Where Does My Kerbside Recycling Go?

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WHERE DOES MY KERBSIDE RECYCLING GO?

MRWA have contracted with resource management company Veolia to sort and secure markets for target recyclable materials collected at the kerbside and from our household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).

    • Veolia send the sorted materials to different reprocessing companies who use the materials to produce items that include everything from home insulation products to producing tomorrow’s new newspapers.
    • Mixed recyclable materials collected at the kerbside and HWRCs across Merseyside and Halton are sent to two ‘Materials Recovery Facilities’ or ‘MRFs’ – one at Bidston on the Wirral and one at Gillmoss near Liverpool.
    • The vast majority of the recyclable material sorted at the MRFs remains within the UK, reprocessed into quality recycled products.
    • A small proportion of Merseyside and Halton’s materials are exported internationally in compliance with stringent market export requirements, to approved facilities ensuring the management of our materials to the highest standards.

    The destinations for recovered recyclable materials changes regularly according to market demands – outlets for recycling will be dictated to by the market and so some of the outlets and their locations may vary. Find out below what happens to the materials.

  • GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS

    Are turned into glass cullet used in the production of glass insulation products.  Recovered glass is currently sent to Veolia’s reprocessing plant in St Helens.

    CARDBOARD

    Is pulped and recycled into new cardboard and cardboard packaging products, lower grade paper products and animal bedding. The majority of recovered cardboard is processed in the North West and some in Germany.

    FOOD TINS

    Cans are melted to remove impurities and made into steel and steel products. Steel cans are currently sent to several reprocessors around the UK and Europe, including Bootle, the Midlands, Swansea, Warrington and Germany.

    DRINK CANS

    Cans are shredded and then melted down and recycled back into aluminium products. Aluminium cans are currently sent for reprocessing in Warrington, the Midlands and Germany.

    PAPER

    High grade paper is recycled into newspapers, magazines and pamphlets paper stock. Mixed paper is pulped and recycled into lower grade paper products. Recovered paper is currently sent for reprocessing to facilities in Greater Manchester and Germany.

    PLASTIC BOTTLES

    Are recycled to produce numerous products including new bottles, pipes, fibres, food trays etc. Plastic bottles are predominantly sent for reprocessing in Veolia’s own plastics recycling facility in the South East.