Plastics, metals and cartons

Plastic, metals and cartons - in your white weighted bag

How do I recycle my plastic, metals and cartons?

rinse your tins and cans, and wash and squash your plastics and cartons
place your plastics, metals and cartons, tops and lids into your white bag
seal your white bag and place it at the kerbside for 7:00am on your collection day
materials will be taken to a Material Recovery Facility to be separated
once sorted the materials are then sent for recycling

What can I recycle?

Yes please

No thank you

Plastics

plastic drinks and toiletry bottles
cleaning bottles and detergent tubs
plastic food pots, jars, tubs and trays
plastic lids and tops

Metals

food and drinks tins and cans
empty aerosols
clean aluminium foil and trays
chocolate and biscuit tins
metal lids and tops

Cartons*

liquid food and drinks cartons

glass
plastic bags, liners or film
plastic pouches, wrappers or packets
plant pots
plastic or coffee cups
polystyrene packaging or containers
bubble wrap
compostable packaging
engine oil and paint cans
cutlery and baking trays
medication blister packs

*Cartons that are used to package liquid food and drinks items and are made from a layered mixture of materials - plastic coated card often with a foil lining

Check your collection day

You can check your collection dates online by typing your postcode with the space and selecting your address.

My containers haven't been emptied

If you put the wrong items in your recycling containers then the collection crew will sticker your container to let you know. You should remove these items and present your containers on your next collection day.

If you presented your containers at the kerbside by 7:00am on the correct collection day, with the right materials and they have not been emptied, call FCC Environment on 01620 678 825. FCC Environment carry out the collection on our behalf.

What happens to my recycling?

The material from the recycling collections is taken to East Lothian Council's Waste Transfer Station, at Kinwegar, near Wallyford where it is bulked up before it is taken to be separated into different material streams.

The plastic, metals and cartons are loaded into a large lorry and taken to a materials recovery facility at Levenseat where they are sorted to produce bales of different types of plastic bottles, mixed plastics, steel and aluminium and cartons. The sorted materials are then transported to various locations for recycling.

How are the materials used?

Once sorted, the material is used in many different ways:

mixed plastics are separated, chipped and washed and can then be recycled into wide variety of products including: clothing, toys, chairs and tables, headphones, kitchen utensils, paint pots, building materials such as fencing, flooring, piping, and more plastic packaging
cans and aerosols are separated into non ferrous metals like aluminium and ferrous metals like steel and are then melted down and used to make kettles, cars, mobile phones, and of course new cans
cartons are dropped into a pulper to split apart the layers of the packaging, allowing the metal and plastic layers to be separated from the paper fibres which are recovered to make new paper products. The non-fibre remainder can be used in a number of new products including garden furniture and roofing materials.