Recycling Common Domestic Materials ...
...plus a few others
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Recycling Common Domestic Materials ... |
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...plus a few others
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| General Sites and Councils |
If you have doubts, as an individual, as to what to do with any kind
of waste ask your local council; they are your main recycling service
providers. For information and comment on councils click here |
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Abacus House Clearance offer a flexible, low cost service covering most of Northern England, the Midlands and parts of Scotland. Licensed waste carriers, registered with the environment agency, all rubbish is disposed of at one of the many waste management depots around the country. |
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CBD Enviro, an Australian company, offers economic, environmentally friendly and effective waste management services coupled with up to date methods. Providing skips and bins for both general waste and recyclables. | |
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Cleanaway Limited
is one of the UK's leading waste management companies with recycling and
disposal operations, providing advice, collection, support services, with
capability to recycle a variety of items such as paper, cardboard, plastics,
glass and cans for companies and organisations  . |
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The Community
Recycling Network (CRN) promotes community waste management in the UK,
tackling the growing waste problem and building the social economy. CRN,
a non-profit industrial and provident society, supports local groups and
provides a national voice for community recyclers . |
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Don't Dump That can help reduce the amount of useful but unwanted household items going into landfill. By registering you can post items you no longer want so that other members who do want them, can take them. | |
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Ecohouse has an Australian website created for users of the company's services, and for individuals and organisations interested in developing sustainable waste management policies and infrastructure in their area. | |
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Efreeco is a national recycling organisation with a website that allows users to add items and place wanted adverts. All items have to be free but the aim is to keep perfectly usable stuff out of landfill. With a similar theme to the Freecycle Network it needs to expand to make a significant impact. | |
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Environmental
Services Association (ESA) is the trade association for companies
providing waste management and related environmental services. It produces
a variety of information for the public as well as its members |
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The Forest
Recycling Project (FRP) is a not-for-profit community business that
collects many items for recycling, sells recycled goods and Traidcraft
products and initiates community recycling activities. Seems like a model
for others. Click here for a resumé of their activities |
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The Freecycle Network is an international organisation to help members dispose of unwanted items to local fellow members. Judging by the queries we get there should be plenty of interest, sounds a fantastic idea. Items you want to dispose of must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. Many countries are catered for and there are many groups within each (eg in the UK there are more than 150 listed by county and town/city). | |
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Letsrecycle.com
gives news, material prices plus key information for recyclers and all involved
in sustainable waste management in the UK . |
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Rag-and-Bone provides a way to give a new home to unwanted, but still usable, large household items. For a small fee you can advertise the items which you want to give away or if you want some item from the site you can collect it for free. | |
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Recycle2shop.com sells brand new recycled products made in the UK by small businesses, inventors, artists, designers and craftspeople. | |
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The Recycling
Consortium, a non-profit company, promotes waste Reuse, Reduction and
Recycling, mostly for those in south west England . |
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Recycle for London has launched a text service to make recycling easier for Londoners. Londoners will be able to find out when their recycling is collected or where their nearest recycling facilities are by texting RECYCLE and their full postcode to the number 63131. There is also a direct link in the text message to their local recycling helpline so residents in each borough can order their recycling box or bag if they have not yet got one. | |
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REMADE Scotland,
a major public/private sector initiative, aims to develop, strengthen and
stimulate recyclate material markets in Scotland. Priority strategies are
for materials like glass, paper, organic waste, plastics . |
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Reuze is a site that aims to tackle the three parts of the recycling problem. It provides information concerning recycling, organisations that reuse that waste and products made from recycled waste. | |
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SWAP (Save
Waste and Prosper) is an environmental consultancy dealing predominantly
with sustainable management of waste, being an innovative specialist in
the UK. SWAP has strong, successful working relationships with industry,
commerce, local and central government and NGOs |
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Valpak
impressed us for many reasons. It caters primarily for businesses to comply
with the packaging waste regulations, but don't be put off, it really
is interesting. To learn more about the site click here |
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Waste Watch,a national organisation, aims to protect the environment by promoting sustainable use of scarce resources, by educating, informing and raising awareness about waste reduction, re-use and recycling. It works with community organisations, local authorities, educational establishments, businesses and individuals. It operates Wasteline information service. | |
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In 2002, Waste
Watch re-launched its Recycled Products Guide as an online resource
with a wide range of products, info on labeling and a glossary of terms
used to describe recycled materials . |
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Women's Environmental
Network (WEN) works to inform & empower women who care about the
environment via creative, innovative campaigns, public information and local
action. WEN provides information, advice to the public on environmental
and consumer concerns, waste being a focal issue . |
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Waste &
Resources Action Programme (WRAP) focuses on creating stable and efficient
markets for recycled materials and products. It is part of UK government's
waste strategy promoting sustainable waste management . |
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WyeCycle
is a venture set up in the village of Wye, Kent. On a national scale, it
is a small operation but is an exemplar of recycling innovation . |
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| Maybe you thought
it was only paper recycling that saves the trees? Forests are also cleared
to make way for mining Bauxite, the raw mineral from which aluminium is
extracted. This mining can harm the environment. Aluminium is fairly valuable as a recyclable metal and councils may offer a service and many charities accept foil or collect cans. Where does aluminium waste go? To make new cans and hardware such as car parts. |
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Aluminium Packaging
Recycling Organisation (Alupro)'s site contains information about foil
recycling, as well as info on the production and uses of foil (Alufoil).
Alupro promotes the fundraising and environmental benefits of aluminium
can recycling (Alucan); you can even get cash for cans. Click for
Alupro information . |
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The Aluminium
Federation (ALFED) is the Trade Association representing the UK aluminium
industry and providing a wide range of services . |
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The CAN~CAN
Co. recycle aluminium cans and foil, mainly in West Sussex and surrounding
counties. They would like to enlist you as a member . |
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Ollie Recycles, aluminium - a fun site to teach children about recycling and waste management. This link's to aluminium, there are other topics. | |||
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Scope have
an active recycling programme covering drinks cans, mobile phones, printer
and fax cartridges and IT equipment / furniture, to raise funds for disabled
people. Details on their Web site, under Recycling . |
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| That old bike can be repaired and may help charities. Some recyclers (yes that's a pun) may also be able to sell you a cheap, repaired cycle. Some examples of recyclers: | ||||
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bikerecycling.net is a directory of community projects, nfp businesses, training and rehabilitation schemes and other projects that are happy to receive your donations of bikes, parts, accessories etc. | |||
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The Bike Station,
a community project that accepts bikes donated by the public and recycles
them for use by priority groups who need them. They renovate and sell some
bikes to raise funds . |
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Infinity Cycles is a social enterprise which takes in unwanted and discarded bicycles and restores them back to good quality reliable machines for sale at low-cost to the local community. Tel: 01724 851569 | |||
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Re~Cycle’s
mission is to collect and ship second hand bicycles and parts to less developed
countries; they also teach local people the skills of how to repair and
maintain bikes. If you want to help, click here to see how . |
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| What do you do with all those books you've read? Recycle them by taking them to a charity shop or public library; most accept used books. | ||||
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Do you have candles where the wick has burnt to the end but there's still
lots of wax left? You think 'what a waste to throw this candle away'!
Well you can recycle them by making your own new candles from the left-over
wax. You need a few items such as a wick, but they're easy o get from
craft shops or stores. Click here for some guidelines, hints and tips
on making your own candles |
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Cabbey Crafts: from 'Cabbey's Place' you can visit Cabbey's Craft Cottage with info on how to make candles. | |||
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Candlemaking.org.uk presents 'Essential Survival Guide to Candlemaking' including candlemaking basics. | |||
| Councils should
provide facilities for collecting ferrous (aka tin) and aluminium cans (but
are more likely to want aluminium than tin-plated steel, so its best to
check first). See above for more details on aluminium. Where do they go? Cans of both varieties go to make more cans. |
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Can-Do Community
Recycling promotes recycling of both aluminium and steel used beverage
containers (UBC) to assist in the development vocational and employment
training for people who have disabilities. Their site is being updated (Nov
03) . |
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SCRIB (Steel
Can Recycling Information Bureau), fairly self-explanatory, is educational
and aimed mainly at kids, with facts, booklets, games etc . |
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Click on this
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| Many councils provide containers for cardboard at their recycling sites. Cardboard may have its own bin or may be mixed with certain kinds of paper but not with all (eg newspapers). Flatten cardboard boxes first to save space. If cardboard recycling containers aren't provided, you may be able to drop off clean boxes at supermarkets or other high volume businesses. | ||
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The CAT Tipsheet
on Composting says you can create better compost and reduce the amount of
rubbish you throw away by composting paper and cardboard. CAT now make a
small charge for their Tipsheets . |
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Sadlers
are new and once used carton specialists, for cardboard box and carton recycling
in the UK. They offer free advice and consultancy . |
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| Cartons 
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Although Drinks
Cartons are paper, very few are recycled at present in the UK as most paper
mills do not process them; but in Europe, they are re-pulped in paper mills
to recover quality fibres for new products. A few UK Council recycling depots
accept cartons, but you need to check. Cartons are made from wood fibre
from trees grown in sustainably managed forests, mainly pine and spruce
from Northern Europe. Where do they go? Cartons can be recycled into tissue, toilet and kitchen paper, office supplies, fibreboard and reels for industrial use. |
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The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) is an international coalition of paperboard and beverage carton manufacturers, working to raise awareness of consumer and environmental benefits of the beverage carton and to address related environmental issues. | |
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ACE UK works
with environmental and industry partners in areas of forestry and packaging.
Their site gives details about the benefits of cartons, producing and transporting
them, versatility, facts on forestry, etc . |
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Are you the type
who thinks ahead? If so, 30 minutes with a pair of scissors can save you
pounds next December; simply cut out parts of the front picture to use as
parcel tags, or use blank bits for shopping lists etc. Alternatively you
can take your used cards to participating Tesco, WH Smith, Marks and Spencer and TK Maxx
stores (in January), to support the Woodland Trust (click the silver
ball to link) raising funds to plant new woodland; this scheme is supported
by many councils, Cleanaway and Nat. Assoc. of Waste Disposal Officers. Also we received this suggestion from Tim Kasser (USA): "My wife takes scissors to the ones she likes and cuts them to save the cover page with the nice pictures. She then pastes the picture to new card stock paper we buy and then sends them out the next year as our Christmas Cards. Saves money and paper, but you have to remember not to send it back to the person that sent it to you." |
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Click on this
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| You can recycle used clothes which are in good or reasonable condition to charity shops or second-hand or nearly-new clothes shops (where you may get some money for them). Also many recycling depots or sites have a clothes/textile container. Try these sites for more info: | ||
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Black Country Rag
Company (BCR) specialises in reclamation and recycling of textiles. They
now operate with >70 councils, servicing >800 banks nationwide and
educate children on the importance of recycling textiles . |
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The Curtain
Exchange sell good quality secondhand curtains. You can recycle your
curtains: The Curtain Exchange will assess them and if suitable they will
try to sell them. They also provide on-site valuations . |
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Kettering Textiles
Ltd states it is one of the UK's leading textile and used clothing recyclers.
For more info click here |
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Ragtex UK
works with charities and public authorities collecting british clothing
and textiles for exporting around the world and supplying nearly new clothing
to retail outlets . |
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The Salvation
Army textile recycling scheme, run by the Salvation Army Trading Co.
Ltd raises funds for charitable work in the UK and overseas . |
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Textile Recycling
Association (TRA) aims to promote textile recycling, represent the interests
of its members and create an advantageous climate for merchants to operate
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Recyclatex is an independent,
regulatory body of all TRA members, offering local authorities, organisations
etc a reliable and cost effective way of disposing of used clothing, shoes
and household textiles .
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Textile Recycling
for Aid and International Development (TRAID) raises funds via collection
and sale of second-hand clothing and shoes to further sustainable development
in poor regions of the world. You can donate to TRAID clothes banks or buy
low-cost fashion clothes from TRAID shops . |
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| Most furniture is easily recyclable, but there are regulations regarding inflammable materials, eg as used in many older sofas and chairs. Many charities including the Salvation Army will accept items in good condition (see details in the Clothing/Textiles section above). Other examples are: | ||
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Emmaus, a homeless
charity, has shops which sell good quality goods, refurbished in their workshops.
You can buy or donate furniture, electrical goods, clothes, bicycles etc
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Furniture Re-use
Network (FRN) arrange free collection in the UK, of unwanted furniture
donated by the general public, which they sell to people on low-incomes
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The Furniture
Recycling Project aims to encourage recycling of furniture and household
items to disadvantaged groups and provides volunteer training opportunities
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Green-Works
is a not-for-profit social enterprise bridging the gap between organisations
with redundant office equipment and schools, charities, community groups,
start-up businesses etc that need it . |
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Morph is a London based charity who recycle unwanted furniture by reselling items at bargain prices. You can buy from their website and they will collect from local areas. | |
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SOFA Project
is a Bristol-based charity which refurbishes and sells furniture and also
white goods (electrical appliances) to low income households in the surrounding
area; they also collect donated items . |
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Click on this
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| One of the favourites
to take to the council. Usually we get lots of bottles and jars accumulating
and they're easy to sort by colour and deposit in the bins but a real menace
if dumped with the refuse. Don't put other glass items like window glass
or light bulbs in the bins. Panes of glass are briefly covered on the Hazardous
Waste page (Go up to index to select it). Where do they go? They are recycled to produce more bottles and jars for wine, beer, spirits and food. Glass can be recycled indefinitely without any loss of quality. Like to know how its done? Click here .
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British
Glass has Glass Technology Services (GTS) as an independent, unbiased,
wholly owned subsidiary, which undertakes research and development in
glass science and technology |
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British Glass Recycling Glass fun site for kids to learn about glass recycling. They have also produced an interactive CD-ROM FREE, aimed at teachers, to encourage children to consider the benefits of recycling glass. |
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The GLASSFOREVER
web site will give you information about glass packaging and how to recycle
glass. Classes with teachers can visit the Glass Recycling Education
Centre to learn about recycling glass |
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| Jewellery doesn't
seem like a waste product, but how many broken earrings and brooches or
spare links from bracelets are tucked away? They may have seemed valuable
at the time but often won't be put to good use. Many charities will collect,
repair and sell them to help their cause. Go on have a clear out. For ideas
on where to send them click here: . |
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| Click on this
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| Scrap metals have
value and should be recycled. Steel and aluminium are the world’s most
recyclable and recycled materials. If you accumulate copper (just had the
central heating redone?) or aluminium or cast iron (just had the old gutters
or the back boiler replaced?) why not take it to your scrap metal dealer
and get cash for yourself. Or give it to your local travelling merchant.
For larger quantities the links below might prove useful. Where do they go? They are separated, refined and reused for hardware. Over 40% of world production of ‘new’ steel is made from old steel, and 35% of ‘new’ aluminium is made from old aluminium (ref Corus 2002). |
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| Warning! |
Many metals are hazardous and are often hidden in compounds which may be toxic if misused. Notably, some batteries, paints and lamps may contain killers such as Lead, Mercury or Cadmium. For more details go up to the index and select Hazardous Waste|Toxic Metals. | |||
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Alwin Metals
Ltd: recycling and reclamation, mainly of non-ferrous metals. They also
offer a complete service covering all recyclables and wastes . |
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AWA Refiners
Ltd: UK-based precious metal and computer reprocessors, also provide
information about electronics recycling . |
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British Metals
Recycling Association, provides useful information on metal recycling
and links to organisations associated with metal and recycling . |
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Corus Steel
Packaging Recycling (CSPR) states it is the UK's centre of technical
and communications expertise on steel packaging recycling, facilitating
and promoting further recovery and recycling of all types . |
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European Metal
Recycling (EMR) process and merchant ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
They shred post-consumer durables, shear demolition scrap and perform high-tech
granulation and dense media separation of mixed materials as well as fridge
recycling and vehicle depollution .
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G C Metals Limited, an independent British precious metals refiner, offers a comprehensive precious metal reclamation service to a wide variety of commercial and industrial customers. |
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Isaac Shaw Ltd:
part of Sigfried Jacob Metals Group. Reprocess and recycle non-ferrous
scrap metal, production scrap, residues and catalysts .
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Midland Industrial
Metals Ltd: Specialist non-ferrous metal merchant and processor . |
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zincworld.org
provides the public and professional users with details about zinc and its
uses. It is sponsored by International Zinc Association (IZA), who
promote understanding of zinc and its environmental importance . |
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Click on this
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| Paper is one of
the most popular recyclables and all councils should offer a convenient
disposal system. There are certain kinds of "papers" that cannot
be recycled eg plastic and laminates, carbon and waxed papers. Where does it go? To paper mills which screen and pulp it. Then it is made into rolls of paper or cardboard, often for packaging. If you have responsibility for disposing of waste within an organisation there are professionals who will help; click for more information .
They should be able to recycle much more than paper and cover a lot of other
needs as well including compliance with the The Environmental Protection
Act and The Data Protection Act  .
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The CAT Tipsheet
on Composting says you can create better compost and reduce the amount of
rubbish you throw away by composting paper and cardboard which isn't suitable
for taking to the recycling bank . |
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The Confederation of Paper
Industries is the trade association for the paper industry; their site
gives info on paper recycling and other links . |
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The Green
Stationery Company do not recycle but supply recycled paper and green office products. They
select environmentally benign products and those with environmental advantages
over the standard office products . |
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Hannay
appears to be one of the leaders in the UK and Ireland, judging by the information
supplied on their web site; for more info click here .
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New Leaf
Recycling, based in south London, offers recycling schemes for office
waste paper, redundant IT equipment and printer cartridges; they sell remanufactured
laser printer and inkjet cartridges .
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Paper Round
offer schemes for recycling office paper, reusing laser and inkjet cartridges
as well as offering free advice in office recycling . |
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RecycledWaste.Com claims to be a one stop shop for recycling office waste offering compliance with legislative requirements. It handles print cartridges, batteries, fluorescent tubes, lamps, hardware, cups, cans and bottles etc. | |||
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| We have classified Plastics as marginally hazardous. To go to the Hazardous Waste page, go up to the index and select on the site map. | ||||
| Even used postage
stamps are not worthless. Tear around the stamps, put them aside and when
you've got a bundle post them to a charity. Unused stamps are especially
valuable, here's an idea of where to send them: . |
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You can send unused stamps, broken and unwanted jewellery directly to Greek Animal Rescue (click on the link), and used stamps to: c/o GAR, 5 Windrush Road, Hardingstone, NN4 6EH (please be sure to put an unused stamp on the envelope or the charity will be penalised). | |||
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Leukaemia CARE provides vital care and support to all those whose lives are affected by leukaemia, lymphoma and the allied blood disorders. Their work includes the welfare of families and carers, as well as patients. For info on donations including stamps, mobiles and cartridges click this button . |
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Smilie's People
invite you to collect used postage stamps to help support children suffering
from Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Their site gives clear instructions of
what to do with your stamps; click on 'Collect Stamps' . |
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| Don't throw old shoes, sandals, trainers etc away when they've gone out of fashion, you've finished with them, or the children have outgrown them. Take them to a charity shop or to one of the shoe 'bins' you see outside many shoe repair shops; for example: | ||||
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Michael's Shoe Repairers, Claremont Road (near Waitrose), Surbiton, SY. | |||
| Where do these old shoes go? We are told that they go to Holland where a commercial organisation sorts them. The better shoes are then sent for use in the third world and the rest are shredded for other uses. | ||||
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Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe
program enables you to bring your worn-out trainers and athletic footwear
to be reused or recycled by taking them to drop-off points. Click on the
red button or silver ball to find out where and how . |
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Recyclatex
is an independent, regulatory body of all TRA members, offering local authorities,
organisations etc a reliable and cost effective way of disposing of used
clothing, shoes and household textiles . |
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Click on this
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| Maybe you have several unwanted second-hand spectacles around the house. You can be sure that many other households have them too. They can be put to use in a very good cause, helping disadvantaged people overseas. Its very likely that your local optician will accept old, good condition specs for recycling. Also see the specialist links below. | ||||
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Vision Aid
Overseas helps needy people in developing countries with bad eyesight,
mainly by supplying them with second-hand spectacles. Unwanted spectacles
are donated in the UK, by the public, via various organisations such as
Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, churches, schools and many opticians. The donated
specs must be in good condition and unfortunately bifocals won't do. For
more information click . |
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World in Sight is
the Help the Aged spectacle recycling programme which aims to help older
people in developing countries by providing them with spectacles, helping
them to see. World in Sight, supported by opticians Dollond & Aitchison,
need basic glasses, as well as broken metal frames . |
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Click on this
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| Tools including garden tools can be re-used. For example see: | ||||
