Recycling - Frequently asked questions
Why can't I put all sorts of plastic into the plastic skips on
the main recycling sites?
Different density of polymers are used in the very many types of
plastic available. There is a stable market only for plastic
containing the codes PET, PETE and HDPE. To make it easier we ask
that plastic bottles only are placed in our skips as these
predominantly contain these codes. To include other plastics would
require further sorting and threatens a successful and popular
service.
There are no commercial end markets available at the moment for
mixed plastics. This may be achieved in the future once the
collecting and sorting infrastructure is capable of handling the
mixed plastics without detriment, either financially or
operationally, to the recycling systems.
Why are there no plastic facilities on the smaller recycling
sites?
Plastic is high volume low weight material which is expensive to
recycle and as a result, to make it viable has to be collected
using the larger skip type containers.
Why are the holes in some of the skips so high?
Unfortunately, these holes have to be high as we need to get as
much material in before they need to be emptied. If we were to put
the holes lower down then the material would fall out through the
holes as the quantity inside increases.
Can I put all type of tins and cans in the can bank?
Yes all food and drink tins are accepted as well as empty aerosol
cans.
Can users please ensure that items or bags of unsorted waste are
not left at these sites.
For more information or advice on reducing, re-using and
recycling in Cumbria log onto http://www.resourcecumbria.org/
A local branch of the global Freecycle movement, where people
offer unwanted items for free rather than taking them to landfill
has been opened. The North Lakes Branch covers much of Allerdale:
Keswick, Cockermouth and northern Lake District area. There
are neighbouring groups already in Carlisle, Kendal,
Penrith and West Lakes. Please follow the link below for
more information.
The Freecycle movement is a "grass roots" initiative, dependent
on co-operation within local communities, and fully complements any
recycling initiatives of Local Government.