Recycle Now Accessibility Statement
This accessibility statement explains how Recycle Now works to make its digital services, including the accessible Recycle Now area, easy for everyone to use. Our goal is to provide clear information and practical tools that support all users, including people with disabilities, in finding recycling guidance and services.
Our accessibility commitment
We are committed to meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, level AA. These guidelines set out how to make web content more accessible and usable for as many people as possible. We aim to maintain and improve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance as our site and services evolve.
Accessibility is considered at each stage of design, content creation, and development. We review new and updated features in the accessible Recycle Now area to check they remain easy to perceive, understand, and operate for users with a wide range of needs, devices, and assistive technologies.
How the site supports different users
We design content so that it can be used with a variety of tools and settings. This includes changing text size, adjusting colour and contrast at the browser or device level, and navigating without a mouse. We use plain language wherever possible and structure content with clear headings to help users skim, scan, or read in more detail as needed.
Our pages in the accessible Recycle Now area are built to work across common browsers and devices, including mobile phones and tablets. We aim to ensure that important information, such as recycling instructions, collection details, and location-based services, remains available and understandable even when styles, images, or scripts are limited.
Screen-reader support
The accessible Recycle Now area is designed to work with modern screen readers by using clear heading structures, descriptive text alternatives for images, and meaningful labels for form fields and buttons. Where icons or visual indicators are used, we add text equivalents so screen-reader users can understand the same information.
We avoid using content that depends only on colour, shape, or position to convey meaning. Wherever possible, we also provide instructions and feedback in text so that assistive technologies can announce state changes, errors, or confirmations to users.
Keyboard navigation
Our aim is that all key tasks in the accessible Recycle Now area can be completed using only a keyboard. This includes navigating menus, moving through forms, setting locations, and submitting information. Focus indicators are provided so users can clearly see where they are on the page as they tab through elements.
We work to keep the tab order logical and predictable, avoid keyboard traps, and offer clear skip options or shortcuts where appropriate. This helps users who cannot use a mouse, as well as those who prefer keyboard input for speed or comfort.
Maintaining and improving accessibility
We regularly review the accessible Recycle Now area to identify and fix accessibility issues. When we make changes to layouts, tools, or content, we aim to test them against WCAG 2.1 AA standards and to consider feedback from users and accessibility specialists.
Some older content or third party components may not yet fully meet our accessibility targets. Where this happens, we work to improve any non-accessible elements or offer alternative routes to the same information.
Contact us about accessibility
If you find an accessibility problem on Recycle Now, or if you need information in a different format such as large print, audio, or an alternative digital format, you can contact our accessibility team by email or phone. Please describe the page or feature you were using, the problem you experienced, and the technology or device you were using if you are comfortable sharing this.
We aim to respond to accessibility requests and feedback within a reasonable timeframe and will explain what we can do to help. Your comments help us improve the accessible Recycle Now area and make our recycling information more inclusive for everyone.
