We're making some changes to make recycling easier and more efficient.
Recycling boxes and blue recycling bins will no longer be collected separately. Instead, all recyclable materials will be collected together in a single vehicle.
If you currently use both a recycling box and a blue recycling bin, you can place all of your recyclable materials into your blue recycling bin if you prefer. There will no longer be a need to separate materials between two containers.
A small number of households that currently use recycling boxes only will continue to receive the existing service. This is usually where bins are not suitable, such as on some terraced streets. If any changes are possible for these properties, affected residents will be contacted directly.
These changes will help make collections more efficient while continuing to support recycling across the city.
Recycling updates
Why is my recycling going into the same wagon?
All recyclable materials are now collected together in the same vehicle. This makes the service more efficient and makes recycling simpler for residents.
Will I get a new recycling bin?
No. If you currently use both a blue recycling bin and a recycling box, you can now place all your recycling in the blue bin and no longer need to use the recycling box.
I have a recycling box. What do I do?
If you have both a recycling box and a blue recycling bin, you can use your blue bin for all recycling. If you only have a recycling box, you should continue using it as normal unless contacted directly by the council.
Will you take the old boxes away?
No. The council will not be collecting recycling boxes back. Residents can keep them, reuse them, or take them to the Household Waste Recycling Centre for recycling.
What if my blue bin isn't large enough?
Side waste will continue to be accepted in line with the current service arrangements.
When does the change take effect?
The change is effective immediately - from August 2026.
General recycling questions
Who processes our recycling?
All household recycling from Stoke-on-Trent is sent to Bespoke Recycling Ltd, our contracted Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). This is a UK‑based plant where all your mixed recycling (fully co‑mingled) is sorted into individual materials such as:
- paper
- cardboard
- metals
- plastics
- glass
We pay a gate fee for this sorting service, which is normal for councils that operate co‑mingled collections.
What happens to the sorted materials?
After sorting:
- Clean, good‑quality materials are sold to reprocessors who turn them into new products.
- The majority of these materials stay within the UK, although some may be sold to international markets, but only where it is permitted under UK and EU waste export regulations.
- Contaminated or non‑recyclable items cannot be recycled and are sent for Energy-from-Waste (EfW) treatment—not landfill.
Any overseas exports carried out by Bespoke are regulated, legal, and must meet strict standards ensuring materials are actually recycled and not dumped.
Does our waste get dumped overseas?
No. Our contractor is legally required to ensure any material sent abroad is:
- properly sorted
- traceable
- compliant with waste export law
- going to legitimate recycling facilities
We also receive regular reports on end‑destinations to ensure compliance.
Do we send waste to landfill?
We operate a zero‑to‑landfill policy.
Only around 0.2% of ash residue from the EfW process (which cannot be recovered) goes to landfill. Everything else is:
- Recycled (e.g. metals from the bottom ash), or
- Used to generate electricity from waste that cannot be recycled
Why recycling is still necessary?
Even though non-recyclable waste is recovered for energy, recycling remains the best environmental and financial option:
- Recycling uses far less energy than producing materials from raw resources
- It reduces the need for mining, drilling and tree felling
- It cuts carbon emissions It keeps materials in the circular economy
- Recyclables sent to the MRF helps reduce the costs of waste disposal overall - every tonne we send to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) rather than the Energy-from-Waste (EFW) can save monies due to the cost of the EfW being higher than the gate fee at the MRF.
Why does rinsing and sorting recycling matters?
You don’t need to scrub items, just a quick rinse is enough. Clean and sorted recycling:
- Improves the quality of materials
- Reduces contamination
- Ensures more of what you put in the bin is actually recycled
- Reduces the amount sent to EfW