by Angela Cotton
Several HCERA residents attended the 27 January meeting on recycling with Katie from the City Council’s waste team, organised by the Leaside Way Residents Association. Katie explained what could and couldn’t be put in recycling. Plastic containers must be bottle shaped (pots, tubs and trays can’t be recycled at present but that may change in the future). Window envelopes are fine. Cardboard should have Sellotape removed if there is lots of it, but removing every last bit is not essential. Glass of the wrong type (plates, glasses, pyrex, returnable milk bottles) shouldn’t go in the glass box. There is a “20% tolerance” on inappropriate items, but loads can be inspected and will be rejected if too contaminated. Food waste collections will be introduced at some point in the future. Katie reminded us that Southampton residents can use the Hampshire recycling sites (our nearest one is Eastleigh) so long as vehicles are registered with them. Finally, we were reminded that recycling should be the last resort, with repair and reuse better options.