More environmental news, features and information for Greater Peterborough - www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/green

What items can I leave in my recycling bin?
Householders can place the following items in their green bins:

• Paper and cardboard


• Plastic bottles (wash, squash and tops off, please)


• Aerosols


• Fruit juice type cartons


• Drink and food cans made from aluminium and steel


• Glass bottles and jars (but not Pyrex-type heat-treated cookware, window glass or drinking glasses)

Brown bins should be used to recycle organic garden material such as:

• Grass cuttings


• Leaves


• Shrubs


• Weeds and dead flowers


• Hedge trimmings and prunings

Details from www.65percentplus.co.uk/What-we-can-recycle last updated 16 April 2009.

More recycling questions answered: www.65percentplus.co.uk/FAQs


Trade waste and recycling collections
It is illegal to put waste from a business into a domestic bin. The city council can arrange for waste produced by local companies to be collected and removed for recycling and disposal.


More green ways of disposing of rubbish
IT's not just throwaway paper and cola cans that can be recycled – there is an environmentally-conscious way to get rid of almost everything.

Engine oil
One litre of oil can pollute a million litres of fresh drinking water. The Environment Agency has set up an oil care campaign to help oil users to dispose of oil responsibly. The helpline provides advice and gives details of your nearest oil recycling bank. This information can also be found by calling 0800 663366 or visit www.oilbankline.org.uk.

Glasses
Unwanted glasses can be taken to either Dolland and Aitchinson opticians or Help the Aged stores.

You can also send spectacles in good condition (no broken frames or bifocals) to the charity Vision Aid Overseas, 12 The Bell Centre, Newton Road, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex. RH10 2FZ enclosing a compliments slip, so that they know who to thank.

From there they are sorted and cleaned and then passed on to a charity such as The World Sight Appeal or Vision Aid Oversees, who donate them to people in developing countries.

Composting: Vegetable peel, banana skins, human hair
About a third of the average household refuse bin is made up of waste that could be composted.

Composting saves money – there's no need to fork out on commercial products from garden centres.

Home-made compost makes an excellent soil conditioner and a rich source of plant food.

It's easy, and free! You can build a compost bin from old pallets or wood posts and wire mesh netting lined with old carpet or thick cardboard.

Cover this with a wooden lid or old carpet to keep the rain out and heat in. Items ripe for composting include kitchen waste, such as fruit skins and vegetable peelings, tea bags, coffee grounds and crushed egg shells.

Garden waste, such as grass cuttings and old plants and flowers, crumpled or shredded card and waste paper – including cardboard tubes and egg boxes. Wood ash – but not coal, and human hair and animal fur.

More local recycling information and tips online:

Recycling Consortium - www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk.

Peterborough City Council: Rubbish, Waste and Recycling information - www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-233

Frequently asked recycling questions - www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-9639.

Recycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough - www.recap.co.uk/recycling.aspx.

Reduce Reuse Recycle - Your Green Guide - www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: How to Recycle Different Materials - www.recycling-guide.org.uk/rrr.html.

The Environment Agency: Recycling - www.environment-agency.gov.uk.

More links on www.65percentplus.co.uk/Useful-links.

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