Residents across Colchester are being reminded that tins and cans should no longer be separated from other recyclable materials and must now be placed with their mixed recycling.
Whether you recycle using a mixed recycling bin or clear recycling sacks, food tins, drink cans, aerosols and metal lids can all be recycled alongside paper, cardboard and plastics. Glass remains separate in a green recycling box, with separate bins for food waste, rubbish and garden waste.
The change means recycling from home is easier than ever, with no need to sort most of your recycling before collection.
What happens to your mixed recycling?
Recycling collected from homes across Colchester is taken to a modern Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where advanced sorting technology separates paper, cardboard, plastics and metals for recycling.
Because this sorting takes place at the facility, residents can place these materials together in their mixed recycling, making the process quicker and more convenient and creating a more efficient collection service, while modern sorting facilities ensure materials can still be separated for recycling.
The move to mixed recycling collections was introduced as part of the council's new Recycling and Waste Strategy and reflects the way many modern recycling facilities now process recyclable materials, making recycling simpler for residents while ensuring materials can still be separated efficiently for onward recycling.
A new way to recycle at home
Thanks to the introduction of the new recycling service from June 2026, metal items such as food tins, drink cans, aerosols and metal lids can now be placed together with paper, cardboard and plastics as part of your mixed recycling. Glass should continue to be placed in your green recycling box as normal.
This change makes recycling easier and more convenient, while ensuring recyclable materials can still be sorted and processed efficiently using modern technology.
Cllr Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Neighbourhoods and Leisure, said: "We know residents want recycling to be as straightforward as possible. The good news is that there's no longer any need to separate tins and cans from your other recycling.
"Since the introduction of the new service in June, tins and cans can be placed alongside paper, cardboard and plastics as part of your mixed recycling. It means one less thing for residents to think about when recycling at home.
"The message is simple: tins and cans should now be placed with your mixed recycling, whether that's in a recycling bin or clear recycling sacks. The only material that should still be kept separate is glass, which belongs in your green recycling box."
"By making this small change, residents are helping us recycle more efficiently while keeping the service easy to use for households across Colchester."