Time to order lids for recycling boxes

HOUSEHOLDS across Bristol are being reminded to order lids for recycling boxes ahead of Christmas.

Earlier this year Bristol Waste Company said it would be phasing out the nets which have been used to secure recycling inside green boxes.

When announcing the decision in August the company, which is responsible for collecting all of Bristol’s household waste, said the nets posed environmental problems and had resulted in members of their crew getting hurt.

And although residents across Bristol have been able to order the lids for months now, many are still not aware of the option.

A spokesman for the firm said: “As a business with a high focus on health and safety, we decided to begin phasing nets out to cover green boxes in August. Nets for recycling boxes can pose serious issues for wildlife, and have also resulted in injuries to our staff when they become caught on our vehicles. For these reasons, when ordering new covers for your recycling boxes, residents are now only given the option to receive a lid.

“Covering your recycling box helps keep your recycling contained on windy days, dry on wet days and prevents others from adding waste or unrecyclable materials to your recycling.”

Residents can order a lid online on the council’s website or by calling 0117 922 2100.

The new lids fit all current recycling boxes – black and green – however if you receive a lid that does not fit your current recycling box, email general@ bristolwastecompany.co.uk or call 0117 304 9580.

For those residents who still use a net your recycling will still continue to be collected but if you need a replacement in future you will be given a lid instead.

Bristol Waste has also said it currently has no plans to collect nets from residents and is instead encouraging Bristolians to ‘get creative and think of ways they can be reused’.