link to another copy so you will never get it wrong and risk a £120 fine! Everything you need to know is contained within this simple students user guide
Many of you live in a shared house and will at one time argue about who puts the bins out, who hasn’t done the dishes and whether the washing fairy exists or not. We can’t do your dishes or your laundry, but if you follow these steps we can help you stay friends with each other as well as your neighbours.
Step 1. What can be recycled from home
Grey box
• Plastics
– Milk and drinks bottles, detergent and shampoo bottles, yoghurt and margarine pots, cleaned sad meal-for-one containers, even pot noodle and takeaway tubs. (No carrier bags or black plastic though please)
• Tin cans
– Empty aerosols inc. hairspray, deodorant, food tins and drinks cans such as baked beans, beer cans or coke – please give them a quick rinse out
• Aluminium foil
– Such as takeaway containers, but rinse them out
Green Box
• Paper
– Newspapers, magazines, catalogues, printer paper and junk mail.
• Cardboard
– Takeaway pizza boxes: but wipe off all the left over bits of food, cereal boxes, even beer boxes
• Drink cartons
– Such as Tetrapaks, orange juice cartons etc
• Glass
– Bottles and jars inc. beer and wine bottles and jam and sauce jars
• Clothes and Shoes
– All textiles are welcome
• Food Waste
– ALL cooked and uncooked food, leftover takeaways and plate scrapings, you can even put in bones, dairy and egg shells
Step 2: Find out your collection day
Your recycling and rubbish are collected on the same day. Recycling (green box, grey box, and brown bin) is collected every week and non-recyclables (the black bags/bin) are collected every other week
Visit our collection day finder page to check your collection arrangements
Step 3: Order more recycling containers
• If you haven’t got any recycling boxes or you need more email us at or give us a call on 0300 123 7 026
Step 4: Get organised
• Be clear about what you can and can’t recycle and tell everyone in the house
• Put your student recycling leaflet on the fridge
• Set up a recycling area in your kitchen with separate containers for your recycling and for non-recyclables
• Badger any house mates who aren’t pulling their weight!
• Agree on a rota for putting out the rubbish and recycling
Step 5: On collection day
• Put your containers on the boundary of your property by 7am on the day of your collection (but not before 6.30pm the night before)
• Bring your bins back off the road as soon as possible after collection
• If you have an unusual amount of rubbish to get rid of, you can order a bulky waste collection or visit one of our bulky waste collection
• If your collection is missed, call us and we will return within 48 hours (not including weekends and bank holidays) to empty your bin
If your collection is missed, please report it here.
Step 6: Get in touch
• If any of your collections are missed or you need extra containers please call or email us
• For more information about waste and recycling please visit the Recycle First website