January 2024 news

View our news items from January 2024.

Book to Recycle scheme to be rolled out across West Sussex

From Monday 12 February 2024 you will need to pre-book a timed slot to visit one of the West Sussex Recycling Centres. Slots can be booked on the same day or up to 14 days in advance, and are for either 15 or 30 minutes, depending on the site you choose to visit.

The system has been in place at Bognor Regis, Crawley, Horsham, Littlehampton, Shoreham-By-Sea and Worthing since 2021. The performance of the scheme was reviewed as part of the decision making process for the extension. It showed that most sites with the scheme in place were diverting more materials to recycling, reducing the overall amount of waste being processed and making the sites more efficient.

Additionally, a recent customer satisfaction survey found that 96% of those asked, who have used the system, thought that it was either ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’

The booking system also ensures a steady flow of residents can access our recycling centres without the inconvenience of having to queue at peak times. More information can be found on our website.

Are you recycling all you can?

Our binfographic (below) shows the average contents of a West Sussex waste bin, including how much of it could have been recycled, reused or disposed of elsewhere. This graphic was produced as part of our #ThinkBeforeYouThrow campaign alongside a series of short videos that explain how your materials are recycled here in West Sussex.

You can watch all of the videos, which follow your recyclable materials through the recycling process, from your household collection to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Ford, on our website.

Average contents of a West Sussex waste bin

Buy Nothing New Month

Buying lots of new stuff that we don’t need is bad for the planet - depleting its resources and the pennies in our pockets. That’s why, this January, we’re taking part in Keep Britain Tidy’s #BuyNothingNewMonth. It’s all about cherishing what we already have, finding new homes for the things we no longer need and making sure to #ThinkBeforeYouThrow.

You can find out more of our top tips on waste prevention on our website.

How to handle that new year clear out

Now that Christmas is over, you might be looking at clearing some space to declutter or make way for any new items you may have received. If you are, make sure you are disposing of old items correctly. Consider the items reuse value and look at donating it to your local charity shop or selling it on apps like Vinted, or Facebook Marketplace.

If you are disposing of a broken electrical item, please make sure you are disposing of it correctly. Electrical items can cause fires when disposed of in one of your bins at home. You could:

  • take your item to a local repair shop to give it new life
  • take it to your local Recycling Centre for recycling
  • make use of your free kerbside small electrical collection
  • dispose of your single use vapes through kerbside small electrical collections or at the Recycling Centre.

For information, please visit our small electricals web page.

If you’re heading to a Recycling Centre, or are unsure of how to dispose of an item, make sure you check out our handy A-Z for information on how to dispose of it and which Recycling Centre container to use. For more information on our Recycling Centres, including opening hours and if you need a booking to visit, visit our Recycling Centres web page.

Community Food Hubs

Help us in our #FightAgainstFoodWaste by visiting your local award-winning UKHarvest Community Food Hub.

Community Food Hubs rescue good quality food that would have otherwise gone to waste, provide great information on how you can do all you can at home to reduce food waste. Each district and borough has one hub per month. Why not give it a go this January?

  • Adur: Southwick Community Centre, 10 January (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Arun: Bognor Regis Youth and Community Centre, 11 January (3.00pm to 4.00pm)
  • Chichester: Petworth's Sylvia Beaufoy Centre, 18 January (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Crawley: Broadfield Community Centre, 17 January (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Horsham: Storrington's Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, 24 January (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Mid Sussex: Haywards Heath's Ashenground Community Centre, 12 January (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Worthing: Sidney Walter Centre, 25 January (10.00am to 11.00am)

For more information on the hubs, including a full list of dates and exact locations, as well as food waste prevention tips, visit our website.

Upcoming waste prevention events and team update

Throughout West Sussex, we're proud to be working alongside a team of passionate recycling and waste volunteers and advisers. They attend public and private events to promote waste prevention, reuse and recycling, and are keen to answer questions on the county's recycling provision and waste prevention.

For more information on any of the listed events below or if you would like our team to attend an event, please contact: waste.prevention@westsussex.gov.uk.

January/February events

  • Saturday 6 January, Lindfield Repair Cafe - United Reform Church, Lindfield (10.00am to 1.00pm)
  • Wednesday 10 January, waste prevention stand at Southwick Community Food Hub - Southwick Community Centre (11.00am to 12 noon)
  • Thursday 11 January, waste prevention stand at Bognor Community Food Hub - Bognor Youth and Community Centre (3.00pm to 4.00pm)
  • Friday 12 January, waste prevention stand at Haywards Heath Community Food Hub - Ashenground Community Centre (9.00am to 11.00am)
  • Saturday 13 January, volunteer recruitment fair - Rustington Methodist Church (10.30am to 1.30pm)
  • Saturday 13 January, volunteers event - The Hawth, Crawley (3.00pm to 7.00pm)
  • Wednesday 17 January, waste prevention stand at Crawley Community Food Hub - Broadfield Community Centre (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Thursday 18 January, waste prevention stand at Chichester Community Food Hub - Petworth's Sylvia Beaufoy Centre (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Wednesday 24 January, waste prevention stand at Storrington Community Food Hub - Chanctonbury Leisure Centre (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Thursday 25 January, waste prevention stand at Worthing Community Food Hub - Sidney Walter Centre (10.00am to 11.00am)
  • Thursday 29 February, scarecrow making session - West Sussex Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant (near Horsham) (2.00pm to 4.00pm)

We also attend a number of Community Food Hubs and education sessions in collaboration with UKHarvest. Each district and borough has one hub per month. For more information on the Community Food Hubs, their locations, dates and times please visit our website.