A to Z of recycling
Find out what waste items you can recycle, the bin you need to use or which Recycling Centre you can take it to.
Find out about recycling in West Sussex
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Acid
You can dispose of up to 25 litres of waste acid at our recycling centres.
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Aerosol cans
You can recycle aerosol containers, such as deodorant, hairspray and air freshener cans, at home and at our recycling centres.
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Aluminium foil and containers
You can dispose of these everyday items at home. Some items can go in your recycling bin but others need to go in general waste.
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Antifreeze
You can dispose of up to 25 litres of antifreeze at our recycling centres.
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Apples
You can dispose of apples in your food waste collections or with a home composter.
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Appliances
Broken and unwanted electrical appliances and electronic equipment can be recycled at your local recycling centre.
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Asbestos
Asbestos is classed as hazardous waste and needs to be disposed of with care. Find out which recycling centres can accept cement bonded asbestos and how to dispose of it correctly.
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Barbecues
You can take barbecues to your local recycling centre.
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Bathroom materials
You can recycle plastic cosmetic bottles and other bathroom materials such as shampoo bottles, toothpaste tubes, aerosols and plastic tubs in your recycling bin at home. Make sure to remove as much of the contents as possible.
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Batteries
You can take both car and household batteries to your local recycling centre.
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Bicycles
Old bicycles and scooters can be taken to your local recycling centre where they can be recycled for scrap metal.
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Bins
Hard plastics such as bins cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Biscuit and sweet tins
Both metal and plastic biscuit or sweet containers can be placed in your recycling bin at home or brought to your local recycling centre.
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Black plastic pots, tubs and trays
Black plastic pots, tubs and trays can go in your recycling bin at home or be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Blister packs
Put empty foil based blister packs in your household recycling bin. Plastic based blister packs need to go in your general waste bin.
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Books
Books can be recycled at our recycling centres.
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Buckets
Hard plastics such as buckets cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Building, construction and demolition materials
You can dispose of up to 200kg of DIY building, construction (including cement) and demolition materials at our recycling centres.
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Bulky waste
Items such as furniture, furnishings and white goods can be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Candle jars and diffusers
Candle jars, diffusers and plastic air fresheners can't be recycled - you'll need to put these in your general waste or take them to your local recycling centre.
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Cans
You can dispose of food, drink, pet food or aerosol cans in your recycling bin at home, or at your local recycling centre.
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Car batteries
You can dispose of old car batteries at your local recycling centre.
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Car bumpers
Hard plastics such as car bumpers cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Cardboard and card
Cardboard and card can go in your recycling bin at home or be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Carpets
Carpets should be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Cars
You must scrap vehicles that have reached the end of their life at an authorised treatment facility.
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Cartons
You can dispose of milk, juice, soup and other Tetra Pak type cartons in your recycling bin at home or at your local recycling centre.
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Catalogues
Catalogues and brochures and can go in your recycling bin at home or be taken to your local recycling centre.
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CDs and DVDs
CDs and DVDs can be recycled at our recycling centre.
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Ceramics
Ceramics such as crockery and tiles cannot be recycled at home. Take them to your local recycling centre.
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Chipboard
You can dispose of chipboard at our recycling centres.
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Christmas trees
Christmas trees can be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Christmas waste
Most cards and wrapping paper - unless they are glittery, metallic or foil based - can go in your recycling bin at home. Plastic decorations should be put in general waste.
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Cleaning products
Unwanted household cleaning products can be disposed of at our recycling centres.
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Clinical waste
Clinical waste cannot be disposed of in your general household waste and is not accepted at recycling centres. You must arrange for clinical waste collection services.
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Clothes
Don't dispose of clothes at home. Take them to your local recycling centre.
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Coat hangers
What you do to dispose of coat hangers depends on what they are made from. You can take them to your local recycling centre and place them in the appropriate container.
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Coffee pods
You can recycle these at your local Recycling Centre or through special recycling schemes.
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Community care equipment
Community care equipment can be recycled at our recycling centres.
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Compostable packaging (bioplastics)
Instead, put bioplastics in your rubbish bin.
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Composters
Hard plastics such as composters cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Computers
Broken and unwanted computers, laptops and computing equipment such as monitors, mice, keyboards, cables and so on can be recycled at your local recycling centre.
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Cooking oil
You can dispose of cooking oil at some of our recycling centres.
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Crisp packets
Crisp packets cannot be recycled as they are a mix of plastic and foil. Put them in your general waste bin, not your recycling bin.
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Crutches
Crutches can be recycled at our recycling centres.
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Curtains
You can dispose of curtains at our recycling centres.
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Deodorants
Place deodorant cans in your recycling bin at home.
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Disposable barbecues
You can place your cold, fully extinguished disposable barbecue in your general household waste or take it to your local recycling centre.
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Drink cartons
Place drink cartons in your recycling bin at home.
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Duvets, pillows and cushions
You can dispose of duvets, pillows and cushions at our recycling centres.
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DVDs
DVDs can be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Egg boxes
You can dispose of these at home. Some items can go in your recycling bin but others need to go in general waste.
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Electric bikes
How to dispose of Electric bikes.
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Electric scooters
How to dispose of Electric scooters.
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Electrical equipment
WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) is a term that describes any items requiring batteries or needing to be plugged into the mains to work. Take this waste to your local recycling centre.
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Engine oil
You can dispose of domestic engine oil at our recycling centres.
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Envelopes
You can dispose of these at home. Some items can go in your recycling bin but others need to go in general waste.
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Expired medicines
You must take expired medicines, including tablets, liquids, filled and sealed needles and auto injector pens to your local pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not dispose of the materials in your bins at home or at your local recycling centre.
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Fire extinguishers
Take unwanted extinguishers to your local recycling centre. A specialist contractor collects, decommissions and disposes of them appropriately.
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Fireworks
It is against the law to dispose of fireworks in your bin and you cannot take them to recycling centres.
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Flammable chemicals
If you need to dispose of small quantities of any flammable chemicals you can take them to your nearest recycling centre for safe disposal.
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Flares
You cannot take flares to our recycling centres as this will present a significant hazard to staff and other site users. You also cannot put flares in with general household rubbish or public litter bins as they may cause serious harm to others.
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Fluorescent tubes
Fluorescent tubes should be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Foil
You can recycle aluminium foil and foil containers in your recycling bin at home.
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Food
Food waste can be put into your food waste bin or home composter.
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Food cans
You can recycle food cans in your recycling bin at home.
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Fridges and freezers
Fridges and freezers may contain hazardous chemicals and need to be disposed of with care. Take them to your local recycling centre.
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Furniture
Take furniture to your local recycling centre.
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Garden chemicals
You can dispose of up to 25 litres of waste garden chemicals at our recycling centres.
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Garden furniture
How to dispose of garden furniture.
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Garden waste
You can subscribe to a garden waste collection service through your local district or borough council or take your garden waste and grass cuttings to your local recycling centre.
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Gas bottles
You can dispose of gas bottles of up to 15kg in size at our recycling centres.
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Glass
Glass bottles, jars and pots can go in your recycling bin at home or be taken to your local recycling centre. Other types of glass (drinking glasses, oven-proof dishes and so on) should be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Glasses (spectacles)
Spectacles can't be recycled. You can dispose of them in general waste either at home or at your recycling centre.
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Grass cuttings
You can subscribe to a garden waste collection from your local district or borough council or take this waste to your local recycling centre.
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Greeting cards and wrapping
Most cards and wrapping paper - unless they are glittery, metallic or foil based - can go in your recycling bin at home.
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Guttering
Hard plastics such as guttering cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Hard plastics
Do not dispose of hard plastics at home. Hard plastics can be disposed of at your local Recycling Centre.
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Hazardous household waste
You can dispose of many hazardous wastes at our recycling centres.
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Hearing aids
Contact your local hospital to see if they accept old hearing aids. Alternatively, recycle your old hearing aids by taking them to your local recycling centre.
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Household batteries
You can recycle your household batteries by placing them in a designated container at your local recycling centre.
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Household hazardous chemicals
Up to 25 litres of hazardous household chemicals can be disposed of at our recycling centres.
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Ink cartridges
Ink cartridges cannot be recycled at home or at our recycling centres. Put them in your general waste bin, or see if you can donate them for refilling.
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Insulation
How to dispose of insulation.
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Invasive plants
Invasive plants must not be disposed of at home.
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Irons
You can take broken or unwanted irons to your local recycling centre.
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Jam jars
Jam jars can be recycled at home or taken to your local recycling centre.
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Japanese knotweed
Japanese Knotweed is a very invasive and damaging weed and it is not accepted at any of our recycling centres. Soils from within a 7 metre radius surrounding Japanese Knotweed will also not be accepted.
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Jigsaw puzzles
Solved the puzzle? Unfortunately the bits are too small for recycling, so you'll need to put it in your general waste or take it to your local recycling centre.
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Juice cartons
Place juice cartons in your recycling bin at home.
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Junk mail
Junk mail can go in your recycling bin at home or be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Kettles
You can take broken or unwanted kettles to your local recycling centre (RC).
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Kitchen waste
Unwanted food should be placed in general waste. Old kitchen appliances can be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Knives
You can dispose of knives at our recycling centres.
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Laughing gas
Laughing gas canisters and dispensers should not be disposed of at home. Take canisters and bottles up to 15kg in size to your local recycling centre.
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Lawn mowers
Lawn mowers can be taken to your local recycling centre. For petrol mowers, all fuel must be emptied prior to disposing of it.
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Leather
You can dispose of leather items such as clothes, shoes and accessories at our recycling centres for reuse and recycling.
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Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes
Take fluorescent tubes and low energy light bulbs to our recycling centres.
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Lighters
How to dispose of lighters.
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Magazines
You can put magazines in your home recycling bin or bring them to your local recycling centre.
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Mattresses
Mattresses can be taken to your local recycling centre and placed in the general waste container.
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Medicine packaging
Empty foil-based blister packs, medicine bottles, and cardboard packaging can be placed in your household recycling bin. If any packaging still contains medicine, take it to your chemist for safe disposal.
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Metal cans and aerosols
Place empty metal cans and aerosols in your recycling bin at home.
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Metals
You can dispose of bulky metal items at our recycling centres.
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Mobile phones
Broken and unwanted mobile phones can be recycled at your local recycling centre.
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Monitors
Take TVs and monitors to your local recycling centre.
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Motor oil
Only motor oil from domestic households will be accepted at your local recycling centre.
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Nappies
Dispose of nappies in your general household waste.
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Newspapers
You can put newspapers in your home recycling bin or bring them to your local recycling centre.
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Nitrous Oxide (NOS) canisters
NOS canisters should not be disposed of at home. Take canisters to your local recycling centre.
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Oil
Do not dispose of oil at home. All of our recycling centres accept engine oil and some accept cooking oil.
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Ovens
Ovens can be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Packaging
What you do with your packaging depends on what it's made of. Much packaging can be recycled, but bubble wrap, shredded paper, film lids and items made of polystyrene need to be put in general waste.
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Paint
You can dispose of paint at our recycling centres. Take the paint, in the original container to the site and check the label for information. Flammable paints are hazardous.
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Paper
Paper can go in your recycling bin at home or be taken to your local recycling centre.
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Paper towels
Paper towels, kitchen roll and tissues are often coated with food residues and other substances, making them unsuitable for recycling. Put them in your general waste bin.
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Pet food pouches
How to dispose of pet food pouches.
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Petrol and Diesel
Up to 25 litres of petrol and diesel can be disposed of at our recycling centre.
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Photographs
Old photographs cannot be recycled because of the plastic coating. You can put them in your general waste at home or take them to your local recycling centre.
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Pillows and cushions
Take pillows and cushions to your local recycling centre.
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Pipes
Hard plastics such as pipes cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Plant pots
Non-black plastic plant pots and seed trays can be recycled at home or taken to your local recycling centre or participating garden centre’s.
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Plasterboard, plaster and gypsum based wastes
You can dispose of up to 200kg of DIY building, construction and demolition materials at our recycling centre.
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Plastic bags and wrapping
Plastic bags cannot be put in your recycling bin at home. In West Sussex the only plastic items we can recycle are plastic bottles and containers.
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Plastic bottles and containers
All plastic bottles (for example drinks, bathroom and detergent bottles), squashed and with lids replaced.
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Plastic garden toys
Hard plastics such as plastic garden toys cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Plastic patio furniture
Hard plastics such as plastic patio furniture cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Plastic storage containers
Hard plastics such as plastic storage containers cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Plastic vending cups
Many plastic vending cups can be placed in your home recycling, unless they are made of polystyrene or styrofoam which can't be recycled.
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Plastics
Some items can go in your recycling bin but others need to go in general waste.
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Polystyrene
Although expanded polystyrene is a form of plastic, it cannot be recycled as there are no secure or sustainable markets for it. Throw away expanded polystyrene with your general rubbish.
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Pringles tubes
Stopped popping? Time to recycle in your home recycling bin or at your local recycling centre.
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Pumpkins
You can dispose of pumpkins at home or by taking them to your local recycling centre.
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Quilts
Take quilts to your local recycling centre.
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Railway sleepers
Do not dispose of these items at home.
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Roll-on deodorants
How to dispose of roll-on deodorants.
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Rubble
Don't dispose of rubble at home. Take it to a recycling centre that accepts it.
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Saucepans
Don't dispose of saucepans at home. Take them to your local recycling centre.
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Scrap metal
Don't dispose of scrap metal, such as screws, poles, pegs and so on at home. Take them to your local recycling centre.
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Shoes
Don't dispose of shoes at home. Take them to your local recycling centre.
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Shredded paper
Shredded paper is paper that has been cut with scissors or shredded as part of a mechanical process into small strips or pieces. It must go in your general waste bin at home but can be taken to your local recycling centre for recycling if you pack it in a cardboard box.
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Soil and hardcore
Don't dispose of soil and hardcore at home. Take it to a recycling centre that accepts it.
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Solvents
You can dispose of up to 25 litres of solvents at our recycling centre.
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Spectacles
Spectacles can be disposed of in your general waste or taken to your local recycling centre.
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Stamps
You can dispose of these at home in your recycling bin, but consider finding out if your favourite charity accepts stamp donations - many do.
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Storage heaters
You can dispose of storage heaters at any of our recycling centres.
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Sweet tins
Recycle your sweet tins at home or take them to your local recycling centre.
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Takeaway coffee cups
You can dispose of takeaway coffee cups at home. Some can go in your recycling bin but others need to go in general waste.
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Takeaway food containers
You can dispose of takeaway food containers at any of our recycling centres.
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Televisions and monitors
Broken and unwanted TVs and monitors can be recycled at your local recycling centre.
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Tetra Pak cartons
Place Tetra Pak cartons in your recycling bin at home.
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Textiles
You can dispose of textiles at our recycling centres for reuse and recycling.
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Thermometers
Do not dispose of thermometers at home. Take this waste to your local recycling centre (RC).
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Tools
You can take old or unwanted tools to your local recycling centre.
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Toothpaste tubes
You can recycle empty plastic squeezy toothpaste tubes in your home recycling bin. Ensure they are as empty as possible and that you replace lids before putting them in the recycling bin.
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Toys
You can take old or unwanted toys to your local recycling centre or, if they're in good condition, consider donating them to a local preschool, parent-toddler group, or charity shop.
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Traffic cones and barriers
You can dispose of plastic traffic cones and barriers at all of our recycling centres.
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Trigger sprays
You can recycle trigger sprays when they are attached to clean, empty bottles.
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Tyres
For a small charge, you can dispose of tyres arising from household use at our recycling centres.
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Used oil
Do not dispose of oil at home. All of our recycling centres accept engine oil and some accept cooking oil.
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Vacuum cleaners
Take broken or unwanted vacuum cleaners to your local recycling centre.
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Vapes
Broken and unwanted vapes can be recycled at your local recycling centre.
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Video and audio cassettes
Take video cassettes to your local recycling centre.
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Vinyl records
What to do with old vinyl records.
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Walking aids
Walking aids can be recycled at our recycling centres.
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Wallpaper
Wallpaper cannot go in your recycling bin as there are different types of wallpaper and not all of them are made from just paper. There may be residue of adhesives, paint or plaster on the paper, along with special coatings that mean it cannot be recycled.
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Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Bring waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to your local recycling centre.
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Water butts
You can dispose of plastic water butts at all of our recycling centres.
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Wheelie bins
Hard plastics such as wheelie bins cannot be recycled. Use the general waste container at your local Recycling Centre.
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Window panes
Window panes can't be recycled. You can dispose of them at our recycling centres.
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Wipes
Wipes cannot be recycled because they are made from a mix of materials and are often wet or dirty. Put them in your general waste bin.
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Wood
Small amounts of wood generated from a household can be recycled at your local recycling centre. You can recycle wood such as pallets, packaging wood, painted wood, chipboard and MDF. Place these items in the wood container at your local centre.
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Wrapping paper
Most cards and wrapping paper - unless they are glittery, metallic or foil based - can go in your recycling bin at home.
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Yellow pages
Yellow Pages, telephone directories and catalogues can be placed in your recycling bin.
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Zinc batteries
Do not dispose of household batteries at home. Take them to your local recycling centre or see if a local shop or supermarket have a collection point for them.