Where does my recycling go?
Paper & Cardboard
Your paper and card is taken to our depot, collected in bulk by Saica Natur, and sent to their Manchester mill to be recycled into new paper and cardboard products.
Mixed Recycling (glass, plastic bottles, cans)
Mixed recycling is collected by Viridor and taken to the Material Recycling Facility in Leyland, where it’s separated into glass, plastics, aluminium cans and steel cans.
- Metals: Steel is removed with magnets, and aluminium is separated using an Eddy Current system. Both are recycled in the UK into new cans, car parts, bike frames and more.
- Glass: Larger pieces are cleaned and remelted into bottles and jars. Smaller fragments are used in road surfacing.
- Plastics: Optical sorters identify different plastics using light.
- HDPE is washed and turned into pellets for UK manufacturing.
- PET is flaked and reused for packaging or fibre in items like duvets and car interiors. - Remaining mixed plastics undergo further separation, but due to limited markets, some still go to landfill, energy recovery or UK manufacturing.
Garden Waste
Garden waste goes to SUEZ at the Pendle Transfer Station in Colne, then on to a composting facility. Once processed, it becomes compost for UK retail gardening products and landscaping.
See It for Yourself at Eco Town
Want to watch the recycling journey in action? Eco Town is an interactive environmental experience where you can explore how materials are sorted, recycled and transformed into new products and renewable energy.
With three themed districts and 13 streets to explore, it’s the perfect place to learn how your recycling makes a difference — especially for schools, families and community groups.