On Saturday May 17th, a few of us from the Stevenage Green Party had the chance to attend the Council’s Depot Open Day to learn about waste management—a rare opportunity to peek behind the scenes of our town’s recycling and waste operations. Here’s what we learned, and some thoughts on what it means for a greener Stevenage.
What happens to soft plastics mixed in with the recycling?
One of the most common questions we hear is about soft plastics—those tricky wrappers and bags that can’t go in the regular recycling. At the depot, we learned that these are currently picked out during sorting if they do accidentally end up in your plastic recycling at home.
We were told that if you have soft plastics in your recycling bin, your whole bin may not be collected for the risk of contamination. The Council has to implement this refusal policy as part of its waste management approach, as they are fined by the processor for soft plastics contamination in our waste. We should try to keep our soft plastics separate, for now, and most of it can be recycled at larger stores.
The good news: officers told us that Stevenage Borough Council is working on plans to introduce a dedicated soft plastics collection.
How is food waste processed? Are there plans to improve food waste collection?
We were pleased to hear about improvements in food waste recycling. Food waste is composted in the collection vehicles themselves, and stays there for two days before being processed further.
We also hear a lot of questions around food waste collection from flats, and whether this is part of the waste management strategy. Currently, no food waste is collected from flats in Stevenage. The Council told us they are working on changing this, with more announcements coming at Stevenage Day. Stevenage Green Party will also have a stand on Stevenage Day so please come and join us there!
Where does textile waste go? Is it recycled?
Textile waste is both recycled and shipped abroad for further processing, which can include selling the items on. This is done by a third party and textile waste is collected from dedicated clothing collection banks. While recycling is positive, we’d like to see more transparency and local solutions to ensure our old clothes are put to good use.
Has the Council considered replacing some of the grass, with more ecologically friendly landscaping?
There are plans to increase the number of wildflower meadows in Stevenage, building on the over 100 areas already left unmown to support biodiversity. While this isn’t a part of waste management, and we didn’t get all the details, it is encouraging to see the Council recognising the importance of wild spaces for pollinators and wildlife.
The Council used to donate wood chip for allotments. This has decreased over the years. Why is that?
If you’ve noticed less woodchip being donated to allotments, it’s because the Council can now sell it for a good price, thanks to rising demand for biofuels.
Allotment holders can still request woodchip by emailing the allotments team—so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need some for your plot. You can contact the Council via email allotments@stevenage.gov.uk
Can all my waste be recycled?
We learned that the Council is constantly updating its A-Z guide on what can be recycled as processes improve all the time. For example, did you know you should take off the lids from your glass and put them in your black recycling bin? The Council’s A-Z guide has a helpful overview for all most common household waste.
Stevenage is also part of the Hertfordshire WasteAware Partnership and officers told us they regularly attend meetings to discuss waste collection and processing. They also discuss opportunities for collaboration across the county to improve recycling and waste management.
Final Thoughts on Waste management in stevenage
It was heartening to see the hard work that goes into managing Stevenage’s waste and to hear about plans for greener, more sustainable practices. All Council officers were very supportive and knowledgeable — taking the time to answer our questions.
Of course, there’s always more to do, and we’ll keep pushing for improvements, especially around transparency and support for community initiatives.
If you have questions about waste, recycling, or environmental issues in Stevenage, get in touch with us or join our next meeting.
Together, we can help make Stevenage cleaner, greener, and fairer for everyone.