Recycling Champions

Recycling Champion activities

The Recycling Champion role is very informal. It involves giving some of your time to attend a training session and receive an information pack with useful items that you can then pass on to others. The role of a Recycling Champion is to provide advice and guidance to people in your local community about reducing waste, reusing, and recycling items and reducing our impact on the natural environment.

There are many ways to do this, for example:

• Helping others know how to use their green recycling bin
• Helping our Recycling and Waste Advisors at recycling events
• Distributing leaflets or talking to friends and neighbours
• Explaining where to take items that can be reused
• Answering questions and signposting people towards information, recycling centres, and reuse options
• Sharing your tips and knowledge - we can also put these in our Recycling Bulletin that reaches thousands of residents
• Keep us updated on your activities.

Support you will receive

We want to help you to feel prepared, informed, and enjoy your Recycling Champion role. We will offer you:

• A comprehensive induction training when you begin
• Updates and information on new council schemes and initiatives
• PPE including:
  • hi viz vest
  • gloves
  • litter pickers
  • bags
• Contact with the team via a dedicated email address. This will be provided during your training.
• Opportunities to meet and work alongside the Recycling and Waste Advisors in your area. Details will be provided when you start.

Support from the Recycling Team

Within Kirklees, we have a dedicated Recycling Team that supports the Waste Strategy. The Recycling Team consists of two Recycling Officers, 12 Recycling and Waste Advisors and a Delivery Driver. The team is split into two working groups to cover north and south Kirklees. The Advisors work in pairs covering allocated sections of Kirklees.

Recycling team duties

• Monitoring the local glass and recycling sites
• Working alongside the collection crews to monitor residents' green recycling bins
• Face to face advice to residents on recycling and bin use
• Working with schools and colleges on recycling education
• Attending Scouting/Guiding groups with recycling education
• Engagement with community groups and attending events
• Partnership work with Kirklees Homes & Neighbourhoods Teams, Cleansing Operations, Greenspace Action Team, and Private Housing.

Recycling, reusing and reducing waste

Please find below some useful recycling, waste, and reuse information that you can share with others and that you can use as a starting point to find out more:

Green Bin - For clean, dry recyclables

Paper

Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, envelopes (plastic windows removed), cardboard, telephone directories, books (hard covers removed).

During the recycling process, paper is graded, compressed, and sent to a paper mill to be turned into pulp. It is then rolled and dried before being turned into new paper products.

Plastic bottles

Recyclable plastic bottles (caps removed) such as milk, pop, and cleaning products.

After sorting, the recyclable plastics are shredded, washed, dried, and melted. The end product is then stored until it is ready to be reused.

Metal

Drink, food and empty aerosol cans.

Aluminium and steel can be recycled endlessly without loss of quality. Once separated and cleaned, the cans are melted into large casts and the metal is then used again... and again. A perfect closed-loop material.

Grey Bin - For household waste

The waste from the grey bins is taken to the Energy from Waste Facility, incinerated and the energy produced is then converted into electricity that runs the facility. Any extra is sold to green energy companies who use it instead of fossil or other fuel sources, saving natural resources. As part of the Waste Strategy the future 'heat network' will also allow us to harness this energy to power local businesses.

Brown Bin (chargeable service)

Garden waste collections are every two weeks and run for ten months of the year, with a winter break in December and January. More information can be found on brown bins

Grass, tree and hedge clippings, weeds, plants, flowers, leaves, twigs, bark, and small branches can be placed in a brown bin.

Reducing waste

It is better for the environment to reduce waste by recycling, reusing, or composting.

• Food waste - avoid waste by planning meals and freezing leftovers.
• Hard to recycle plastics - Buy loose fruit/veg, use a reusable bag, turn plastic trays into storage containers
• Paper, card, plastic bottles, tins and cans - Buy in bulk to reduce packaging, reuse bottles and boxes.
• Glass - Reuse glass jars for storage, take to a bring bank or a Household Waste and Recycling Centre.
• Garden Waste - Compost at home or take to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre
• Textiles, furniture, and small electrical items - support reuse by looking for items in charity shops, donate to charities, or repair/upcycle.
• Other difficult to recycle items - There are often reusable alternatives for lots of difficult to recycle items. Why not try washable nappies, reusable face wipes, and exfoliator pads!?
• Composting - Used to dispose of most food peelings and garden waste. Composters come in a variety of sizes and costs to suit individual circumstances and the space available. Find out more at composting
• Gardening and Allotments - There are approximately 1,874 allotments for rent in Kirklees. To register visit gardening and allotments. You can also access a map to find one near to you.
• Save Food Workshops - These sessions provide cooking demonstrations and tips on reducing food waste to save money. Book online at food waste

Other recycling methods

Glass Recycling

Currently, glass (except Pyrex and plate glass) is collected at local bottle banks throughout Kirklees. Many can be found at supermarkets. You can find your nearest glass banks online at where's my nearest.

Household Waste & Recycling Centres

You can recycle over 13 different types of items at these centres including paint, wood, and textiles. To use these centres, you must be a Kirklees resident and have registered your vehicle online. Find out more about our household waste recycling sites.

Bulky Collections

A low-cost collection service. Kirklees Passport holders receive a 50% discount and households who receive assisted bin collections can get 2 free collections each year.

Items collected include white goods, furniture, carpets, electrical items, bagged turf, soil/rubble. For more information visit bulky household waste

Charity shops also collect many reusable bulky items for free.

Upcycling - The Reuse Shop

As part of the Kirklees Waste Strategy we plan to trial a reuse shop in Huddersfield with our charity partner. Residents can donate to the shop and also purchase upcycled items at a reduced price. See our website for up-to-date information.

Where to recycle other items

Supermarkets collect household batteries, glass, and many now collect plastic packaging such as bread bags and crisp packets for recycling. There are also Terracycle collection points all around Kirklees. For more information, visit Terracycle

Find out what to do with your unwanted items or rubbish at recycling items

Activities and resources

• Organise a litter picking group
  • Unfortunately, litter can find its way into all sorts of unwanted places; it might be blown by the wind or carelessly / unknowingly dropped by passers-by. Litter picking is often a popular activity to help keep the area where you live clean and tidy.
  • Before you begin, we recommend getting in touch with an established litter picking group in your area or gaining advice on how to safely set up your own group.
• Keep Britain Tidy has excellent safety guidance on litter picking: Keep Britain Tidy
• Natural Kirklees has a list of litter buster groups in Kirklees and advice on insurance: Natural Kirklees To support clean up activities, we will provide free bin liners, litter pickers, gloves and hi viz vests.
• Hiring a free community skip
  • Community skips are free to community groups and volunteers who are helping to clear up public land.
  • To request a skip please contact the Recycling Advisor for your area.

Reporting issues

As a Recycling Champion, you might come across issues in your community that need reporting. These might be about missed bin collections, fly-tipping, street lighting, or bins left out on the pavements.

To report a problem with roads and highways, litter and graffiti, flytipping or a missed bin please report a problem.

If you don't have access to a computer then please call

01484 414700