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A-Z Waste Minimisation Guide

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

A guide to how and where you can recycle or reuse things that might otherwise end up in landfill. if you need more information or advice, please contact your Local Council or our Mission ImPossible help line on 01905 766883

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

All Items

• See our Re-Use guide for full details
• Sell your unwanted goods on Internet Auction Sites
• Go to a Car Boot Sale
• Advertise in local Free Ads in your local paper
• Offer unwanted items on your local Freecycle network

Asbestos (bonded only, no fibre or wool type asbestos please)

• Asbestos is not recycled, but you can dispose of small quantities at our household waste sites.
• ONLY bonded sheet asbestos, double bagged, and sealed
• For larger quantities (for example a garage roof) you will need to contact specialists - see yellow pages

Aerosol Cans

• Can Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites
• Kerbside collections where available

Aluminium Cans, Foil or Scrap

• Can Banks & Foil Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Scrap metal can be taken to Household Waste Sites
• For comercial or large amounts, look in Yellow Pages for scrap metal merchants

B

Baby Clothes, toys and other items

• Local Charity Shops
• Textile Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites
• Baby clothes, toys and other related items are always wanted by your local Freecycle network
• Sell them at an NCT nearly-new sale

Batteries

• Car Batteries can be deposited at Household Waste Sites
• Household batteries can also be deposited at Household Waste Sites
• Biffa Environmental Services (01299) 573335
• Shanks Chemical (0121) 3132000

Beds & Bedding

• Local Charity Shops may take sheets, but not generally tehy will not take duvets of sleeping bags
• Old duvets and blankets can be offered to animal welfare charities
• Beds can be offered to charity shops

Books

• Local Chrity Shops
• Book Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites

Boots and Shoes

• Local Charity Shops
• Shoe Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites

Bottles

• Glass Banks at Local Recycling centres
• Household Waste Sites take glass and plastic bottles - put plastic ones in CAN banks, not Glass Banks
• Where glass banks are colour separated you may deposit blue glass with green glass.
• No black or brown plastic bottles please.

Bric-a-Brac

• Local Charity Shops
• Internet Auction Sites
• Car Boot Sales
• your local Freecycle network

C

Cages & Hutches

• RSPCA (08705) 555999
• Animal Rescue Centres
• your local Freecycle network often has requests for hutches

Cans

• Stoke Prior Metals, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove (01527) 871159)
• Can Banks at Link
• Household Waste Sites
• Kerbside collection where available

Cardboard

• Household Waste Sites
• Cardboard banks at selected Local Recycling Centres

Cards (Greetings/Christmas)

• Paper Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Local Playgroups
• Local Supermarkets take used christmas cards in the New Year
• Household Waste Sites

Carpets

• Local Charity Shops
• Use as pond liner (under the waterproof membrane)
• Use on top of your compost heap to insulate in winter - cover with a waterproof sheet or lid

Car Batteries

• Household Waste Sites

Carrier Bags

• Local Supermarkets - ask at Customer Services for instore recycling facilities
• Use boxes or sturdy re-usable bags instead

CD's (Music)

• Internet auction Sites
• Car Boot sales
• Local Charity Shops
• Freecycle network

CD's (cover disks, data disks etc)

• Worcester Resource Exchange (01905 726796)

Crockery

• Local Charity Shops
• Internet Auction Sites

Christmas Cards

• National stores such as Boots, Tesco & W.H.Smiths often have collection boxes available in the months after Christmas
• Paper banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites

Christmas Trees

• Green waste skips are available at Household Waste Sites.
• Some Local Councils offer Christmas tree shredding services
• Lots of trees or shrubs to chip? Call Shredderman

Clothing

• Textile banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Local Charity Shops
• Household Waste Sites
• Internet auction sites

Coins

• Household Waste Sites - Scrap Metal Skips
• Internet auction sites
• specialist collectors groups

Compost

• Don't throw it away, USE IT!!!!
• Subsidised compost bins are avaialble from as little as £6

Computers/Toner Cartridges

• Greencare (0800) 50 20 50
• Worcestershire Lifestyles (01905) 756067)
• Tassit Ltd (01249) 445888
• PWC Trading Ltd (01483) 880350
• See our Re-Use guide for full details on computer re-use organisations

Cookers

• Stoke Prior Metals (01527) 871159
• Scrap Metal Skipsat  Household Waste Sites -
• Local Council Bulky Item collection service (call them for details)

Curtains

• Charity Shops
• Textile Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites

D

Domestic Appliances

• Local Council - Bulky Collection Service
• Household Waste Sites
• Offer unwanted items on your local Freecycle network

E

Egg Boxes

• Give to Market Traders and Farm Shops for re-use
• Use cardboard ones in your compost heap to balance excess grass cuttings

Electrical Appliances

• Local Council - Bulky Collection Service
• Household Waste Sites
• Call 'The Network', a local charity who will arrange a collection from you for a small sum - goods will be refurbished and sold on. (01562 513399)

F

Fireworks

• Leave for a minimum of 2 hours to ensure they have gone out
• douse with water then soak in cold water, in a bucket OUTSIDE until the cardboard tubes unravel and the explosives have dissolved - only then can you dispose of the remains in your dusbin - keep them wet.
• if in doubt, contact the manufacturer for disposal advice

Flurescent Light Tubes

• Household Waste Sites -ask attendant where to put them

Fridges & Freezers

• Household Waste Sites
• Local Council - Bulky Collection Service
• Offer unwanted items on your local Freecycle network

Furniture

• See our Re-Use guide for full details

G

Games

• Charity Shops
• Play Groups

Garden Waste

• Green waste skips at Household Waste Sites -
• Compost at home!  Call 01905 768268 for reduced price compost bins.  Prices start from £5 including delivery.

Gas Cylinders

• Household Waste Sites - refer to attendant on site.
• Call the company named on the cylinder for disposal options

Glass (Bottles and jars only)

• Glass Banks at Local Recycling Centres for BOTTLES and JARS
• Household Waste Sites
• We do not recycle sheet glass

Glass Sheets / Window Panes

• Offer unwanted items on your local Freecycle network
• use for closhes or 'green house' glass
• We do not take sheet glass in the glass banks.

Glasses/Spectacles

• Vision Aid Oversees (01293) 535016

Grass Clippings

• Compost at home, call 01905 768268 for details of compost bins at discounted prices
• Green Waste skips at Household Waste Sites

H

Hats

• Textile Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites  

Hazardous Waste (such as asbestos, chemicals, fireworks etc)

• Environmental Health (01527) 881444
• Environment Agency (01562) 606312

I

Inkjet Cartridges

• Office Green (0800) 833480
• Greencare (0800) 502050

J

Jam Jars

• Glass Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites

Junk Mail

• Paper Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites
• Call 08457 034599 or visit the Mailing Preference Service websiteto stop junk mail
• Shred and add to your compost heap

K

Kitchen Equipment

• Local Charity Shops  

L

Leaves

• Green Waste Skips at Household Waste Sites -  
• Compost them.
• Make leaf-mould

M

Magazines

• Paper Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Donate to local Doctors/Dentists
• Household Waste Sites

Medical Equipment

• Return to Doctors or Hospital

Medicines

• Return to Pharmacy

Metals

• Scrap Metal Skips at Household Waste Sites
• for larger quanities or trade waste, look for metal recyclers in the Yellow Pages

Milk Bottles (Glass)

• Return to your milkman

Mobile Phones

• Some supermarkets offers a service to recycle redundant mobile phones - ask at the Customer Service desk for details
• Office Green (0800 833480)
• Check 'phone shops for charity take-back schemes

N

Newspapers

• Household Waste Sites
• Paper Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Shred and add to your compost heap
• use to make paper mache for the kids

O

Oil (mineral oil, eg car oil)

• Household Waste Sites - have oil sumps - ask attendant onsite.
• Large amounts can be returned to supplier, e.g. OSS Group (0113) 2533571

Oil (cooking oil)

• Large amounts can be collected by specialist waste firms - some might be made into bio-diesel

P

Paint

• Household Waste Sites - place in 'chemical safe - ask assistant for advice
• take to Community Re>Paint scheme - 01905 7267960

Paper

• Paper Banks at Household Waste Sites  and Local Recycling Centres
• shred bank or credit card statements before disposal
• use shredded paper in your compost heap

Plastic bottles

• Plastic recycling facilities are available at some Household Waste Sites
• use your kerbside collection scheme

Plastic Vending Cups

• Save-a-Cup (01494) 510167

R

Records/Tapes/CD's

• Pass to Hospital Radio Station
• Local Charity Shops
• Freecycle network
• car boot sales
• internet auction sites

S

Shoes

• Local Charity Shops
• Shoe Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• internet auction sites (especially ladies 'designer' lable shoes)

Steel

• Scrap Metal Skips at Household Waste Sites -
• Steel Cans can be deposited in can banks at Local Recycling Centres

Sleeping Bags

• offer to animal welfare charities

Sports Equipment

• Local Charity Shops  
• Local Youth Clubs or Youth Organisations
• Local Schools

T

Textiles

• Local Charity Shops
• Household Waste SitesTextile banks at Local Recycling Centres

Trees

• Green Waste Skips at Household Waste Sites
• Call Shredderman for garden waste chipping service

Tins

• Can Banks at Local Recycling Centres and Household Waste Sites

Toner Cartridges

• Greencare (0800) 502050
• Office Green (0800) 833480

Toys

• Local Charity Shops
• Play groups

Toxic Waste

• Environmental Health (01527) 881444
• Environment Agency (01562) 606312

Tyres

• ATS (0121) 5563493
• Household Waste Sites

W

Wool

• Textile Banks at Local Recycling Centres
• Household Waste Sites

Have we missed anything? - call and ask where you can recycle things not on this list 01905 766883