Recycle Week 2022: Recycling or rubbish? The items you can and can't put in your blue bin in Sunderland

So for this year’s Recycle Week initiative (October 17 to October 23) we have taken a closer look at Sunderland City Council’s guidance for what can – and can’t – be disposed of in your blue recycling bin.

The annual campaign aims to raise awareness of how recycling makes a difference, with this year’s Recycle Week challenging myths about the practice and working to improve knowledge.

It’s hoped people will be encouraged to recycle the right thing more often, so let’s go through the council’s guidance for households in Sunderland.

What can I put in my blue bin?

Brown, grey and white cardboard: Cereal boxes, ready meal boxes, toothpaste boxes

Clean foil: Pie tins etc

Drinks cans

Empty tins

Food and drink cartons: Empty food, juice and milk cartons

Glass bottles and jars: Coffee jars, jam jars, perfume bottles

Greeting cards without glitter

Household plastic packaging: Bottles and food packaging like milk cartons and yoghurt pots

Paper: Catalogues, envelopes, junk mail, loose shredded paper, magazines, newspapers, phone books, printed paper

What can’t I put in my blue bin?

Any electrical items and small electrical items containing batteries

Batteries

Dog waste bags

Food waste

Garden waste

Greetings cards with glitter or other glittery items

Hard plastic: CD and DVD cases, kitchenware, toys

Inhalers

Light bulbs

Nappies

Paint tins

Plant pots and planting trays

Plastic films: Bread wrappers, bubble wrap, cling film, crisp packets

Styrofoam or polystyrene packaging

Takeaway boxes

Textiles, fabrics and shoes

Tissue paper or wallpaper

Wood

Wrapping paper

For more information on Waste and Recycling in Sunderland, visit the city council’s website here.