Rubbish and Recycling in Selsey
Waste collection and disposal services
Waste collection and recycling services in Selsey are provided by Chichester District Council as part of the wider district service. Residents receive regular kerbside collections of household waste, dry recyclables, food waste and garden waste, following the standard collection schedule.
Household waste is collected in black bins or bags on a fortnightly cycle, alternating with the recycling collection. The recycling service accepts paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, cans and cartons in the designated bins or boxes. Food waste is collected weekly in small caddies, and the council provides biodegradable liners. Garden waste collection is available as an opt-in service for an annual subscription, with a brown bin collected fortnightly during the growing season.
The nearest household waste recycling centre is at Westhampnett, near Chichester, approximately ten miles from Selsey. The recycling centre accepts a wide range of materials including furniture, electrical items, textiles, wood, metal, batteries, oil and bulky items that cannot go in the kerbside collection. The drive to the recycling centre is part of the routine for residents disposing of larger items.
Litter bins are provided in public areas including the High Street, the seafront and the nature reserve access points. The town benefits from community litter-picking groups who organise regular clean-ups of the beaches, the streets and the public spaces. Beach cleans, in particular, are popular and address the marine litter that washes up on the shores.
Fly-tipping is an occasional problem on the lanes and laybys of the Manhood Peninsula, as it is in rural areas across the country. Chichester District Council investigates and clears fly-tipping incidents and prosecutes offenders where evidence is available.
The council provides guidance on what can and cannot be recycled, and residents are encouraged to minimise waste and to recycle as much as possible. Contamination of recycling bins with non-recyclable items is an ongoing challenge, and the council periodically runs awareness campaigns to improve recycling rates.
For a small town, Selsey's waste and recycling services are functional and well managed. The main inconvenience is the distance to the household waste recycling centre, which requires a car journey to Chichester, but this is a common feature of life in the more rural parts of the district.