Contents

• Blue bin - recycling
• Green bin - Food and garden waste
• Black bin - non-recyclable waste 
• Bin Hygiene 
• Recycling and waste statistics
• Recycling rates
• Bin emptied on time

Ever wondered what happens to your recycling and waste?

Watch the processes in RECAP's videos: See what happens to your recycling.

Waste collection authority

The Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSWS) between South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City council empty residents' bins. This means that we are the waste collection authority. Once collected, our bin lorries drop off recycling and waste at waste transfer stations. This is the case for all three of the waste streams that we collect – that is material inside blue, green, and black bins.

Waste disposal authority

Cambridgeshire County Council is the waste disposal authority. This means that Cambridgeshire County Council hold the contract for the onward processing or disposal of green and black bin waste.

The waste collection authorities (including Greater Cambridge Shared Waste) within the Recycle for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough partnership jointly procure the contracts for the processing of blue bin recycling materials as part of a strategic partnership. Each waste collection authority then has their own recycling processing contract.

Blue bin - recycling

Blue bin lorries collect mixed recycling. When the blue bin lorries are full, the mixed recycling is collected from a transfer station in Waterbeach and taken to a sorting plant, called a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at Re-GEN Waste, in Newry, Northern Ireland. 

Once at the MRF, a variety of magnets, eddy currents (reverse magnets), size-sorting equipment and conveyor belts separate the different materials. The materials are then baled and sold to processors who melt, pulp or crush them to make new products. 

Our contract specifies that UK markets should be given preference where possible. Between April 2023 and March 2024, 82% of the recyclable material that the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste service collected was sent to UK re-processors for recycling. For plastics, this figure was 100% with no plastic leaving the UK. 

The remaining material (18%) is large cardboard and some mixed paper which was exported. This is fully tracked in accordance with strict guidance from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This is recorded on the national Waste Data Flow website. Materials are only sent to sites which have a permit to recycle them legally.

Green bin - food and garden waste

The waste from your green bin is taken to Thalia Waste Management at Waterbeach, where it goes through an intensive 'in-vessel' composting process. The resulting soil conditioner is sold for local agriculture

Householders can also collect soil conditioner free of charge.

Black bin - non-recyclable waste 

Black bin waste which is not recyclable is also taken to Thalia Waste Management at Waterbeach. Find out more information on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.

Bin Hygiene

Bins can get smelly in warm weather, attracting flies. In cold weather, the contents can freeze, which can mean we are unable to empty your bin.

Managing your waste carefully can prevent these problems, below are some suggestions:

• Wrapping food waste and bagging all other waste will help keep your bins clean.
• You can rinse your bins out with detergent, or use a bin-cleaning service.
• If possible, store your wheeled bin out of direct sunlight, as the sun will warm up the bin, increase the smell and attract flies.
• Ensure that all bin lids are kept closed. If your bin is damaged or missing, we can arrange a repair or replacement.

Frozen bins

Wetter items, including food and garden waste, can freeze to the inside of wheelie bins during cold spells. If this happens, they won’t empty properly when collectors tip the bin into refuse trucks. If this happens, we are unable to return to empty the bin(s) so please bring it/them back onto your property and put it/them out for collection on the next scheduled collection day. Here are some tips to help prevent your bins from freezing:

• Wrap food waste in paper – newspaper will do, or you can buy paper liners.
• Put a piece of cardboard at the bottom of the empty bin – do this in cold spells only, as normally cardboard should go in the blue bin.
• Put your bin out at each collection, even if it is only half full – this reduces the likelihood that you will be left with a full bin if it freezes.
• Place a small stick under the lid to prevent the lid from fully closing and becoming frozen shut.
• If possible, place your bin in the sun during the day, or close to a wall.

If your bin has not been fully emptied because the contents are partially frozen - and you need to dispose of extra rubbish or garden waste - you can take it to the recycling centres in Milton or Thriplow. 

Recycling and waste statistics

Our shared waste service’s performance is measured using 2 indicators: recycling rate and percentage of bins collected on time.

Our household waste and recycling policies and procedures [PDF, 0.3MB] document contains details of our waste and recycling collection services, including how and when residents need to present their bins for emptying. Please note that failure to comply with our requirements for setting out waste and recycling for collection could result in a fixed penalty. The household duty of care placed on you can be found in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 34 (2A) and Section 5 of the Waste Duty of Care: Code of Practice.

Weight of recycling and waste collected per household

The table below shows the volume of material collected by bin colour, shown as weight (in kilograms) per household. 

Recycling rate

The recycling rate is the percentage of blue and green bin recycling, versus black bin.

Quarterly recycling performance

Bins emptied on time

The table below shows the percentage of bins that were collected on their scheduled day.