recycling tips

This section gives general advice on rubbish disposal and recycling. Always use your common sense and never place rubbish where it could cause harm. If you are at all unsure contact your Local Authority and speak to the recycling officer.

Asbestos	a building and insulation material commonly used before the 1970s the three main types of asbestos are white, blue and brown can only cause harm if the fibres are inhaled removal from buildings may disturb the fibres Advice: contact your local council before removal
Batteries	some councils and garages provide facilities for recycling rechargeable batteries and lead acid car batteries check out the bank locator for more information. rechargeable batteries should be returned to the manufacturer where possible for disposal There are currently kerbside collection trials in the UK for domestic batteries, find out whether your council is involved Advice: buy rechargeable batteries, or appliances which use mains electricity
Bicycles	can be recycled at some recycle centres bicycles can be reused via Bikerecycling.net or re-cycle.org
Bras	Don't throw your old bras away - Donate them to charity with the BreastTalk.co.uk Bra Appeal.
Binoculars	You can donate your old or unwanted pair of binoculars, telescope, spotting scope or tripod that are in good working order to the RSPB where they will be used for conservational or educational projects. Advice: Click on the link above for further information and for the address to send your items to.
Building rubbish	includes: bricks, asphalt, glass, metals, plastics, soil, and wood most of this waste is created by the construction industry architectural salvage yards take some items for resale, and old bricks and timber can often be reused Advice: contact the Association for environmentally conscious building for advice
Cars and vehicles (ELVs)	over 1.8 million tonnes of old vehicles are thrown away in the UK each year on average 75% of a vehicle is currently recycled scrap merchants are able to recycle old vehicles fly tipping is an offence and abandoned vehicle owners can be traced through the DVLA! Advice: abandoned vehicles can be reported to your local council, who can also provide advice on disposal
Cartons (Tetra Pak)	Tetra Pak supplies the majority of drinks cartons within the UK items made from Tetra Pak include milk cartons, fruit juices, liquid foods such as pasta sauces and some ice cream cartons, look out for the Tetra Pak label carton recycling facilities are now available in over 300 Local Authorities within the UK check out the bank locator or click here to find out where you can recycle cartons near you Advice: Find out from your local council whether there are plans to introduce Tetra Pak recycling in your area and help us to recycle-more!
Cassette tapes	You can post your old CDs, DVDs, CDRs, and cassette tapes to The Laundry for recycling Advice: Reuse your CD's and cassette tapes at your nearest charity shop
CDs and DVDs	You can post your old CDs, DVDs, CDRs and cassette tapes to The Laundry for recycling Polymer Reprocessors recycle all CDs and also the packaging around the CDs if you are a business Poly C. Reclaimers will collect your CD's free of charge and plastic waste you can also reuse you CDs to make funky drinks coasters CDs can also be used to make bird scarers or why not buy a clock kit and create a stylish CD clock! Advice: reuse your old CD's and DVD's by taking them to a charity shop. Or you can auction your CDs on'Only One Pound', you can opt to donate 50% or 100% to 2 charities.
Chemicals, paint and oils	chemicals are used every day in the home and garden, see the National Household Hazardous Waste Forum DO NOT pour chemicals and oil down drains. They can pollute rivers used engine oil can be recycled at most civic amenity sites. old or left over paints can be used by community groups such as Community RePaint - check the bank locator to find your nearest paint recycling point plastic bottles which have contained household cleaners can also be recycled (check instructions on the bottle) take a look at Community RePaint Advice: use environmentally friendly chemicals, most DIY stores stock them. Buy in bulk to reduce packaging
Electronics	some retailers take back old electrical items when delivering a new one if your item still works safely, you could sell it. See Yellow pages for second-hand electrical shops some charity shops will accept small electrical items there are now lots of reuse networks where you can offer items for others to reuse waste electronics can sometimes be recycled at your Houesehold Waste Recycling Centre mobile phones can be recycled through phone retailers and charities, click here for a list of contacts If your old ipod is broken and no longer under warranty you can have it repaired or sell it to: www.ukipodrepairs.com for more information about waste electricals please click here Advice: try to repair broken items rather than throw them away. Buy durable items with long life cycles
Furniture	local charity shops, schools, and community groups can sometimes use unwanted items please note that unwanted sofas and chairs must have the kite mark to prove they meet British safety standards most organisations will not take old beds for hygiene reasons make sure all furniture is clean and in good repair before you donate it take a look at the Furniture Re-use Network Advice: old furniture may be very useful to someone else! Donate unwanted items where possible
Glass	bottles and jars are usually separated by colour: brown, clear, and green place in the correct colour bin (unless there is a mixed colour glass collection) recycle your blue glass with your green glass wash out bottles and jars, remove caps and corks before recycling (avoid wasting water: use your washing-up water) light bulbs, Pyrex-type dishes, windowpanes etc. should not be put in glass banks for further information about glass please see recycling specifics Advice: reuse jars for storage, most supermarkets have glass banks, recycle alongside your weekly shop!
Hearing Aids	Hearing Aids are collected at a variety of places such as: doctors surgeries hospital audiology departments private hearing specialists some charity shops i.e. Help the Aged and Age Concern, you can post your hearing aid to: Hearing Aid Appeal, Help the Aged, FREEPOST LON13616, London, EC1B 1PS. The Lions Clubs These are usually charity based and the hearing aids donated are repaired, refurbished and sent overseas for reuse in developing countries.
Ink Cartridges	it is estimated that cartridges take 450 years to decompose ink cartridges can be refilled and laser cartridges remanufactured Advice: you can use company's like Cartridge World to refill your cartridges instead of throwing them away
Jewellery recycling	Recycle your jewellery...and help Marie Curie Cancer Care provide more nursing care at home to terminally ill people. All you need to do is put your jewellery in an envelope and send to FREEPOST, Central Recycling. (no stamp needed) Advice: For more information please check out Marie Curie Cancer Care for further details
Light bulbs	light bulbs, should not be put in glass banks to find your nearest recycling point for Energy Saving Light bulbs, enter your postcode into the bank locator search tool and tick the 'Gas Discharge Lamps' box. This will give you all the address details and an interactive map. Advice: If a low-energy bulb is smashed, the room needs to be vacated for at least 15 minutes. Do not use a vacuum cleaner to clear up the debris. Instead, use rubber gloves to place the broken bulb into a sealed plastic bag - and take it to the nearest appropriate recycling centre for disposal.
Medical waste	dispose of medicines following either your doctor's or the manufacturer's instructions care should be taken when disposing of needles and syringes glass bottles and jars that have contained medicines can be recycled when they are empty Advice: if you find a syringe, use your common sense. If you can safely pick it up, then place it in a safe container and take it to the local police station
Metals	usually separated into: aluminium (drinks cans) - non-magnetic, and steel (food tins) - magnetic. Aerosols can be made from either test by using a magnet. Click here to request a free magnet, please be sure to include your name and address. wash and squash cans before recycling. Only recycle clean aluminium foil. Never pierce or crush aerosols even when empty only put empty aerosols in recycling schemes i.e. when you cannot get any more out by pressing the button crisp wrappers (metallised plastic film) cannot be recycled. Metallised plastic springs back when scrunched Advice: contact Alupro for details of their Cash for Cans scheme and BAMA for any aerosol queries
Paper and cardboard	paper collection is usually separated into: newspapers, magazines, cardboard, and phone directories unless specified, do not recycle catalogues, directories or envelopes which are gummed or glued together juice and milk cartons cannot be recycled with ordinary paper as they are made up of several materials some facilities provide mixed paper and card collection for further information about paper and cardboard please see recycling specifics Advice: if you read newspapers, please recycle them after use. Alternatively, read news online. Set your printer to print double sided, buy recycled paper
Plastic	there are over 50 different types of plastics if separate bins are provided it will usually be for: HDPE - opaque bottles e.g. detergent bottles PVC - transparent bottles, an obvious seam running across the base e.g. mineral water bottles PET - transparent bottles, a hard moulded spot in the centre of the base e.g. fizzy drink bottles some supermarkets have collection points for recycling carrier bags click here for more detailed information on plastic recycling Advice: reuse bags or use a long-life carrier bag. Buy in bulk to reduce packaging
Rubber hot water bottles	cut your hot water bottle into squares and use them as jam jar openers or as non slip mats for your plant pots cut up you hot water bottle into smaller strips and place them at the bottom of your plants pots for drainage fill you hot water bottle with material such as reused foam chips and create a kneeler for your gardening Advice: Please do not burn your hot water bottles in your fire as they can produce harmful gasses
Shoes	you can recycle your unwanted shoes at most recycling centres please see the bank locator for your nearest place to recycle them donate them to a charity shop refashion or repairing old shoes can be far cheaper than buying new ones check on the internet for any local charities collecting shoes
Stamps	there are many organisations where you can donate stamps to including; RNIB, Oxfam (also collect Coins), Help the Aged and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Advice: Don't forget to recycle your envelopes once you've donated all those stamps for charity!
Textiles	old clothes, bedding, curtains, and blankets can be recycled on any high street at charity shops, but only donate clean useable items! check out the bank locator as some charities also have recycling bins for textiles if you deposit shoes, tie them together so they don't get separated! Advice: use any unrecyclable textiles as cloths around your home
Tights	You can donate your old, clean tights (even with ladders!) to the Addis Ababa Fistula hospital in Ethiopia. These are used to hold bandages in place, whilst surplus tights are woven into rugs. Please visit Tights Please for more info
Timber / wood	the disposal of wood in landfill sites causes problems as it is often bulky and decomposes slowly scrap wood is collected at civic amenity sites for recycling Contact your local council to find out whether they recycle Christmas Trees for further information about wood please see recycling specifics Advice: many retailers now stock products made out of recycled wood or renewable wood sources - look on the FSC website for further information
Tools	unwanted tools and equipment can be donated to Workaid who refurbish the items and send them to vocational training projects in developing countries. They accept any tools from handtools to typewriters to welding machines! Tools For Self Reliance also refurbish quality second-hand tools to a first class standard. Click on the link for more information of the tools they collect Tools With A Mission also collects tools for developing countries Advice: If your electric tools are beyond repair, check if your local Tip recycles Waste Electrical Equipment or logon to the Bank Locator
VHS cassette tapes	you can reuse your VHS cassette tapes at Freecycle for recycling reuse your VHS cassette tapes at your nearest charity shop
Water Filters	All Brita Water Filters can be returned to the company to be recycled, please follow this link for more details and the address: www.brita.net Advice: If you use a different brand, contact the company direct to find out where to recycle the water filters.