Recycling

Recycling is important. The world as a whole is using up its available materials - minerals, water, energy- faster than the earth can cope with. Recycling reduces the use of all these elements and the damage which extracting new materials does to the environment through the pollution of rivers, oceans and the atmosphere.

Waste which is not recycled is burnt or buried, which is generally much more expensive than recycling and pushes up the Council Tax. South Northamptonshire area is doing relatively well with recycling. The amount of waste per head we send for incineration is the 25th lowest in the country, but what we do send still contains a lot of material that could have been recycled. So there is scope to do better.

Helmdon now has a dedicated Parish Recycling Warden - Phillip Ward. The Warden's role is to:

• Provide support for individuals who are uncertain about how to recycle a wide range of items;
• liaise with West Northants Council and the Northampton Waste Partnership to identify problems with recycling services, raise awareness of recycling campaigns and changes to recycling services;
• engage with local residents to encourage more recycling.

To contact the Parish Recycling Warden please click here.

Recycling Presentation - May 2020 (during Coronavirus lockdown)

Household recycling services are provided by West Northants Council working with Northampton Waste Partnership. The current service is:

Your blue recycling bin

• Your blue bin is emptied once a fortnight. Click here for 2022 recycling & waste collection calendar (PDF, 344 Kb) Helmdon is in the west region.
• Items go in loose, give your cans, plastics, cartons, glass bottles and jars a quick rinse before putting in the bin
• You can leave lids and labels on and you don't need to remove the window from envelopes
• extra recycling left next to the blue bin in a box or bag (not black bags) will also be collected
• Recycle batteries by putting them in a small, clear bag on top of (not in) your bins
• Small electrical or battery powered items like kettles, toasters and toys that can fit into a standard size carrier bag can be placed on top of (not in) your bins for recycling
• You can download a poster of what to put in your blue bin here.

What to put in your blue recycling bin:

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Paper (see note below regarding receipts printed on thermal paper)
• Leaflets
• Envelopes (with windows)
• Shredded paper
• Catalogues
• Cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars
• Cans and tins
• Plastic bottles
• Plastic tubs
• Plastic trays
• Plastic pots
• Cartons
• Foil, foil trays
• Aerosols

What NOT to put in your blue recycling bin:

• Carrier bags
• Cling film
• Wrappers
• Nappies
• Drinking glasses
• Pyrex
• Cups
• Plates
• Textiles
• Bedding
• Pet food pouches
• Crisp packets
• Flower pots
• Polystyrene
• Toys
• Wood

Note: Till receipts, ATM receipts and similar documents are often printed on thermal paper. Thermal paper has a special coating and chemicals from this coating can contaminate recycled paper. Also, burning thermal paper can release unpleasant chemicals into the atmosphere.
It may be best NOT to recycle or burn thermal paper. This is a complicated subject but you could look at (for example) https://wastelandrebel.com/en/why-you-shouldnt-recycle-receipts/

Your green garden waste bin

• Your green bin is emptied once a fortnight, providing the subscription has been paid. Click here for 2022 recycling & waste collection calendar (PDF, 344 Kb) Helmdon is in the west region.
• We don't collect extra garden waste, we will only take what is inside your green bin
• The lifting arms on our vehicles have a weight limit so if your bin is too heavy we can't empty it. To avoid this, don't squash too much waste into your bin and never put any soil or stones in with your garden waste.
• If you regularly have too much garden waste you can have an extra green bin for £30 a year
• You can download a poster of what to put in your green bin here

What to put in your green garden waste bin:

• Grass cuttings
• Pet straw
• Untreated sawdust
• Cut flowers
• Branches
• Leaves
• Hedge trimmings
• Weeds

What NOT to put in your green garden waste bin:

• Soil
• Stones
• Bricks
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Textiles
• Flower pots
• Plastic bags
• Cat or dog waste
• Fats and oils

Other Recycling

There are Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) - commonly called tips - at Farthinghoe and Towcester. These take a wide range of materials for recycling - see the links below- and also have facilities to make items available for reuse which is an even better option where possible.