Pink sacks are collected every other week - see your collections calendar for your collection day.
You can collect pink sacks from our Leisure centres or from Benfleet, Hadleigh, Tarpots and Canvey Island libraries. We also deliver free rolls of pink sacks to residents once a year.
Accepted items
Please rinse items involving food waste and do not place batteries in your recycling sacks.
Plastic
- All Plastic bottles
- All Plastic Tubes
- All Plastic trays
- All Plastic pots and tubs
- Hard Plastic/ e.g. children’s toys and coat hangers
Food and drinks cans
- All food and drinks cans
- All aerosol cans
- All biscuit and sweet tins
- Foil and foil containers
Paper*
- All newspaper and magazines
- All mail, envelopes and leaflets
- All office and shredded paper
- All catalogues and directories
- Wrapping paper (not foil or ribbons)
Cardboard*
- All Tetra packs/ cartons
- All cardboard boxes
- All cardboard packaging
If the item you want to dispose of is not on this list, or you want to check how it can be recycled, search for it on the Love Essex website
*starting from 2 October 2026, paper and card will now need to go in new blue recycling sacks. See more on our recycling changes page.
Presentation
Please present pink sacks at the boundary of your property by 7am on your collection day. See more information on our waste presentation rules
See more in our Pink Sack Recycling Guide.pdf
Contamination
Flats in the Borough are usually provided with communal recycling bins for pink sacks, marked for recycling with pink lids. Only pink sacks must go in these bins; one black bag in the recycling bin can ruin the recycling effort of all the residents who are recycling correctly.
Bins that are found to be contaminated regularly may be removed. If you have a contamination issue at your flat, please email recycling@castlepoint.gov.uk so we can investigate. Fly Tipping can also be reported online.
If we decide to remove a communal recycling bin from your flat, you can contact us to participate in kerbside recycling.