What You Can and Cannot Recycle with Test Valley
Recycling is easy with Test Valley Borough Council!
You can put the following items in your brown recycling bin:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Plastic bottles
- Tins and cans
- Aerosol cans
Please ensure they are clean and dry and not contained in plastic bags.
You can take the following items to your Local Recycling Centre:
- Glass bottles and jars
- Textiles
- Aluminium foil
- Cartons
- Books and media
- Paper based tubes with metal ends (gravy, hot chocolate, crisps etc.)
To find your nearest or most convenient Local Recycling Centre, use Recycle Now's Recycling Locator.
Here is a quick guide to what materials can and cannot be recycled with Test Valley:
| Material | Can it be recycled? | Where? |
| Aerosol cans | Yes | Brown Bin |
| Batteries | Yes | Battery collection points at participating shops |
| Cardboard | Yes | Brown Bin |
| Cartons | Yes | Local Recycling Centre |
| Foil | Yes | Local Recycling Centre |
| Garden waste | Yes | As a subscriber to the Garden Waste Collection Service |
| Glass bottles and jars | Yes | Local Recycling Centre |
| Mixed plastics e.g. yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, meat trays etc. | No | |
| Paper, newspapers, magazines and directories | Yes |
Brown Bin |
| Paper based tubes with metal ends e.g. hot chocolate, crisps, gravy containers etc. | Yes | Local Recycling Centre |
| Plastic-lined Paper Cups | No | |
| Plastic bottles | Yes | Brown Bin |
| Polystyrene | No | |
| Shredded paper | No | |
| Take away pizza boxes | No | |
| Textiles and books | Yes | Local Recycling Centre |
| Tins and cans | Yes | Brown Bin |
| Tissues / tissue paper / paper towels | No | |
| Yellow Pages | Yes | Brown Bin |
Cartons
Test Valley Borough Council is working with Tetrapak so residents can recycle their food and drink cartons and paper based tubes with metal ends (such as for crisps, snacks, gravy, hot chocolate etc.). The collection banks can be found at the following Local Recycling Centres:
- Fleming Avenue, North Baddesley, SO52 9EP
- George Yard Car Park, Andover Town Centre, SP10 1PD
- Romsey Bus Station, Broadwater Road, Romsey, SO51 8GT
- Tesco Extra, River Way, Andover, SP10 1UZ
- Valley Park Community Centre Car Park, Pilgrims Close, SO53 4ST
What Happens to My Waste?
The contents of your brown bin are taken to a local materials recovery facility where the items are sorted and sent on for recycling. The contents of your black bin are taken to an energy recovery facility where they are burnt to produce electricity.
Why Can’t I Recycle Plastic Pots, Tubs or Trays?
Click here for detailed information on why we do not currently collect plastic pots, tubs or trays for recycling.
