Recycling saves on energy, raw materials, waste disposal costs, trees and reduces the need for Landfill Sites. Recycling reduces the amount of litter strewn around our streets and hedgerows, and can even create jobs in your locality. We would encourage everybody to develop a recycling mentality and segregate your household waste – after all waste disposal hits you in the pocket. The Polluter Pays Principle means that the more you recycle the less your household waste disposal bill will be.

Much of the material traditionally disposed of in your waste wheeled bin can and should be recycled or reused. We understand that an average household will produce approximately 100 Kgs. of “dry recyclables” per annum, if we assume that Newbridge currently consists of 7,000 houses this equates to 700 Tonnes of recyclable material which should be going for recycling and not to the local landfill site.

The most common household items which can be readily recycled are:

All batteries, both the domestic kind used in toys and household appliances, and industrial including car batteries can be recycled. Because of recent legislation domestic batteries can be recycled through any retailer who sells batteries, and those who sell industrial or car batteries must also take back your used battery for correct disposal.

The batteries are taken to the recycling plant where the acid is neutralised, and the metal battery parts are shredded for transportation to a smelting plant. The lead is eventually reused in the manufacture of new batteries.

Never dispose of batteries in your wheeled bin or fireplace as this will harm the environment and could be a danger to your health.

Both ferrous and non ferrous metals have been recycled for many years, and while the majority of metal products being recycled at present come from industrial sources, you can recycle your aluminium drink cans & “tin” cans in which some foodstuffs are packed (please wash all cans prior to placing in recycling bin). “Tin Cans” can be recycled in your Green Bin, or at some recycling centres locally. Other waste metal can be recycled at Silliot Hill

Good quality clothes and fabrics can be recycled for reuse, or indeed for use as upholstery stuffing etc. There are clothes recycling facilities located at the Dunne’s Stores, Tesco’s, Lidl, and in addition to this there are a number of “charity shops” in the town including. Please only donate clean re-usable clothes to these facilities.

If you have a garden you can use a compost bin to compost (recycle) your uncooked vegetable peelings, tea leaves, grass clippings, garden refuse and paper products such as egg boxes etc. Naturally occurring bacteria break down the waste and turn it into compost. The compost bin if used correctly will not cause bad odours, and will provide you with a continuous source of natural mulch or fertilisers for your garden. Kildare County Council and most reputable Garden Centres supply composting bins at a reasonable cost.

Don’t forget Kildare County Council provide a Christmas Tree Recycling (shredding) service in January each year, and the resultant bark mulch is used by the Council as fertiliser in parks and along the trees on our motorways.

What could you recycle in your compost bin or compost heap:

• Teabags
• Coffee grounds
• Egg cartons
• Grass cuttings
• Hedge clippings
• Old plants and garden cuttings
• Vegetable wastes
• Fallen leaves
• Fruit and vegetable remains
• Crushed egg shells
• Newspapers

If your Waste Contractor provides a Brown (Composting) Bin use it, and some operators even permit cooked food in the Composting Bin (please check with your service provider!), if your service provider does not provide a Composting Bin ask them WHY NOT ??

Where the owner of a car or van deems the vehicle to be beyond use, the vehicle can be brought to a designated Authorised Treatment Facility for dismantling, de-polluting, safely removing all fluids and catalytic converters, and recycling as much of the vehicle as possible. For current Authorised Treatment Facilities in Kildare check Kildare County Council’s Website

Fluorescent lighting tubes can be recycled at Silliot Hill Civic Amenity Site.

Where possible find ways of reusing old furniture or floorcoverings, however if you cannot find a new use, dispose of the furniture in a responsible manner.

There are a number of glass recycling banks in Newbridge, the main ones are located in:

Please ensure that you sort your glass bottles and jars by colour (clear, brown and green) and place them in the correct container, removing caps or corks from bottles prior to depositing in the recycling container. Place only glass bottles & jars in the containers – flat (window) glass and ceramics are not acceptable. Once received at the recycling centre the glass is crushed, and used as a raw material for the production of new glass jars and bottles, or even as road building materials.

There are thousands of old and unused mobile phones in Ireland. Mobile phone retailers will generally take back your disused mobile phone when you purchase a new one; some have recycle boxes into which you can deposit disused phones at any time. The Jack & Jill Foundation, a charity which provides care for babies born with developmental problems, can recycle these phones, and use the funds raised from this initiative to fund their activities.

Most oils can be recycled including engine lubricating oil, kitchen cooking oils etc. These are recycled for use as low grade industrial lubricating oil. Household oils, paints and detergents can be safely recycled at the Silliot Hill. Never pour oily substances “down the drain” as it can end up in your local river causing major pollution and even fish kills.

Newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, tetra packs, junk mail are ideal items for recycling into cardboard boxes, egg boxes, toilet rolls, and can even be used as animal bedding. All waste management providers serving the Newbridge area take paper products for recycling. Please flatten all cardboard boxes, and separate any plastic packaging from your recyclables, tetra packs should be washed clean.

Print toner cartridges can be refilled or recycled when returned to the manufacturer, most reputable retailers now provide a recycling service and take your empty print cartridges for recycling.

Some plastic containers are suitable for recycling, and some are not. However the vast majority of soft drink bottles are suitable for recycling, as they are manufactured from Polyester (Polyethylene Terephthalate). Plastics displaying the reference grades 1, 2, and 4 or the codes PETE, HDPE, or LDPE are possible to recycle. Enfo (The Environmental Information Service) estimate that well in excess of 70 Million such bottles are sold onto the Irish market annually, think of the benefit to the environment if all of these were recycled rather than deposited in our hedgerows!

Farm Plastics (sheet plastics and fertilizer bags etc) are also recyclable. We are aware of one company who provide a collection service for farm plastics. Irish Farm Film Producers Group’s (IFFPG)

So called “white goods” such as washing machines, fridges, cookers, microwaves, computers etc [all electrical or electronic goods] can be recycled. Now that the WEE charge applies all reputable retailers now provide a recycling service, alternatively you can bring your old or obsolete kitchen / household appliance for recycling at Council approved facilities in Silliot Hill - and it’s FREE.

At the time of preparing this guide to recycling the following provide recycling facilities in Newbridge - if there are any other licensed operators please let us know at: Newbridge Tidy Towns Association