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Pompey Recycling Scheme

Portsmouth started its recycling scheme in the early 1990’s with the introduction of Supermarket collection banks for glass and paper.  The kerbside scheme was implemented in 1994 and called ‘Box it!’.  ‘Box it!’ included the collection of glass bottles and jars along with paper, card, food and drink cans and plastic bottles.  Because of the problems discovered at the paper mills, glass dust was causing paper to be contaminated, the decision was made not to collect glass in the kerbside collection.

Recent years have seen a higher media profile in the environment and climate change and now almost all households in Portsmouth take part in the Pompey Recycling Scheme and campaigns and projects run by the Waste Management Department are helping to increase the amount we are recycling as a city.

Taking part is easy – all you have to do is a bit of sorting. If everyone in the city puts in a little effort we can make a big impact on the waste problem and help Portsmouth reach targets set by Central Government of 25% recycling.  

What can be recycled?

You can recycle the following items from your house or flat under the Pompey Recycling Scheme:

Paper

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Scrap paper – not shredded paper
• Envelopes
• Catalogues – not yellow pages

Card

• Cereal packets
• Cardboard packaging 
• Greeting cards
• Envelopes

Food and drink cans

• Please rinse these out first

Plastic bottles only – but not lids please

• Plastic milk cartons
• Drinks bottles
• Detergent or shampoo bottles

What can’t be recycled at home?

Unfortunately, we can’t take:

Plastic packaging that's not a bottle

• Yoghurt pots 
• Plastic trays
• Plastic lids from bottles
• Margarine tubs
• Any other plastics
• Cling film
• Polystyrene
• Glass
• Aerosol cans
• Aluminium foil
• Yellow Pages
• Bulky metal items

It’s important that you only recycle particular things through your recycling collection - just because an item displays the recycling triangle doesn’t mean we can take it!  In order for us to recycle things in an environmentally-friendly way there needs to be a market for them.   We’re continuing to develop markets for different material types, but it’s important that, for now, you only recycle cans, card, plastic bottles and paper from home.  

Anything we cannot recycle that goes into your recycling bin or box will incur additional costs once it has been rejected from the Material Recovery Facility.  As we will have to then pay for it to be sent to the incinerator. If in doubt, leave it out!

Some items are too bulky or hazardous to be collected from your home. You can take glass and textiles to your nearest neighbourhood recycling point and other items, such as garden waste and metal, to the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Port Solent.

• Guide to recycling paper and card  (0.14 MB)

• Guide to recycling food and drink cans  (0.15 MB)

• What items can I recycle?  (0.14 MB)

• Where does my recycling go?  (0.27 MB)

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