Let's keep recycling!

Essex County Council has 21 recycling centres across Essex, and all 12 district, city and borough councils offer a kerbside recycling collection service. 

Before you visit the recycling centre, we recommend you sort your rubbish at home to make it easier to recycle the different materials.

Before you visit the recycling centre

Sort your rubbish into categories:

• paper and cardboard
• plastics
• metals
• garden waste
• electricals
• textiles
• general rubbish

Don’t forget to remove anything that could contaminate the waste (such as plant pots from garden waste, or food from packaging).

It’s important to remove batteries from items before throwing them away to help prevent fires. If you are unable to remove the batteries easily, for example from an electric toothbrush or children’s toy, then the whole item should be placed in the small electricals container to be recycled.

Over 1,200 fires were caused by batteries at recycling centres or in waste vehicles last year alone. If you are unsure on whether your item has batteries in, please speak to a member of staff who will be happy to assist.

Top tip: bag or box up your items to make it easier to unload

When you arrive on site

You must book a slot to visit an Essex County Council recycling centre. When you arrive on site, you will be checked in by a member of staff.

To make your visit more efficient:

• place items in the correct containers
• follow signage and guidance from staff
• remove anything that could contaminate the waste
• report any hazardous waste to staff, such as chemical waste or batteries

Recycling centre improvements

Over the past few years, recycling centres have introduced new schemes and initiatives to help improve the recycling rate in Essex and to make it easier to recycle and reuse more materials.

Various recycling centres now offer:

• coffee pod recycling
• rigid plastic recycling
• medical aid recycling
• paint reuse
• donation points for large electrical appliances

Working together for a cleaner, greener Essex

Check out how you can make the most of your recycling centre visit, and don’t forget to read our community guidelines so you know what to expect.

Thanks for taking the time to recycle. Together, we can all make a difference.