Helping students recycle

Waste and the environment

Our use of natural resources has become unsustainable, which is causing harm to the environment and contributing to climate change. Waste prevention, reuse, repair and recycling all contribute to moving England further towards a circular economy and reducing our uptake of natural resources.

It is estimated that recycling alone has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 10.4-11.2Gt of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions between 2020-2050, which would be equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide Japan emits in a year. We've declared a Climate emergency.

Finding out when your collection day is

Please enter your house number and postcode into My Durham. You can download a collection calendar which tells you when your bins will be emptied.

Replacing recycling bins, bags and boxes

There are different containers for recycling depending on where you live in Durham City - a blue-lidded bin, communal bins, a green recycling bag and a box. If you aren't sure which recycling containers you should have then you can Contact Waste Management to find out.

If your property does not have a recycling bag or box (and your street does not have communal bins) we'll send you a replacement free of charge. You can Ask for a new bin or bin repair.

There is a £25 charge for a replacement rubbish or recycling bin. If you think your property is missing a rubbish or recycling bin you should contact your landlord.

Recycling

What goes in your recycling bin or bag

Plastic pots, tubs and trays, cartons, cans, aerosols, foil, paper and cardboard can all be recycled in your recycling bin or bag. Find a full list of A-Z household waste items in our Reuse and recycling A-Z.

Don't put your recycling into black bags - put the items loose into the bin. If you have extra recycling and it won't fit in your bin, put it into a clear or see-through plastic bag and leave it next to your recycling bin. 

What goes in your recycling box

Glass bottles and jars can be recycled in your recycling box or in the communal bins labelled glass.

Rubbish

What goes in your rubbish bin

Please place all domestic household waste that cannot be recycled, such as food waste, polystyrene and cleaning wipes, in your rubbish bin.

Other information

If in doubt, keep it out of your recycling bin - if you're unsure whether you can recycle an item, leave it out of your recycling bin and put it in your rubbish bin. 

It's really important that you follow these guidelines as it helps to reduce contamination and means we can recycle, reuse or compost more of your waste. If you put wrong items in the wrong bin, this could result in the whole bin lorry load being classed as contaminated and rejected for recycling. 

A detailed page on what goes in which bin can be found at What goes in which bin?.

Your Guide to Recycling in County Durham - video transcript (PDF) [105KB]

Soft Plastics

Soft plastics are lightweight plastics that cannot be placed in recycling bins at home. These include bread bags, salad bags, plastic crisp packets, pasta bags and chocolate or biscuit wrappers. You can now recycle your soft plastics a large number of supermarkets and stores across County Durham. Please check with your local supermarket or store before recycling.

Small electrical waste and vape recycling

Unused or broken electrical items, small enough to fit in a carrier bag, batteries and vaping devices and e-cigarettes can be taken to one of our recycling points. Please don't put them in any of your bins as they can cause fires. You can take small electrical items to:

•   Clayport Library 8 Millennium Place, Durham DH1 1WA
•    St John's Church, Crossgate Peth, Neville's Cross, County Durham, DH1 4DU (small electrical recycling only)
•    Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre, Freeman's Place, Durham DH1 1SW

A full list of our collection points across County Durham can be found on Waste electrical and electronic equipment (weee) recycling.

Repair cafes

There are several volunteer run repair cafes in County Durham. Repair cafes are free meeting places and they are all about fixing things together. Visitors bring their broken items from home, then together with 'fixers' they make their repairs in the repair cafe. It's a fantastic way to help the environment, prevent waste, save money and learn new skills.

Our next repair cafe is at:

• Merryoaks Repair Cafe - Merryoaks Community Hall, Park House Road, Durham, DH1 3QF (generally occurs every table top sale - contact the venue for more information).

Batteries 

Do not put batteries of any kind in any of your bins. They can cause fires in our refuse vehicles or at the waste sorting facilities. Most supermarkets have battery recycling areas or you can take them to one of our small electrical recycling points. 

What happens if you put the wrong things in the wrong bin

You will find a yellow sticker on your bin and a letter through your door to help you to understand how to 'Bin it right'. You may also receive a home visit to explain recycling in more detail. 

If you continue to place non-recyclable items in your recycling bin, it will not be collected and you will receive an orange sticker and will have to remove the contamination and place your bin out on next collection day. 

Green Move Out

Green Move Out is a partnership project between us, Durham University, County Durham Furniture Help Scheme (CDFHS) and Durham Constabulary. Aimed at Durham University students moving out of their 'livers out' accommodation in Durham City and those leaving college accommodation, its purpose is to encourage students to leave Durham clean and tidy and to donate unwanted items for reuse.

Students moving out are issued purple bags to fill with donated items they no longer need. These items include clean clothing, paired shoes, clean bedding, books, electrical items, pots and pans, crockery and cutlery (wrap if fragile or sharp) and tins of food (in date). Items must be in good, clean condition as they will be reused. These unwanted items can be placed in the purple bags provided, the bag tied shut and placed at the front of the property for collection. Wash your hands before and after filling the bag and before and after placing the bag out for collection. These bags will be collected by CDFHS and your items will be reused to support those in need in the local area. If you have items which are too large to be placed in the bags, such as furniture, please contact CDFHS on 01388 721 509 to arrange collection. Keep an eye out for purple bags posted through your door at the end of term. You can Contact Waste Management with any queries.