Recycle more at home: we’re now collecting toothpaste tubes and plastic plant pots

Stroud District Council has expanded the range of items collected from people’s homes, helping residents recycle even more as part of the national Simpler Recycling initiative.

Residents can now recycle toothpaste tubes and non-black plastic plant pots in their green recycling bins or bags. These items can be added to the existing range of plastics already collected at the kerbside.

Simpler Recycling is a national programme designed to make recycling easier and more consistent across England. Its aim is to ensure all households can recycle the same core set of materials, reducing confusion, increasing recycling rates and supporting the transition to a more circular economy.

Stroud District Council already meets most of these new standards. Residents benefit from weekly food waste, household battery and vape collections and fortnightly recycling collections covering tins and cans, glass, plastic bottles, tubs and trays, paper and card. A fortnightly paid garden waste service also runs from February to November each year.

If the average person uses around six toothpaste tubes a year, the district’s residents could stop more than 750,000 tubes being thrown away annually.

To stay fully aligned with national requirements, the council is also preparing to introduce kerbside collections of plastic film and wrapping by 31 March 2027. Further details will be shared closer to the time.

Cllr Martin Pearcy, Stroud District Council’s chair of Environment Committee said:

“We’re pleased to be expanding the range of materials residents can recycle from home. These changes make it even easier for people to do the right thing and help us all move towards a cleaner, greener future.”

Plastics that can be recycled at home:

Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays including yogurt pots, margarine tubs, fruit and vegetable punnets, clear food trays, toothpaste tubes and non-black plastic plant pots.

We can’t accept:

Flexible plastic including cling film, carrier bags, biscuit and crisp packets, pouches, polystyrene or bubble wrap, blister packs such as paracetamol packets, black plant pots and polystyrene. Many supermarkets will accept these.

Tips to make the most of your recycling service:

• Rinse food containers - it keeps your bin and the recycling fresh
• Fold or cut cardboard to the size of your recycling box - the smaller it is, the more we can fit in the truck
• Put bins out by 6am on collection day.

If you’re unsure whether an item can be recycled in your home collection, check the Waste Wizard on our website, which will explain how it can be repaired, reused, recycled or disposed of: Waste wizard

For more information on recycling services in the district, visit www.stroud.gov.uk/recycling

Thank you for recycling!

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