North Kesteven District Council is reminding every-bunny of some great waste tips to help households keep up their egg-ceptional recycling through Easter.
There will be one change to bin collection dates by North Kesteven District Council over the Easter period affecting Easter Monday only (10 April).
Collections of purple and purple-lidded bins which would have been on this day are instead being brought forward to Saturday 8 April.
Those with bin collections due on Good Friday (7 April) will have their black general waste bins collected on this day as normal.
Residents are asked to please present their bins by 6:30am on the morning of their collection day.
Calendars for all your household bin collection days can be found to download and keep at n-kesteven.gov.uk/findmybinday, households can also use the quick check function anytime on the same webpage.
Some items at Easter do need a few more steps to ensure they hop into the right bins at home. Here are the top five tips to remember:
Easter egg packaging: The cardboard outer package must go in purple or purple-lidded bins only, unless it’s foiled/glittery/dirty and therefore must go in the black bin only to be made into electricity.
The inner insert, if plain cardboard, can go in the purple or purple-lidded bin.
If it’s a plastic inner this should go in the green-lidded bin only, unless it’s brown or black plastic which must go in the black bin to be made into electricity.
Easter egg foil: We love to collect clean foil in green-lidded bins as it’s great for recycling! Pop it clean and dry into this bin.
If it’s dirty, please pop it instead into the black bin to be made into electricity.
Chocolate bar/sweet wrappers: These are soft, scrunch-able plastics and unfortunately cannot be recycled from kerbside bins at home. They can instead often to go soft plastic collection points in local shops along with plastic carrier bags, food wrappers and so on – check details online or instore.
If that’s not possible, put them in the black bin only to be made into electricity.
Cards: These can go in purple or purple-lidded bins provided they are not foiled, shiny or glittery and any non-paper embellishments are removed. If not they must go in the black bin only where they’ll be made into electricity.
Decorations: Plastic Easter decorations unfortunately cannot go in your recycling bin at home. Can you reuse them, or donate if in good condition?
If they are unusable or broken, put them in the black bin to be made into electricity provided they’ve no electronics or batteries in. If paper or cardboard – such as plain bunting with string removed – this can go into the purple or purple-lidded bin.
Toys and gifts: Whether these are fluffy stuffed animals, hard plastic Easter toys or anything else, these can be either regifted or donated if in good working order or taken to your Local Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Please do not put anything containing electronics or batteries in any of your household bins, including the black bin.
Books cannot go in either of your recycling bins at home. Please reuse, gift or donate at shops or your local Household Waste Recycling Centre if in good condition. If not, they need to go in general waste only.
If you’re ever unsure on what can go in your bins, there’s a range of information at n-kesteven.gov.uk/recycling including the Council’s Right Thing Right Bin leaflet and an A-Z of recycling on various items.
North Kesteven District Council also operates a scheme for easy, hassle-free collection of your garden waste and this is currently open for new customers as well as renewals by existing customers.
With the 2023/24 charge frozen at £40 still for the year’s collections of an existing brown garden waste bin, and £8 each for a year’s collections of additional garden waste bins (up to four), it still offers great value.
You can renew or sign up at n-kesteven.gov.uk/gardenwaste and even set up a Direct Debit for a service that flows seamlessly with no need to renew each year. Customers without a brown bin can easily purchase one from the Council.
Information on waste and recycling is also regularly shared on the Council’s channels @northkestevendc and you can get it straight into your inbox via the Council’s e-newsletters. Sign up at n-kesteven.gov.uk/stayconnected