Visitors to Surrey Waste Management’s (SWM’s) community recycling centres (CRC) have been taking away free pre-sort bags as part of the company’s summer-long campaign to get people recycling.

The waste minimisation team has kick-started their pre-sort campaign to make residents aware of the benefits of sorting their waste before coming to a CRC.

The team has been holding day-long road shows at SWM’s sites across the county, where they gave away free bags to customers to help get them into the habit of segregating their recycling. The re-usable bags are large, strong and are easy to carry from your car to the container on site. They are also easy to fold down and store.

By grouping items of the same material together before you leave the house you will not only make it even easier to recycle but it will save you time while on-site.

You can recycle more than 30 different items at SWM's CRCs, including mobile phones and aluminium foil. These items are among a list of materials that are recycled with the proceeds going to local charities.

Since August 2008 SWM’s 15 sites have collected 1,503 old mobile phones, raising £5,250 for the Rainbow Trust, a charity which helps terminally ill children and their families.

Kate Marsh, waste minimisation advisor, said: "We'd like to thank Surrey residents for recycling and let them know that you can recycle more items than you may think.

"The campaign aims to encourage those who don't already separate or pre-sort their waste before they come to the site, to help not only to make recycling easier when they are at the site, but also to help save them time."

The waste minimisation team advise and encourage Surrey residents on how to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste so that as little as possible ends up in landfill. They do this through a variety of fun and informative methods at schools, community events and at SWM's CRCs across the county.

ENDS

Notes to Editor 

For more information on what materials can be recycled at Surrey Waste Management’s sites visit www.surreywaste.info/thirty