What goes in your bins

Sometimes recycling collected by us is refused at the sorting plant due to the wrong items being put in blue lidded recycling bins. Dirty items also results in nearly a thousand tonnes of recycling being thrown away each year.

If you have unwanted clothes or shoes, giving them to a charity shop is an excellent way of reusing items rather than throwing them away. Wearable clothes and shoes donated to charity shops are sold to raise money for good causes or sent overseas to those in need.

Items can also be placed in any of the 30 recycling banks located throughout Enfield, or taken to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre in Winchmore Hill for reuse or recycling.

As well as recycling unwanted clothing, you can reuse and recycle other textiles such as:

• towels
• sheets
• bedding
• blankets
• soft furnishings

We do not accept dirty items or any of the below items if they are placed in your blue lidded recycling bin:

For tips on how to recycle right, see our recycling leaflet (PDF).

What happens if you contaminate your blue lidded recycling bin

If you contaminate your bin once:

• it will not be emptied and will be given a sticker stating the reason
• you will need to remove the incorrect items from your bin in order for the recycling to be collected on your next scheduled collection day
• a warning letter specifying that you are in breach of section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act, will be sent to your address if your bin contained nappies, food waste, textiles and bags of general waste.

If you contaminate your bin again within a 12-month period, the above actions will be taken once more. We may also decide to serve a Notice of Intent to issue a £60 Fixed Penalty Notice on the occupier. You will still be given a sticker on your bin and will need to remove the incorrect items before your next collection day.

Recycling contamination policy (PDF)

Rubbish and recycling FAQs (PDF)

What can go in your food recycling caddy

• Fish and meat bones
• 100% compostable liners (with the seedling logo)
• Cooked and uncooked food (including meat)
• Egg shells
• General food waste
• Coffee grounds

What can't go in your food recycling caddy

• Plastic bags or liners
• General rubbish (e.g. packaging)
• Garden waste (including leaves, house plants and soil)
• Pet waste
• Liquids (e.g. oil, milk)

Stopping smells

To help with any smells, use hot water or a fragranced cleaning product to regularly rinse your caddies and deter flies. Your smaller silver kitchen caddy is dishwasher safe.

You should also:

• put food waste in a 100% compostable liner, compostable paper bag or wrap tightly in newspaper
• squeeze the air out of compostable bags that contain food before they are tied and put in the outdoor caddy
• keep caddy lids closed and secure using the handle
• keep the caddy out of direct sunlight in hot weather to avoid heating the waste
• not leave food waste lying around the home before putting it in the caddy

By following the advice above, you should reduce the chance of finding flies and maggots in your caddies.

Reducing food waste

You can reduce the food waste you produce and save money by following some simple tips:

• plan your food shop, and check what food you already have in the kitchen
• write a shopping list on your phone or in a notepad and stick to it
• make your food last longer by improving your food storage methods, e.g. set your fridge to the correct temperature and store vegetables in a cool dark place
• use any leftover food to make a new meal or snack. Soups, curries and stir-fries can all be made with leftover veggies, meat and fish.
• freeze food. Bread, cheese, milk and berries can all be frozen

You can view more information about how to prevent waste.

What can go in the shared food waste bin

• Compostable bags (with the seed logo)
• Cooked and uncooked food (including meat)
• Egg shells
• General food waste
• Fish and meat bones
• Tea bags and coffee grounds

What can't go in the shared food waste bin

• General rubbish
• General recycling
• Garden waste
• Cooking oil (small amounts of cooking oil may be placed in a sealed container and disposed of in the general rubbish bin or taken to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre. Engine oil may also be taken to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre)
• Dog waste and pet litter
• Shredded paper

For a printable version of this list, see our leaflet (PDF).

We will not collect your shared food waste bin if it contains the wrong items because they may make the other items unsuitable for recycling.

Garden and food waste is taken to a composting facility and turned into fertiliser.

For more information on how items are recycled and composted, visit Recycle Now.

You can throw away rubbish in a:

• grey lidded rubbish bin
• grey rubbish sack
• shared rubbish bin

What can go in your rubbish bin or sack

• Dirty foil (clean foil can be reused)
• Polystyrene
• Pet bedding/feces and pet food pouches
• Pyrex glass and ceramics
• Nappies, tissues and sanitary products
• Plastic film and bags
• Shredded paper

What can't go in your rubbish bin or sack

• Rubble and hardcore (bricks and tiles)
• Items from household building and renovation works
(The two items above can be taken to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre)
• Corrosive products
• Paint
• Oil (small amounts of cooking oil may be placed in a sealed container and disposed of in the general waste bin or taken to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre. Engine oil may also be taken to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre)
• Hazardous waste

For a printable version of this list, see our leaflet (PDF).

You may need to use a black rubbish sack if your flat or estate does not have a shared rubbish bin and you are not given grey rubbish sacks.

You don't need to remove incorrect items from shared bins.

Reducing waste

Here are ways you can reduce the waste in your rubbish bin or sacks:

• recycle all food waste in your brown food recycling bin. This bin is collected weekly. You can recycle all food waste include meat, fish and bones. View the full list of what can be recycled in your food recycling bin.
• use reusable nappies, as disposable nappies generate a lot of waste. Real nappies can help you reduce your waste and save money. We encourage reusable nappies to parents with a baby under eighteen months, or parent-to-be, living in the borough with a £54.15 voucher at Real Nappies.
• your bins should not be used for one off, or large items. These can be taken to Barrowell Green Reuse and Recycling Centre, Winchmore Hill.
• reduce single-use plastic, by
  • using reusable water bottles
  • using paper or metal drinking straws and cutlery
  • buying groceries and other products with less or no plastic packaging
  • shopping with reusable bags instead of buying new plastic bags
  • carrying a reusable coffee cup

What can go in your garden waste bin

• Flowers and plants
• Garden weeds
• Grass cuttings
• Hedge trimmings
• Leaves
• Small twigs and branches

What can't go in your garden waste bin

• Food waste
• Compostable liners
• General household waste
• Stones and plant pots
• Plastic bags or containers
• Soil
• Logs (greater than 10cm in diameter)
• Japanese knotweed (visit GOV.UK for guidance on how to dispose of Japanese knotweed and prevent it from spreading)
• Shredded paper
• Manufactured wood (treated or untreated)
• Dog waste and pet litter

All garden waste must be placed loose in the bin.

For a list of what can be recycled in each room of you home, view Recycling by room.