Paper and card recycling

Following successful trials, a decision was taken at Full Council on 15th July to roll out the "twin stream" collection across the whole of the North Kesteven District.  

NK worked in partnership with other Lincolnshire authorities known collectively as the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to lead this roll out to boost the quality and amount of paper and card recycled.  Supporting the roll out will be a campaign to improve the quality of the rest of your recycling collected in the green-lidded wheeled bin.  

From September 2021 we have been collecting your paper and card separately from the rest of your recycling. This is because we want to help you recycle as much of your waste as possible, and reduce the overall carbon footprint. Over 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used in the UK each year. This accounts for 20% of all household waste produced in the UK, with the average family throwing away around 6 trees worth of paper every year. 

If every person in the country recycled just 10% more paper it would save approximately 5 million trees each year.

The reason we need to improve the recycling is simple. By putting the "Right Thing in the Right Bin" we can improve the quality of the recycling we collect in Lincolnshire and ensure that more items are successfully recycled back into products that can be used over and over again. The present method for collecting recycling (all in one bin) means that the vast majority of paper and card we collect is contaminated by the other items in the recycling bin, like glass and often food waste. 

Paper and card is also prone to becoming damp, wet and stained when mixed with other recycling. We believe that by collecting it separately in a different bin, it will be kept clean and dry, so it will be recycled rather than being soiled because of the contamination. This also gives us the opportunity to focus our efforts on the recycling in the green-lidded wheeled bin to ensure we get the "Right Thing in the Right Bin".

Certainly not, the Government's Environment Bill when it becomes statute later this year has the potential to bring fundamental changes to our waste collection service.  There has been a call for greater consistency in the materials collected for recycling and to provide clear information to householders on what can and cannot be recycled.  The Government have said in their consultation document that "following engagement with the sector and further research, it is understood that collecting plastics and glass together with paper and card, can lead to a detrimental impact on the quantity and quality of the recyclable material collected."

Unfortunately we are unable to swap bins.

We have a leaflet entitled "Right Thing, Right Bin" that you can download and read. More details are available on the A-Z recycling guide.

Please place for collection all paper (except shredded paper, tissues, or used takeaway boxes) and cardboard into your purple-lidded wheeled bin, all paper and card must be clean with no food residue. 

Shredded paper will not be accepted as the shredding process damages the fibres in the paper making it unsuitable for turning into new paper or card. Shredded paper should be placed in a bag and disposed of in your black residual waste bin for efficient incineration for the generation of electricity.

Green-lidded bin – four weekly
Purple-lidded bin – four weekly

The sequence will be as follows:
Black, Green-lidded, Black, Purple-lidded (and repeat).

The green-lidded bin will be collected four weekly so we would encourage customers to make best use of the capacity by squashing plastic bottles and cans. Our data shows that approximately 50% of the volume of waste collected is paper and cardboard and therefore collections on a 4 weekly cycle will not affect the amount of capacity that residents have to dispose of their waste in the kerbside bins.

Not at this time as the data has shown that the bin you have been issued should be sufficient to collect all of your paper and card. If you have larger amounts of excess paper and cardboard, please visit your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

There is no option for a smaller bin available.

We cannot empty bins that contain wrong materials. Wrong materials can contaminate the load and make it unsuitable for recycling. Bins will be tagged and will not be emptied until the next relevant scheduled collection when you must have removed the items not suitable for recycling.  Please do take time to read the new leaflet "Right Thing, Right Bin" which provides clear guidance on what can go into bins.  More details are available on the A-Z recycling guide.

No. The Council operates a no side waste policy across the service, if you have large amounts of cardboard, please visit your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

It is really important that the lid on your purple-lidded wheeled bin for paper and card is closed as if your recycling is wet, the paper and cardboard can stick together and won't be able to be recycled.  

For all new ventures, we need to firstly invest in the required containers, materials and collection methods. This initial investment of around £3m across Lincolnshire should be recouped within three to five years and will be greatly outweighed by the long-term savings. That money could then instead be spent on other vital services in your community. It is important to remember that it isn't just about costs. It is about us doing the right thing to help protect the environment for the future, as our residents expect. By using a specialist paper recycler in the UK, we can reduce the amount of miles it travels before being fully recycled and consequently our carbon footprint and by reducing the contamination in the rest of the recycling this process also becomes more efficient both economically and environmentally.

Yes. If you already have an assisted collection, this will continue for all your bins.

For a long time now your green-lidded recycling bin containing plastics bottles/tubs/cartons;  glass bottles and jars; metal cans and tins; paper & card has been sent to our contractor to sort and reprocessing. By separating your paper and card into a single bin this will avoid the paper and card becoming damp, wet and stained when mixed with other recycling. We believe that by collecting it separately in a different bin, it will be kept clean and dry, so it will be recycled rather than being spoiled due to contamination.

It is really important that everyone takes responsibility for their waste, whilst the Council can put in place the collection services it is reliant upon everyone doing their bit and putting the "Right Thing in the Right Bin".  

Garden waste collections in the brown wheeled bin shall be unaffected.   Customers of the service will have received a collection calendar at the time of joining the service.  Details of all bin collection days can be found on the Find My Bin Day page.

At the present time there are no plans for larger bins to be available but we shall continue to review. Our data shows that approximately 50% of the volume of waste collected is paper and cardboard and therefore collections on a 4 weekly cycle will not affect the amount of capacity that residents have to dispose of their waste in the kerbside bins.

The list of items that can be recycled in your green-lidded wheeled bin have not changed and whilst we have collected bins with the wrong items in them, contamination has become a major issue and we all have a responsibility to do the right thing environmentally.  We are aware that our communications to you on what is and is not acceptable could have been improved.  This is the reason that together with Lincolnshire County Council and other partners across the county we are working hard to provide you with the right information to allow you to put the "Right Thing, in the Right Bin".  

If you need a translation of the documents please email us at recycling@n-kesteven.gov.uk.

Not at this time. The data has shown shown that 240l standard size bins are the most appropriate to make sure you have at least the same capacity in your bins as you do today taking into account the fact that your green-lidded and purple lidded bins will now each be emptied once every 4 weeks. We will continue to monitor this as we go forward. We appreciate that some people may find the change in bins difficult, but please give the new bins a try and we have a team of officers who can come and talk to you if you are struggling with this.

Lincolnshire will receive an income from this good quality paper and cardboard.  However, for all new ventures, we need to firstly invest in the required containers, materials and collection methods. This initial investment of around £3m across Lincolnshire should be recouped within three to five years and will be greatly outweighed by the long-term savings. 

We also recognise that costs of fuel, resources and infrastructure continue to increase along with the housing growth across the county which means that there will be more waste to collect and dispose of.  

Any financial efficiencies realised, will be ploughed back into waste services for everyone in Lincolnshire so as to mitigate combined waste costs.

Other than asking customers to place their good quality clean, dry paper and cardboard into the new purple or purple-lidded bin, the materials we can recycle have not changed.  

We recognise our communication to you could have been more regular.  

Over the last few years the levels of contamination have increased along with the volumes of waste we collect and dispose of.  These levels have now reached a point where too many of the wrong things are placed into the green-lidded bins and are compromising the quality of the materials in the bin.  This means that we are unable to recycle as much as we could.  

The Government will shortly legislate on changes to what can and can’t be collected at kerbside.  

Your contribution to separating good quality materials by putting the Right Thing in the Right Bin, puts Lincolnshire in a strong position to embrace any forthcoming changes.

The clean, dry quality paper and cardboard collected from the purple and purple-lidded bins is kept separate from other waste and sent directly to a dedicated paper mill in Kings Lynn, run by our contractor Palm Paper Limited.