A - Z of Recycling

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

A

ALUMINIUM CANS can be recycled at most recycling centres and is accepted in the green wheelie bins which most households have.

ALUMINIUM FOIL (CLEAN) (such as takeaway carton bases) can also be recycled in any can bank at recycling centres. Please do not put this into your green wheeled bin as the facility it goes to cannot accept foil. 

ASH from wood burning fires is an excellent form of waste to add to your compost, or as a soil fertiliser due to it containing valuable minerals essential to healthy plant growth such as nitrogen and potassium and potash.

AEROSOLS can be recycled in the green bins with your cans and tins, or in the yellow can banks at recycling centres but please do not squash or pierce the container (they can explode)

B

BATTERIES All household batteries can be recycled at the Household recycling centre on Crossgate Road, they can also now be recycled at Sainsbury's Supermarket.  (next to the recycling banks based in the car park)

Wherever possible use rechargeable batteries, solar powered devices, or mains electricity.

BOOKS which are in good condition will be gladly accepted by your local charity shop or freecycle. There are currently no Book Banks at the local recycling centres. If the books are not reusable, paperback books may be recycled with your normal paper waste, however with hardback books please remove the cover prior to recycling.

BLUE GLASS can be placed in the green recycling bank or put into your green wheeled bins at home.

BICYCLES if broken beyond repair, bikes can be recycled in the scrap metal skip at the household recycling centre or even passed onto a local charity for re - use put an ad in the local paper or supermarket.   

BULBS Energy saving light bulbs can now be recycled at your local Sainsburys supermarket, next to the other recycling banks based in the car park. 

C

CARDBOARD can now be recycled in your green recycling bin as well as light, white card (for example cereal boxes). Anything corrugated or thick will also be accepted, you can also add it to your compost bin to aerate the material, but in small amounts.

CARRIER BAGS can be recycled in store at most large supermarkets in town. However, the best way to reduce plastic bag waste is to reuse the bags, buy re-usable cotton bags or a ‘bag for life’ - Some Supermarkets offer 'points' for money off your shopping every time you re-use a bag.

CLOTHING AND TEXTILES can be recycled in your local recycling centre.  Items in reasonable condition are sent to the third world for reuse, and other items are turned into rags. For good quality items your local charity shop would also be a good option.

COAT HANGERS your local dry cleaners/ironing service may be glad to receive them? Participating Supermarkets like Tesco have recycling facilities, please ask in stores.  Even better, politely refuse hangers in shops.

COMPUTER DISCS will be willingly accepted for reuse via schools and community art programmes at 'Worcestershire Resource Exchange' Unit K, Gregory's Bank Industrial Estate, Worcester, WR3 8AB (Tel: 01905 726796) . If they are saleable please donate to your local charity shop or place in a book bank. If you grow vegetables at home then they can be hung on string to act as a bird 'scarer'. A further option is to send them to this company - see this link for more information http://www.plasticwaste.co.uk/ourservices.htm 

COMPUTERS can be donated to Worcestershire Lifestyles. telephone 01905 756067  or visit http://www.lifetechrecycling.co.uk/ 

CORKS are very good for your compost heap, and don’t forget to recycle the bottle they came in!

CHRISTMAS TREES can be recycled at the Household Recycling Centre, where it is shredded and made into compost.

D

DISPOSABLE RAZORS - These must be carefully wrapped and disposed of in your grey bin, our recycling facilities often use people to hand sort materials and they could get injured if this was to go into your green recycling bin. 

DRINKS CARTONS - can now be recycled in you green wheeled bin.

DOG FOOD cans can be recycled - please rinse out and push the lids.- but please note we cannot recycle the plastic pouch versions.

DOG POOP can be recycled in a 'green cone' please visit the Worcestershire County Council website for more information. 

DUSTERS can be made from your old fabric rags or stained t-shirts. When they are past good use, if the material is natural, such as cotton, you can compost this material.

DVD's  please see CD's

E

EGG BOXES made from cardboard are fully compostable or can be recycled at the Household recycling centre or placed in your Green Wheeled bin. Egg Shells can be added to your compost heap, or crushed can also deter slugs from eating your plants, just sprinkle around the base/stems.

F

FOOD WASTE can be disposed of with a Food Waste Disposer or Green Cone, please click on the following link to visit the website.  http://www.letswasteless.com Grants are also available from this site.

FOIL can be recycled if it is clean,in any can bank. However, crisp packets cannot be recycled as they are really plastic coated foil which you cannot separate. With any type of foil, such as foil lids on cream cheese, scrunch the material in your hand, and if it holds its shape, you can recycle it.

Film  see Polythene Film

G

GARDEN WASTE is best used for composting at home.  Alternatively you can take this kind of material to the household waste site for recycling, for free. We have a pilot scheme running in some areas of the town visit our Garden Waste page for more details to see if you are eligible. 

GLASS is the best material to be recycled as it can be recycled indefinitely, and bottles and jars can be recycled at all recycling sites across the borough and through the household collection service. Please note sheet glass and Pyrex is not accepted.

GRASS can be composted very effectively providing that it is mixed with equal quantities of other material, for example scrunched up newspaper.  Also  see our Garden Waste page. 

GREASEPROOF PAPER (used and scraps) can be composted if ripped up first or in small amounts.

H

HAIRSPRAY and other canned aerosols can be recycled in the can bank at the recycling centres, or put into your green wheeled bin if you are in a household recycling collection area.

Hay-or pet bedding can be added to your compost heap so long as your pet is vegetarian.

I

INKJET CARTRIDGES can be recycled and many charities (e.g. Scope) and schools will gladly recycle them on your behalf.

J

JUNK MAIL You can contact the Mail Preference Service on 02072913310  or mps@dma.org.uk to remove yourself from mailing lists which are used by many companies. The website (for more information) is http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/ 

JARS made from Glass can be recycled - and their lids can be recycled in the green bin with the cans and tins.

K

KITCHEN WASTE may be composted, just avoid cooked food or meat products.

KITCHEN ROLL TUBES-can be composted or recycled as cardboard.

KITCHEN UTENSILS - Metal utensils and saucepans can be recycled at the Household Waste Site

L

LIGHT BULBS cannot be recycled at present, although florescent tubes must be taken to the household recycling centre for proper disposal, as these tubes are hazardous. Please use energy efficient light bulbs which last ten times longer than an ordinary bulb, and can be recycled at the Household Recycling Centre on Crossgates Road and now at Sainsburys, Redditch. 

M

MAGAZINES can be recycled as paper either in your green bin or local paper recycling bank. 

METAL can be recycled at the Household Waste Site as Scrap Metal.

MOBILE PHONES can be recycled for charity: for example Oxfam's "Bring Bring" Scheme where each donated phone can raise around £5 for Oxfam.  You can either take them to your local shop, or send to Oxfam Bring Bring Scheme, FREEPOST, LON16281, London W5 5BR.

Alternatively unwanted handsets and accessories can be returned directly to 02, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodaphone outlets. They will be either sold to developing countries, recycled or broken down and disposed of safely.  There are also companies who will pay money for your old handset so its always worth finding out by searching the web. 

MEDICINES - glass medicine bottles can be recycled with your other bottles, however for all other medicines can be taken to any Boots store where the medicines are disposed of safely and the bottles are recycled into new ones.

N

NAPPIES can take up to 500 years to decompose, but now there are real alternatives to disposable nappies. Click here to go to the Nappies section of the County Council website.

O

OIL should not be poured down drains as it can contaminate drinking water and cause problems for wildlife. Please seal in an appropriate, watertight container and dispose of in your wheelie bin. If  you have a compost bin you can dispose of small quantities of cooking oil in it.

P

PAINT must not be placed in your wheelie bin, as when crushed it can cause unsightly spillages as well as leaking into the mechanical section of the refuse truck before drying. For small quantities of paint, please either allow to dry on newspaper or cat litter and then placed in your wheelie bin, or take large amounts to the Household Waste Site.

PAINT will also be willingly accepted for reuse via schools and community art programmes at 'Worcestershire Resource Exchange' Unit K, Gregory's Bank Industrial Estate, Worcester, WR3 8AB (Tel: 01905 726796)

PAINT BRUSHES can be transformed by trimming the bristles with scissors, saving you money.

PILLOWS  can be taken to a charity shop, or the inner feathers/down can be composted, and the fabric recycled as textiles.

PLASTIC You can now put more types of plastic into your green wheeled bin, and some of the larger supermarkets have facilities for you to take your plastic waste there. 

POLYTHENE FILM can be recycled if you post your clean film (e.g. magazine packaging) to:

Polyprint Mailing Films
MACKINTOSH ROAD,
RACKHEATH IND. EST.
RACKHEATH,
NORWICH,
NR13 6LJ

R

READING GLASSES can be sent for free to the World in Sight appeal which sends spectacles to people in the less developed world. Please send your unwanted spectacles to

World in Sight Appeal
FREEPOST
LON131109

In addition, most opticians will accept your old glasses for re-use, please ask at your opticians.

S

SHOES -can be recycled in the textile banks at  most of the recycling centres. Most of the time unwanted shoes are sent to countries where they are put to good use.   However, why not consider getting shoes mended, which is much cheaper than buying new ones.

STEEL tins can be recycled in your green bins or at the recycling banks. 

STAMPS  you can send your used stamps (please tear off the envelope) to the League of Friends at the Alexandra Hospital who raise money for vital equipment. Please send directly to League of Friends, Alexandra Hospital, Woodrow, Redditch. Alternatively you can send stamps to: RSPB Stamps, PO BOX 1, Chesham HP5 2YJ.

T

TAPE CASSETTES  If you post your tapes, DVDs or CD's to the address below they will be recycled:

Keymood UK Limited
Wolf Business Park
Alton Road
Ross-on-Wye
Herefordshire
HR9 5NB

TETRAPAK  SEE DRINKS CARTONS

TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES can be put into your green bins or the paper banks at your local recycling centre.

TISSUE PAPER will be gladly accepted for reuse in any charity shop for wrapping delicate items and china

TOWELS (as well as old pillow cases, sheets and blankets) are needed in a clean condition by the WYCHBOLD SWAN RESCUE charity - please contact Jan on 07813916509

U

Umbrellas If you are able to detach the fabric canopy you could recycle the metal element in the scrap metal skip at the Household Waste Site.

V

VACUMN DUST can be added to your compost heap.

W

WATER BUTTS are a great way of conserving water for watering your plants. Call your local water supplier for more information on subsidised butts.

WATER FILTERS  can be sent back for recycling free of charge (in batches of 6 at a time please) -
send to:
Britta Recycling,
Freepost
TK1917,
Sunbury on Thames
TW16 5BR.

Y

YELLOW PAGES can be placed in your green bin or be recycled in most recycling centres.

YARN  unused yarn will be gratefully accepted at your local charity shop.

Z

Zero tolerance to unnecessary waste in Redditch, looking towards a brighter future for us all.