TAG Recycling

TAG = Tin, aluminium and glass

Bermuda’s household recycling programme collects TAG – tin cans, aluminium cans and glass bottles. 

Please do a high-quality version of the below as a graphic and as a downloadable poster.

What day is my TAG recycling collected?

TAG is collected every other week on Thursday in the west and on Friday in the east. 

(Insert east west map here indicating the street names that delineate the boundaries and the 2025 Waste and Recycling Schedule).

The boundaries are West: All areas of Sandys, Southampton, Warwick and Paget parishes and the following areas of Devonshire: Tee Street and Kent Avenue. 

East: All areas of St. George’s, Hamilton, Smith’s, Pembroke and Devonshire parishes – not including Tee Street and Kent Avenue.

How do I put my TAG out for collection?

Recycling your TAG is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Lightly rinse your TAG. Leftover dish washing water will do!
2. Place in a blue bag.
3. Place out on the curb, or at your neighbourhood communal waste collection area, or bring it to the Tynes Bay Public Drop Off which is open 7 days a week! 

TAG Recycling at the Tynes Bay Public Drop Off

TAG recyclables may be taken to the Tynes Bay Public Drop-Off which is open to drivers of private cars and LP vehicles 7 days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., on public holidays from 9 a.m. to noon.  Closed on Christmas day.

Report an issue with my TAG recycling collection

Remember that TAG recycling is collected every other week according to the annual Waste and Recycling Schedule.  Please check to ensure that this is a current recycling week. If your collection has been missed kindly email the Solid Waste Management team at recycle@gov.bm.

FAQ’s – TAG recycling

Why does recycling matter for a small island like Bermuda?

Recycling benefits us all and should always matter regardless of the size of the community. Making new cans from the recycling of materials like steel and aluminium cans consumes 90% less energy and produces far less overall waste than making cans from virgin materials. 

For example, the mining of bauxite, the raw material from which aluminium is produced, generates huge amounts of waste and causes extensive environmental damage in the communities in which it is extracted. Eight tonnes of bauxite must be mined to extract 1 tonne of aluminium leaving behind hill sides of mine-waste as an environmental burden in the countries rich in bauxite ore. 

Also, as an added benefit, in Bermuda, recycling non-burnable items like TAG – tin cans, aluminium cans and glass bottles helps the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility produce energy from waste with greater efficiency and reduces the damage these materials can cause to the system which leads to expensive maintenance and repairs. 

What happens to our recycling once it leaves the curb?

Bermuda’s TAG recycling is taken to the Material Recovery Facility or MRF which located at the Government Quarry in Hamilton Parish.  From there it is separated by an automated system into tin bales, aluminium bales and crushed glass.

Steel and aluminium bales are sent to the USA for conversion into sheet metal and from that into new cans. Glass is crushed and reused here in Bermuda as a valuable drainage medium replacing the need to purchase gravel in construction projects. Crushed glass also played a significant role in the refurbishment of the 5 Forts Golf Course in St. George. 

Why is it important to separate glass and tin from regular household waste?

It is important to separate out tin cans, aluminium cans and glass bottles for recycling because these items do not burn and detract from the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy facilities ability to produce energy efficiently from waste.  In addition, these items are readily recyclable. 

5.6.4    What are some common mistakes people make when putting out their recycling?

One of the most common mistakes people in Bermuda make when putting out their recycling is to include plastic items.  Bermuda does not recycle plastics, instead these items, because they are petroleum based are readily converted into energy at the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy facility.

How can households make recycling easier for themselves day to day?

Recycling is simple if you make small changes to the way, you do things in your kitchen.  As soon as you finish with a can or bottle simply rinse it, turn it upside down in your sink to drain for a few minutes and then pop it into a blue bag.  Once every 2 weeks, take your blue bag to the curb for collection on Thursdays in the west and Fridays in the east.  Many grocers will pack your items into a blue bag which you can use for your recyclables. If you need larger blue bags, these can be found in your grocery store right next to the regular waste bags.

Do small individual efforts really make a difference in the bigger picture?

Yes! When it comes to protecting the environment, success is often built on consistent, incremental actions rather than grand, one-time efforts. It underscores the importance of persistence, patience, and the value of each step we take, no matter how small it may seem in the moment.

What would you say to people who feel recycling is “too much hassle”?

Recycling in Bermuda is easy! Bermuda accepts TAG: tin cans, aluminium cans and glass jars for recycling.  Just rinse and put all three of these materials directly into a blue recycling bag and place out for collection every other week on Thursday in the west and Friday in the east. The Government’s state of the art MRF (material recovery facility) is equipped with an automated system that removes the bag and separates out the recyclables, so you don’t have to.

Recycling benefits us in Bermuda by removing 3 non-burnable items from the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility’s burn stream and benefits the planet by allowing tin and aluminium to be used endlessly as the mobius loop indicates.  Glass is crushed and reused here in Bermuda as a valuable drainage medium and was key in the repair of the retaining wall at Devon Springs Road where a 30’ high section of the road was collapsing.

Bermuda’s tin and aluminium after shipping to the USA are recycled into new products that are endlessly recycled a process that can save a significant amount of energy.

Are there simple ways families can reduce waste before they even get to recycling?

There are many ways in which families can practice all three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, with reducing and reusing being greener options than recycling.  Bermuda’s most recent Household Waste Audit found that the largest component of household waste in Bermuda is Food which comprised 30% of waste. With most of the waste produced in households originating in the grocery store, shopping mindfully can not only cut down on how much waste your household produces but also reduce your shopping costs.  Before you head to the grocery store, here are a few suggestions to help reduce household spending and the quantity of waste made in the kitchen: make a list before you shop and stick to it, never shop when hungry, and looking for the least packaged version of the items on your list.  Select fruits and vegetables individually if available to ensure you only buy what you need.  Become a soup maker using leftovers to make healthy, tasty and easy to reheat meals. 

How can schools or children get involved in encouraging recycling habits at home?

Bermuda is very fortunate to have many environmentally focused NGOs that work across sectors including at schools to encourage recycling.  For example, KBB’s recent Race To Recycle encouraged students to collect as much recycling as possible to win prizes.  This initiative boosted Bermuda’s recycling in the months of May and June by 12,896 lbs.  Many schools have implemented “Waste free lunch” programmes to encourage parents and students to focus on small changes that have a large impact.  Bermuda’s EcoSchools programme helps schools to participate in 10 green pathways, one of which is specific to Waste and Litter Minimization such as implementing the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  EcoSchool initiatives provide teachers with the ability to fit activities in with the existing curriculum.   

Why doesn’t Bermuda recycle plastics?

The short answer is that, in Bermuda, plastics, along with other burnable household and commercial waste, are used as a fuel source to make carbon-neutral energy at the Tynes Bay Waste To Energy Facility. A longer discussion on the pitfalls of plastic recycling follows using information sourced from the Guardian Newspaper, NPR and other journals.   

The recycling symbol or mobius loop, is an indication that an item can be made back into the same item repeatedly, a pattern synonymous with a process called the circular economic model.  With aluminium cans and steel cans, or those we call “tin cans” this circularity is exactly that; aluminium or steel food cans have the potential to be turned back into new cans in perpetuity.  The aluminium beverage can you drink from today can be turned back into another aluminium beverage can and in a matter of weeks return to supermarket shelves as a shiny new can.  This process reduces the quantity of natural resources used by 90%, thereby garnering huge environmental benefits. 

Plastics in general are not currently capable to achieving this circularity with very few capable of being recycled.  Due to their inherent chemical complexity, less than 10% of all plastics ever manufactured have being turned into new consumer goods.  The process of recycling plastics is actually “down-cycling”, a process whereby a water bottle might be turned into fleece fabric, carpeting or a garden bench. Most plastics are not even capable of being downcycled and are relegated to landfills, often in countries far away from where they were consumed.

Some reports indicate that recycling plastics can make them even more toxic than the raw materials from which they are derived often containing higher levels of harmful chemicals such as toxic flame retardants, benzene and other carcinogens, environmental pollutants including brominated and chlorinated dioxins, and numerous endocrine disruptors that can cause changes to the body’s natural hormone levels.

Since the 1950s about 8 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced and international studies showing not only that just a tiny proportion (9%) of plastics are ever recycled, but also that those that are end up with higher concentrations of toxic chemicals, multiplying their potential harm to human, animal and environmental health.

The plastics industry has spent billions convincing the public that plastics are recyclable in order to sell more of their products.  Waste plastics earmarked for recycling are typically exported from high-income countries to poorer parts of the world where they can end up in un-lined landfills, as mis-managed waste in the streets, in in-land waterways and ultimately the ocean.