Incorrectly presented waste and recycling can risk the lives and safety of staff, the public, and pose environmental risks.
The following information and guidelines are a reminder of the risks posed by specific waste and recycling items, and how to correctly dispose of these.
Barbeques can cause hazards and fires.
Disposable barbeques should be left to cool before they are thrown away. Do not put hot barbeques in a bin. Wherever possible, please separate the materials before disposing: Cold coals and ash should be put in your general waste bin and foil trays should be put with your green box recycling.
You should always follow the guidance from Avon Fire & Rescue Service.
Batteries placed in your bags of rubbish or left loose in your recycling containers can lead to fires.
When they are punctured or crushed the chemicals inside batteries can combust, starting fires in collection trucks or at waste facility sites and collection vehicles.
We collect household batteries and car batteries as part of the weekly green box service, or you can bring them to our recycling centres.
It is important that batteries are kept separate from other recycling and waste. Please place batteries in a clear tied bag on top of, or next to, your green recycling box. Similarly, car batteries should be placed adjacent to your green recycling box.
If you are getting rid of an item that uses batteries, such as a child’s toy, please remove the batteries where possible. If you are disposing of a lithium-ion battery from a device, please ensure that you tape over the terminals and place in a clear tied bag.
Most retailers and supermarkets selling electrical goods and household batteries now provide in-store collection points.
Click here to find your nearest in-store battery collection point.
Gas canisters cannot be collected as part of your recycling collections because they pose a fire risk when going through the sorting and baling process at our depots. All gas canisters should be taken to your nearest recycling centre.
Aerosols such as deodorants and air fresheners can be collected via your weekly green recycling box collection. We also take aerosols in with the plastics and cans if you have shared recycling bins at your block of flats. However, please ensure all aerosols are fully empty before placing them out for recycling.
Glass bottles and jars should be placed in the green recycling box and separated from your paper, cans and plastics, so crews can easily see them. This helps ensure glass doesn’t go unnoticed and bulked in with the wrong materials, as broken glass causes significant contamination problems.
Broken glass, or other types of glass including sheet glass and drinking glasses should be wrapped to be made safe and placed in your bags of rubbish.
Vapes placed in your bags of rubbish or left loose in your recycling containers can lead to fires.
Remove the battery from rechargeable vapes and recycle with other batteries. The rest should be recycled with small electricals.
Please remember, batteries and small electricals must be presented in separate clear loosely tied bags on top of, or next to, your green box for collection with your recycling.
You can also take vapes to your nearest recycling centre. Some retailers and major supermarkets also offer recycling points in store.
Click here to find your nearest in-store collection point. (Please note this is an external website and is not maintained by B&NES Council. We advise contacting the store before taking these recyclables to their in-store collection point.)
Please sort your recycling to avoid contamination as this helps reduce the amount of time our vehicles spend blocking roads.
Reduced contamination ensures that we collect a higher quality product for UK markets. Well-sorted recycling will also mean that crews will not handle any dangerous objects, such as broken glass and medical sharps that have been incorrectly presented for recycling collection.
Click here to a watch a video on the best way to easily sort your recycling for collection.
Please make sure you park with enough space for a truck to get through.
Cars that are not parked properly will slow down collections and may make some streets impossible to collect resulting in missed collections. Remember, if a recycling truck is unable to get through then a fire engine would also fail to get through in an emergency.