The Blue Box Recycling Scheme
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Your Blue Box and Blue Bag recycling collections really do help the environment.
Nearly one third of all household waste can be recycled using this service!
North East Derbyshire District Council, in conjunction with AbitibiBowater Incorporated, has been operating a recyclable household waste collection scheme since November 2001 using Blue Boxes & Blue Bags. We have recently expanded the Blue Box recycling collection service, and the scheme is now available to all residents.
As well as helping the environment, you can also help good causes by recycling. For every tonne of paper collected through the scheme £1 is donated to Save the Children by AbitibiBowater! This amounts to several thousand pounds every year that is donated to charity when you use your Blue Bag paper recycling scheme!
Items Collected
The Blue Boxes are for recycling clean food & drinks cans, glass jars & bottles, clean foil trays & aluminium foil and empty aerosols.
The Blue Bags are for recycling newspapers, magazines, catalogues, telephone directories, the Yellow Pages and junk mail. If you have shredded paper for collection, please present this in a securely tied plastic bag.
Salvation Army bags are also available for recycling old (but clean) clothes, shoes tied in pairs, sheets, curtains, towels and blankets. These are collected from the kerbside fortnightly on the same day as your Blue Box. However, please be aware that if you present a number of textile bags, the crews may not be able to take them all away.
There are some items which we cannot collect as part of the Blue Box recycling scheme. These include: pyrex, tableware, lightbulbs, sheet glass, broken glass, scrap metal, cooking pans, sheet metal, envelopes, greetings cards, wrapping paper, brown paper, cardboard, plastic wrapping, duvets & pillows.
Presenting Your Blue Box & Bags
You should make sure your Blue Box and Bag(s) are put out for collection on the edge of your property or at the specified collection point no later than 8:30 a.m. on the day of collection.
The Blue Box Assisted Collection Service
If you are elderly or disabled and are unable to present your Blue Box or wheeled bin(s) at the presentation point, you may be able to get assistance! The Council is aware that not everyone will be capable of carrying their Blue Box and Bag(s) due to reasons of infirmity and capability. Assisted collections will be available to those who can demonstrate that infirmity or disability prevents them from being capable of moving their Blue Box and Bags(s) to a presentation point.
To apply for the Blue Box Assisted Collection Service contact us on the number below, or download the form at the bottom of this page and once completed return it to: Streetscene, North East Derbyshire District Council, Council House, Saltergate, Chesterfield, S40 1LF.
To process your application quickly we would appreciate supporting information such as Attendance Allowance, Disability Allowance or Mobility Allowance, etc. On completion and return of this application you may be contacted by an officer of the council to arrange a home visit to assess your application.
If your application for the Blue Box Assisted Collection Service is approved, your Blue Box and Bag(s) should be presented in a position visible from the kerbside, e.g. by your front step or where you store your bins.
For more information regarding the Blue Box Assisted Collection Service, please contact us on the number below.
Your Collection Date
Blue Box recycling collections are made on a fortnightly (or, in the case of some rural properties, four-weekly) basis.
Please note that where the normal blue box collection day falls on a Bank Holiday Monday, the revised collection day will usually be on the Saturday before. Details are available on the Refuse & Recycling Calendar.
If you are not sure of your collection day or where you are on the map below, we now have an easy to use Blue Box Collection Day Finder. This should be useful if you are new to the district and are not sure where the major towns are located. All you need to do is type in your post code.
Missed Collections
If your Blue Box and/or Blue Bag were not emptied and/or textiles not collected, there may be a good reason for this. Did you present your recycling on the wrong day, present your Box/Bags after the crew had collected from your street, present items we do not collect or present your Box/Bags incorrectly? If the Blue Box recycling is hidden behind a wall the crew may not know you have put any recycling out. If you have presented your paper recycling mixed in with the contents of the Blue Box, the crew will not collect it.
If there is a reason why your Box/Bag was missed, the recycling crew should leave you a card advising you of the reason. This is to help you ensure that your recycling is collected in future.
Sometimes, the recycling crew encounters problems accessing the street or a section of the street, usually due to roadworks or parked cars. If the recycling crew does has trouble accessing a street, they will return later in the day or occasionally first thing the following morning. Occasionally, continued access problems means your recycling cannot be collected until your next scheduled collection day. In some areas, roadworks or parked cars on neighbouring streets may prevent the crew from collecting on your street.
If you believe the crew has missed collecting your recycling when you have presented your recycling correctly, you should call the telephone number below, and we can arrange for the recycling crew to return as soon as possible.
No Box/Bag Left After Collection
The recycling collection team should have left you your own Blue Box and some Blue Bags following collection. Sometimes, a resident may have presented a Box or Bag for collection but not got it back after collection. This may be because the Box and/or Bag was blown away by the wind. Whatever the reason, if you do not get your Box or Bag back, you can telephone us on the number below to request a new one be delivered.
If you mark your box up with your house number, it will be easier for the recycling crew to ensure they return your own box to you.
Requesting Recycling Boxes/Bags
Every resident in North East Derbyshire is eligible for the Blue Box recycling service and can be supplied with a Box and Bags. If you do not have a Blue Box or Blue Bag or Salvation Army bag, please call the number below to make a request, or use the Refuse Collection Enquiries form on our website.
Just because you do not have a Blue Box or Blue Bag or Salvation Army bag does not mean you cannot present your recycling! You can present "Blue Box" recycling in a cardboard box, your own plastic box or carrier bag. If you do not have a Blue Bag, or do not have enough for your needs, you can present "Blue Bag" recycling in a carrier bag. If you do not have a Salvation Army bag you can use a white bin liner. Please note, you should not mix your Blue Box, Blue Bag and textiles recycling in the same bag/box.
Some properties, like those in rural areas, may be supplied with Hessian Bags instead of Blue Boxes - this is to enable the resident to more easily carry their recycling to their specified collection point.
We also supply, when requested, Blue Box Lids - these help to keep animals out of the recycling boxes. If you do have a Lid please make sure that you remove it before presenting your Blue Box - your Box will not be emptied if the Lid is left on. Lids often go missing, so keep yours safe!
Complaints Regarding Blue Box Recycling
Sometimes, during collection by the recycling crew or prior to their arrival, paper or other recycling may get blown from the Bag/Box - especially on windy days! We would advise residents to, where possible, only present their recycling on the morning of collection. If you believe that litter has been left by the recycling crews, please contact us.
If you have any other queries regarding the Blue Box recycling service or wish to make a request or complaint regarding the Blue Box recycling scheme, please contact us on the number below.
Environmental Services have a Customer Charter for more information on the services we provide and can be downloaded from this site.
Downloads
Application form for the Blue Box Assisted Collection Service - amended June 2008 (40.8 KB)
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