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Simply look up the material you wish to recycle or dispose of and you should find all the information you need. Alternatively use the "Edit Menu" from your web browser and then select "Find on this page", and enter the term you would like to search for.
See our |recycling pages for general information on what you can put in your bins.
If you can't find what you're looking for then |get in touch.
Recycle empty aerosols at your |recycling centre. Please do not pierce, crush or flatten before recycling.
See |cans.
Aluminium foil, metal food trays and milk bottle tops can only be recycled in your blue top bin if they are squashed into a ball, no smaller than the size of a grapefruit.
Asbestos is a hazardous material that poses a real danger to health. It is vital that care should be taken when handling, removing or disposing of asbestos. Visit Surrey's website to find out how to |dispose of asbestos safely.
Don't burn leaves, as they produce highly carcinogenic smoke. Put wet leaves in a plastic bag, stab a fork in to make some holes, and a year later you'll have great leaf mulch to spread around your garden. You can |compost leaves at home, or sign up to our |garden waste collection service and we'll compost them for you.
Baby clothes and equipment that are in good condition can be given to friends and family members or donated to charity shops.
See also |children's toys.
See |plastic bags.
Some |normal household batteries can be taken to the recycling bin in the reception of the Civic Centre, Esher. Rechargeable batteries last longer than single use batteries, and are better for the environment. Take all dead batteries to a |recycling centre. See also |car batteries.
Second hand bicycle shops may be interested in purchasing the bicycle, or you could donate them for reuse. If your bike is beyond repair, you can recycle the metal parts. Take your bicycle to a |recycling centre.
You can now buy biodegradable or recycled bin liners in most supermarkets, which is better than using other plastic bags that take up to 1,000 years to decompose. But it's better to reuse any plastic bags as bin liners, instead of throwing them away or buying new ones.
See also |plastic bags.
Recycle biscuit tins in your blue top bin. They can be reused for storing homemade cakes and treats.
Books in good condition can be sold to second hand book shops or donated to libraries, charity shops, local surgery waiting rooms, and retirement homes. If your books are not in a good enough condition to be reused you can put them in your blue top bin.
See |glass bottles or plastic bottles.
Take unwanted items or bric-a-brac to local charity shops or sell them at car boot sales. Local scout or guide groups may also like to receive such items for their fund raising jumble sales.
Bubble wrap cannot be recycled, but it can be easily reused to wrap up valuables which are going in storage or being posted. If you can't reuse it, put it in your normal rubbish bin.
See |rubble.
Find out how to dispose of your business waste at the |Surrey Business Waste Website.
You can recycle cans in your blue top bin or take them to a |recycling centre.
Find out |what happens to your recycling once it is collected from your kerbside.
You can take car batteries to a |recycling centre.
You can put cardboard in your blue top bin. Large pieces of cardboard can be flattened, tied up and put next to your blue top bin ready for collection.
Find out |what happens to your recycling once it is collected from your kerbside
You can recycle cards in your blue-top bin. Many charity shops accept cards for recycling. You can re-use cards by turning them into gift tags for presents. See also |Christmas cards.
Carpets are difficult to recycle because they are made from a mixture of fibres. You can donate your carpets to charity shops, community groups, friends or family. If they can't be reused, you can arrange a |special collection.
See |Tetra Pak.
Recycle catalogues in your blue-top bin.
Old CDs can be donated to charity shops.
See |cardboard.
You can't recycle toys but you can donate them to a local charity shop. Alternatively, use |freecycle or |swap it surrey.
See also |baby goods.
If these are unbroken, you can donate them to a charity shop. Please do not put these in your blue top bin.
Old cards and paper can be re-used for making present tags or paper-chains. Donate your cards to |The Woodland Trust card recycling scheme.
You can use our separate |garden waste collection service to collect your tree for composting. Please chop the tree up so that it fits into your bin or sacks - trees left beside your containers will not be collected.
Alternatively, you can take your tree to a |recycling centre.
Clingfilm cannot be recycled. You can reduce the amount of clingfilm you use by storing sandwiches and food in resealable plastic containers.
If you have clinical waste for disposal |contact us to arrange a special collection.
Charity shops welcome clean, dry, good quality items. Worn clothes could be used as cleaning cloths. Alternatively there are a number of textile banks at the |recycling centres across the borough. If have a lot of clothes and textiles for recycling (eg. clearing out a house), some textile recycling companies will come and collect them for free, such as D & M Textile Reclamation: 020 8665 7555.
Most charities have a scheme where you can donate with unwanted foreign currency.
See |business waste.
Composting in Elmbridge is easy. Find out more about |home composting.
You can recycle your computers with |Hungry Recycling. Also see| electrical goods.
The best way to deal with confidential documents is to shred them and put them in your |compost bin. You can also scrunch shredded paper into a ball and wrap a sheet of newspaper around it, or put it in a paper bag to keep it all together, and place it in your recycling bin.
Cooked meat can be put in a wormery. Do not put it in your| compost bin.
Please do not pour waste oil down the drain, even with washing up liquid, because the oil will solidify in the sewers and cause huge problems with rats, odour and blockages. Try to use only the correct amount you need, and mop up any excess oil/fat with a piece of bread and put it out for the birds. If you have large quantities, allow the oil to solidify and then transfer to an old tin and put it in your general refuse.
see |nappies.
If these are clean and in good condition, charity shops will take them. Alternatively, take them to a |recycling centre.
If you have unwanted films at home, you can donate them to a charity shop, or sell them at a jumble sale or |online.
Cardboard egg boxes can be torn up and added to your |compost bin or they can be recycled in your blue-top bin. Plastic egg boxes can't be recycled - please put them in your refuse bin.
You can add these to your home |compost bin.
Rubber elastic bands can't be recycled. Please reuse them but if they're broken you can put them in your refuse bin.
Electronic and electrical equipment must be disposed of separately to general waste. You can dispose of your electrical goods at a |recycling centre. Find out more about the |WEEE directive.
If you can't reuse old envelopes, recycle them in your blue top bin. You don't need to remove the plastic window or stamps.
Don't put oil down drains because it can cause considerable environmental damage if it leaks into watercourses and/or groundwater. If oil is released into the water it will kill most animal and plant life by removing the oxygen. Oil can be taken to a |recycling centre where it is disposed of safely.
Old fabric can be recycled at |recycling centres.
Cooking fat should not be poured down the drain as it causes blockages. Seal it in a container and put it out with your normal rubbish. Alternatively, mix it with bird seed and leave it to solidify. You can then put it out on your windowsill or hang it from a tree and feed the birds in the winter.
To reduce unwanted marketing faxes, register with the Fax Preference Service on 0845 0700 702 or |register online. Recycle any you do get in your blue-top bin.
Fluorescent strip lights are more efficient than ordinary bulbs because they use electricity to produce light instead of heat. They last 8-10 times longer and use 75-80% less energy. However, fluorescent lighting contains potentially harmful substances like mercury, cadmium and lead that can cause damage to the brain, liver and kidneys if they enter the body. There is no legislation that prevents you putting tubes in your rubbish bin, however, you can take them to a |recycling centre for safe disposal.
See also |light bulbs.
See |aluminium foil.
You can recycle some food at home, in |compost bins or wormeries. You can buy wormeries on the internet from |Wiggly Wigglers or |Green Gardener.
Fridges and freezers are classified as hazardous waste and must be disposed of carefully and responsibly. Please take them to a |recycling centre or arrange a |special collection.
These can be placed in your |compost bin or your wormery.
There are lots of companies who will take old furniture for reusing and recycling, such as the Woking Furniture Company (01483 750 005). Alternatively the Princess Alice Hospice will come and collect your furniture for reuse (0208 547 2710). You can also donate furniture to charity shops and second-hand shops. Alternatively, |contact us to arrange a |special collection.
Garden chemicals are hazardous household waste and must be disposed of carefully. If you have unwanted garden chemicals, please take them to a |recycling centre and ensure they are identified to the staff there as hazardous waste.
Never be tempted to pour either diluted or undiluted chemicals down the drain. This can seriously affect the treatment of water at the sewage plant.
You can either |compost at home, sign up for our |kerbside collection service or take it to a |recycling centre.
You can recycle gas cylinders at a |recycling centre.
See |wrapping paper.
You can recycle glass bottles and jars in your blue top bin. You don't need to remove the labels as they do not affect the recycling process. It doesn't matter if the glass items are broken, but please don't wrap or bag them.
Panes of glass should not be put in the glass recycling containers. It has a different composition from glass bottles and needs to be collected separately. Please take them to a |recycling centre.
See |spectacles.
These can be |composted at home. If you don't have time or space to compost, sign up to our |garden waste collection service and we'll do it for you.
See |cards.
Coat hangers can be reused over and over again. Take metal hangers back to the dry-cleaners to be reused rather than throwing them away. Ask local charity shops if they need spare hangers for displaying clothes.
If houseplants outgrow your home, give them to a local retirement home or community centre, or you may know a local business that would like them. Plants are often welcome donations for local village fairs, school fairs, or jumble sales. If you can't find a new home for it, you can chop it up and |home compost it, or have it collected with our |garden waste collection service.
Some disinfectants are corrosive and a skin irritant; others are flammable. Always follow the manufacturers instructions. Plastic bottles such as bleach bottles can be recycled in your blue top bin. Only throw away EMPTY containers.
Over 50% of your household rubbish can be recycled. Please make sure you only put items into your refuse bin that cannot be recycled. For details of the recycling services in Elmbridge, please look at our |recycling guide.
Many charities and organisations will take your used printer cartridges and refill them. They are then resold.
|Find out more details about ink-jet cartridge recycling.
See |glass bottles and jars.
Please remove jar lids from the jars and recycle them in your blue top bin.
See |Tetra Pak
To reduce your junk mail, register with the |Mailing Preference Service.
To stop unaddressed mail being delivered to your home, write to:
Door to Door customer service team,
Royal Mail,
Wheatstone House,
Wheatstone Road,
Swindon, SN3 5JN
You can now buy recycled kitchen towel from supermarkets. Better still, use cotton dish cloths, which can be re-used. If you do use paper kitchen towels, small quantities of these can be placed into your |compost bin. However, do not place greasy kitchen towels in your compost bin, nor any that have been used with cleaning products.
See |cooked meat.
See |fruit & vegetable peelings.
You don't have to remove the labels from tin, cans, bottles or jars.
|Redeem will take your used printer cartridges and refill them. They are then reused.
|Compost your leaves at home or make them into |leaf mulch. You can also use our |garden waste collection service.
You can recycle any paper letters in your blue top bin. See also envelopes.
General light bulbs are not considered dangerous and can be placed in your general refuse bin. Light bulbs cannot be recycled because the type of glass they are made from is different and will contaminate the other glass recyclables. Instead, try replacing your light bulbs with energy saving ones - they last eight times longer, use a quarter of the energy and give the same brightness.
See also |fluorescent tube lights.
Low energy lightbulbs cannot be recycled. Some of these bulbs contain very small amounts of mercury. There is no legislation that prevents you putting low energy lightbulbs in your rubbish bin, however, you can take them to a |community recycling centre for safe disposal.
See |toilet rolls.
Recycle any magazines in your blue top bin.
Margarine tubs can't be recycled but are great for storing food, instead of using cling film. If you can't reuse them please place them in your refuse bin.
Mattresses can be taken to a |recycling centre or you can organise a |special collection.
You can take your unwanted medicines back to the chemist where you bought it. |Contact us to arrange a |special collection for any clinical waste.
Metal tins and cans can be recycled in your blue top bin. Scrap metal can be taken to a |recycling centre.
Plastic milk bottles can be recycled in your |blue-top bin. Please return any glass milk bottles to your milkman or to the shop you bought them from.
If they are intact and reusable try a local second hand furniture store or a charity shop. Alternatively, |sell, swap or donate them online.
|Action aid, |Oxfam, |Redeem and |Scope will all accept your old mobiles and chargers.
See |engine oil.
See |CDs.
Nappies can't be recycled and should be put in your refuse bin. Eight million disposable nappies are thrown away every day. They take a couple of hundred years to decompose. Find out how to use cloth nappies and help the environment by visiting |Real Nappies.
These can be recycled in your |blue-top bin.
See |cooking oil.
See |engine oil.
Most plastic packaging cannot be recycled and is sent to landfill. When you next go out shopping, make an active choice not to buy goods which have a lot of packaging (e.g. buy fruit and vegetables loose, don't put them in a plastic bag).
Paint is hazardous waste and unfortunately we cannot recycle it. You can dispose of it correctly by sealing it tightly and taking it to a |community recycling centre (the tip) for careful disposal in the hazardous waste containers.
All forms of paper can be recycled including junk mail, letters, envelopes, birthday cards and office paper. You don't need to remove staples, glue, sellotape or windows (from envelopes).
If your pet's food comes in a can, the container can be recycled. Rinse it out and add it to your recycling.
Pet litter should be put in your refuse bin. Litter from herbivorous animals, such as rabbits, can be put in your compost heap.
All phones books can be recycled in your blue top bin.
You can recycle photographs in your blue top bin or shred them and compost at home.
You can put all plastic bottles in your . No other plastic can be recycled at the moment.
See also |packaging.
When you next go shopping, take some plastic bags with you or purchase a canvas bag to carry your shopping in. These are stronger and can be reused many times. You can recycle your plastic bags at some supermarkets, and most offer reusable shopping bags to buy.
See also |bin liners
This can't be recycled. Try to buy new things with as little packaging as possible.
See |packaging.
|Polyprint accepts waste polythene for recycling from the general public or other organisations in whatever quantity.
See |stamps
Redeem will take your used printer cartridges and refill them. They are then resold.
This can not be recycled as it can explode when heated up in the glass recycling furnace. Dispose of pyrex glass in your normal rubbish bin.
Razor blades should be well wrapped up in a tissue or rag and placed in your refuse bin.
Take your rubble and building waste to a |recycling centre.
See |plastic bags.
Scrap metals can be recycled. Steel and aluminium are the world's most recyclable and recycled materials. Metals such as copper and cast iron can be sold to scrap metal dealers. Any other metal can be taken to a |recycling centre.
See |confidential waste.
Reuse shoes by giving give them to friends or family. You can take pairs and single shoes to a recycling bank at a |recycling centre.
Old glasses in good condition can be donated for developing countries around the world. Ask your local optician if they collect them, or send old glasses in a sturdy box to: Vision Aid Overseas, 12 The Bell Centre, Manor Royal, Crawley, W. Sussex, RH10 2FZ.
Unwanted spectacles can also be dropped off at any Help the Aged shop or Dolland & Aitchinson opticians.
Oxfam accepts old stamps that are reused to raise money for campaigns. Cut stamps from the envelope, preferably with a 3mm
margin around the stamp. They can be taken to any Oxfam shop or posted to:
Oxfam Stamp & Coin Unit,
Murdock Road,
Bicester OX26 4RF.
Stamps can also be donated to |Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Otherwise, they can be left on your envelopes and placed in your blue top bin for recycling.
It is fine for staples to be present in magazines, newspapers or any paper you put in your blue-top bin for recycling. These are removed in the recycling sorting and cleaning processes.
These cannot be recycled but they can be reused. If you cannot use them again, put them in your rubbish bin.
Old phones can be sent back to BT.
See |phone-books.
You can take Tetra Pak cartons to a selection of |recycling centres.
We can't recycle cartons from your kerbside. This is because they are made up of three different materials and need to be specially split and treated before recycling.
These can be taken to a |recycling centre.
Try to buy recycled paper. When the roll is finished, you can put the cardboard roll in your blue top bin.
Local doctors or dental surgeries may be grateful for unwanted toys in their waiting rooms. You could also speak to your local hospital, playgroups or charity shops. Toys and games could also be donated to a jumble sale.
Waste tyres are not allowed to go to landfill. Most tyre repair centres dispose of used tyres. |Associated Tyre Specialists (ATS) will dispose of old tyres for a small fee.
Old tools may only need minor repairs for them to function again. Try repairing them yourself, or if you no longer have a use for them there are a number of companies who will refurbish tools for resale. |Consult Yellow Pages for details.
Your local hospitals, schools or playgroups may be grateful for working TV's. Otherwise please see electrical goods.
Reuse unbroken umbrellas by donating them to your local charity shop or selling them at a jumble sale. If the umbrella is broken please place it in your rubbish bin.
Vegetable and fruit peel can be put into your |compost bin.
Videos and DVDs
Old videos and DVDs can be donated to your local charity shop.
You can recycle your water filters at a local |Robert Dyas store.
White goods are large domestic electrical appliances like cookers, washing machines, fridges and freezers. These can all be taken to a |recycling centreor contact us for a |special collection.
Worm composting is the process of using earthworms to break down kitchen and garden waste. A wormery not only produces top quality, fine compost, but it also generates concentrated liquid fertiliser. This can be used as a liquid feed (usually diluted with water) for outdoor and indoor plants. You can buy wormeries from |Wiggly Wigglers or |Green Gardener.
You can put your wrapping paper in your blue-topped bin.
You can put your yellow pages in your blue top bin.
Yogurt pots can't be recycled. Please put them in your refuse bin.
Zinc batteries
Batteries have zinc in them. See batteries for how you can recycle them.