Effective use of recycling centres means better sustainability for your household waste, as more of it enters the correct waste streams.

At ETM Recycling, our goal is to help you recycle as much as possible, while minimising the amount of hassle on your end. That’s why this article will explain the importance of recycling locally, the Bristol recycling centres available, what materials can be recycled, and how to make it easier on yourself.

Waste won’t fit in your car? Book a skip!

 

The Importance of Recycling Locally

Local recycling is the most effective and efficient way for households to process their recyclable waste, especially in bulk quantities or for specialist items like electricals that may not be collectable at the kerbside.

The main reason for this heightened effectiveness is sustainability. Without the need to ship your recyclables far away, you’ll cut down on the emissions produced through transportation.

With that said, there are still benefits to kerbside collection – since that involves one vehicle collecting waste from many houses, the carbon footprint will often be lower. But since it isn’t always a viable solution for your waste, visiting a recycling centre gives you a great alternative option.

 

What Bristol Recycling Centres Are There?

The three main recycling centres in Bristol are:

  • Avonmouth – open Friday-Tuesday
  • Hartcliffe Way – open Wednesday-Sunday
  • St Philips – open Saturday-Wednesday

Each of these recycling centres are open for 5 days a week, closed on the Christmas and New Year bank holidays, and have the following opening hours:

  • Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm
  • Saturday-Sunday: 8am to 4pm

How to Visit a Recycling Centre

First, it’s important to note that you need to book in advance and register your vehicle. This can be done anywhere between 2 weeks before you intend to go to the centre, or as close as 1 hour beforehand. You can book via the Bristol government website.

You must arrive at least 5 minutes before your booking time, and your slot will last for 15 minutes. It’s important to separate your waste beforehand, as this will prevent delays and ensure a speedy process.

There are also some restrictions on what can be recycled at a Bristol recycling centre – with special considerations for waste from DIY and construction.

 

What Materials can be Recycled at a Bristol Recycling Centre?

For standard household waste, you can recycle a large range of items at a Bristol recycling centre, without a cap on visits or quantities. Some key items include:

  • Batteries (e.g. car, general)
  • Cardboard and paper
  • Plastics
  • Textiles (e.g. clothes, carpets, shoes)
  • Glass
  • Furniture (e.g. sofas, mattresses)
  • Fuel, oil, and paint in sealed containers
  • Appliances (e.g. refrigerators, televisions)
  • Metal
  • Wood
  • Hazardous waste (must be checked)
  • Green waste from gardens

Pretty much any waste your household generates can be processed at a Bristol recycling centre, aside from food (which you can recycle at home), single-use plastics (which can usually be recycled at your local supermarket), and non-recyclable waste.

DIY and Construction Waste

Bristol recycling centres do take DIY and construction waste, but there are limits. They only take waste from households, which means no commercial waste will be accepted. Meanwhile, only certain items can be recycled free of charge, the full list of which can be found here.

For soil, rubble, sheets of asbestos and plasterboard, and sanitary ware, there are other considerations:

  • Only four loads of this waste can be brought free of charge within a four-week period i.e. a limit of one load per week. Additional items or loads will be charged at the following rates:
    • Asbestos: £11 per sheet or bag (must be bonded, double wrapped in polythene, and sealed with tape).
    • Plasterboard: £4.50 per sheet or bag of clean plasterboard, £9.50 otherwise.
    • Sanitary ware: £2.90 per item no larger than 2m by 0.75m by 0.7m including items like ceramic toilets and sinks.
  • Bringing multiple types of waste at once will result in the lowest cost one being charged for.
  • Soil and rubble must be separated from other materials and is limited to 100l per load. They must be stored within two 50l bags or smaller equivalents.
  • Asbestos and plasterboard are limited to one sheet per load, while sanitary ware is limited to one item.

 

 

Tips for Efficient Recycling

To save you time and maximise the efficiency of your trips to your local recycling centre, here are some tips.

Use a Skip for Bulk Waste

Repeatedly going back and forth can cost you time and money in fuel, while also lowering the effectiveness of your recycling efforts. Using a skip from ETM Recycling can help manage your waste with ease – especially for construction waste which is charged past a certain amount anyway.

Clean and Separate Your Waste

Before you go to the centre, or dispose of any recyclable waste in general, you should ensure it is cleaned and separated. This will make it easier to process, and save you time sorting it out on site. For cleaning, a rinse will usually do – you don’t need to deep clean your recyclables. However, if they have other types of material attached, it’s usually a good idea to try and remove them (e.g. a metal lid on a glass jar).

Use a Vehicle with Enough Space

If your car doesn’t fit what you need to transport, and you don’t want to book a skip, rather than doing it in multiple trips you can instead hire a vehicle. This will require a permit, and vehicles above 2.4m are limited to the Hartcliffe Way recycling centre, but can help you reduce the time taken to recycle your waste.

Reduce Your Household Waste

If you’re finding yourself needing to recycle waste at a centre often, then you may want to consider reducing the amount of waste you produce in the first place. Being conscious of the products you buy, the waste you generate, and what can be recycled kerbside will help reduce the number of unnecessary trips to the tip.

 

Streamline Your Recycling with ETM

Using your local recycling centres can cut down on costs and time while increasing the sustainability of your recycling efforts. Working with a reliable partner like ETM Recycling takes things a step further. We help you to sort and process your waste, with over 500 tonnes of waste being brought in on our skips every day, 98% of which ends up recycled. Let us help you handle your waste – book a skip today!

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