From 31 March 2026, the Government made some changes to household bin collections across England as part of its Simpler Recycling initiative. In Surrey, the changes mean that more items can now go in your recycling bin. Here’s our guide to the new items… Tetra Pak cartons such as juice and soup cartons Wherever you live in Surrey, you can… Continue Reading Which new items can go in my recycling bin due to Simpler Recycling?

Easter celebrations can generate significant amounts of waste, this quick and simple guide outlines how to manage your waste responsibly over the Easter period. Be egg-stra mindful with your food waste Tonnes of food goes to waste every Easter, including an estimated 3,000 tonnes of chocolate! Plan ahead to avoid overbuying, get creative with leftovers using our delicious recipes, and… Continue Reading Your guide to waste and recycling this Easter

As we’ve moved closer to the introduction of changes to household bin collections as part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling initiative, some sections of the media have been reporting misleading claims about what’s happening.   As a partnership between Surrey’s district and borough councils, whose job it is to collect household waste, and Surrey County Council, which is responsible for disposing of household waste, we’re best placed to give you the facts about Simpler Recycling in Surrey.  MYTH… Continue Reading Busting the myths of Simpler Recycling in Surrey

Great news – your bins just got better! From 31 March 2026 you will be able to put more into your mixed recycling bin. In Surrey, aerosol cans, cartons, foil, non-black plastic plant pots and squeezy metal and plastic tubes will be able to go in your mixed recycling bin wherever you live in Surrey. Just follow these simple steps… Continue Reading New items for your recycling bin

Every year, 4.4 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away from UK homes, costing residents a staggering £17 billion per year, which is £1,000 a year for a family of four.   Food Waste Action Week is a national campaign created with the aim to halve food waste by 2030. By preventing food waste and recycling anything that can’t be eaten, we can unlock more value from the… Continue Reading Make your food go further this Food Waste Action Week

Good question! And we can understand why you ask, with regular media reports about what happens to waste produced in the UK. Well, we’re going to tell you… First, as the recently published Surrey Waste Tracker shows, 85% of Surrey’s waste stays in the UK to be treated, whether that’s recycled into something new or turned into energy. When it’s… Continue Reading What happens to Surrey’s waste?

Surrey County Council (SCC) has launched the Surrey Schools Waste Engagement Grant Scheme for primary schools in Surrey. Through the scheme, SCC will support schools to educate their children and the wider community about waste reduction and recycling. The scheme will also fund schools to contribute to or deliver projects that benefit their school environment. The funding, which will be… Continue Reading Waste engagement grant scheme for Surrey primary schools launches

We recently published the Surrey Waste Tracker, which shows that, on average, Surrey households produce 444.8kg of rubbish per year. That’s the weight of three panda bears! But we’re doing OK compared to the average in England, which is 511kg or, as we prefer to measure it, six kangaroos. It means that we’re in 8th place in the league table… Continue Reading Let’s keep Surrey a low-waste county

Not much! The latest figures in the Surrey Waste Tracker show that just 0.2% of Surrey’s total waste goes to landfill. And that’s a good thing, because environmentally it’s the worst thing to do with waste. In this article, we’re going to look at what landfill is, why it’s sometimes necessary and what the picture looks like across the country. … Continue Reading How much of Surrey’s waste goes to landfill?

Our recently published Surrey Waste Tracker has shown that Surrey is in joint 2nd place out of 29 similar local authorities in England for the proportion of household waste that it recycles. At 54.5%, it’s a success that comes down to great work from Surrey’s residents, the district and borough councils, which collect the material and Surrey County Council, which… Continue Reading How you can keep Surrey at the top of the recycling league table