Reduce, Re-use and Recycle in Fife

The information on this page has been collected by the group members and should not be considered exhaustive. But we wanted to share our experience and tips for cutting waste in Fife.

If you have any good (local) tips for reducing, re-using or recycling waste in Fife, please send them to webmaster[at]foe-fife.co.uk, and we will consider them for inclusion in this page.

Christmas waste

Why not start the new year off well by recycling your Christmas cards, tree etc? Many shops are now collecting cards for charity, and Fife Council will accept cards, envelopes, cardboard and paper wrapping in your blue bin. Or you could keep some of the cards to make gift tags or other craft projects next Christmas!

Real Christmas trees can be collected by the council, or taken to a recycling centre - they will be turned into useful compost. For details, see the Fife Council website or call their recycling helpline on 08451 550022 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday).

General

Sort It - Fife, from Waste Aware Scotland, has a wealth of tips about reducing, re-using and recycling. It also allows you to search for your nearest recycling point, by your postcode or by the material that you wish to recycle.

Re-use

The Freecycle Network is a collection of local groups whose aim is to reuse unwanted goods and to 'keep good stuff out of landfills'. All items are given away free, and must usually be collected by the recipient. Fife has 3 Freecycle Fife groups: West Fife, East Fife, and Central Fife.

The Furniture Re-use Network is a UK-wide group of organisations who re-use, refurbish or recycle furniture and domestic appliances. In Fife, Furniture Plus accept (and even collect) donations of re-usable furniture, electrical and 'white' goods, and sell a wide range from their retail outlets in Dysart, Lochgelly, Cowdenbeath and Inverkeithing. The Cupar-based Castle Furniture Project also accept re-usable furniture and electrical items.

Recycling

Fife Council's website also contains a lot of information about recycling in the Kingdom. This includes a list of items that can be recycled.

And this article from The Ecologist is a good source of advice on recycling some less obvious items.

Did you know that...

... you can recycle Tetra Paks in Fife, just like any other paper or cardboard? Just rinse them out and put them in your blue bin (or take them to any recycling point or centre).

... yellow pages and other telephone directories can be put in your blue bin?