A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

Consider donating unwanted magazines and comics to your friends and relatives, colleagues or your local doctors surgery. You may even find that some comics have resale value. They can be recycled in your green recycling bin or at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. They will be made into new paper products.

Try to avoid using peat based compost as rare peat bog ecosystems are destroyed to make it. Instead why don't you make your own compost from fruit and vegetable peelings, grass cuttings, garden prunings and more. We are unable to take compostable bags in brown bins because under testing we found they do not fully decompose in garden waste within 12 weeks. These bags can be home composted or should be put in your black household waste bin. You can find out more information about how to make your own compost and the compost bins we offer on the composting page.

Contact, a Leeds community interest company, are always looking for donations of unwanted computer equipment. They refurbish them for use by other not-for-profit and community organisations or recycle the materials. Their telephone number is 0113 242 4421. Computers from your home can also be taken to your nearest recycling centre. Please put them in the electronic equipment skip. Materials such as plastics and metals are recycled into new products.

Please remember that used cooking oil can be recycled and made into biodiesel. Please do not pour it down the drain. To recycle your cooking oil please take to your nearest recycling centre and put it in the used cooking oil container. It will be used to create bio-diesel or as a fuel in an energy from waste facility.

You can take broken crockery to your local recycling centre where you should put it in the rubble and inerts skip. It will be used for road building or surface cover on a landfill site. Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling sites including ceramics. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

If your unwanted wardrobe is good enough to be used by others, donate it to a local re-use organisation. You can also take it to the Revive Leeds re-use shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centre. Alternatively, put your wardrobe in the reuse container at your nearest recycling centre. If your wardrobe is not good enough to re-use, please take it to your nearest recycling centre. Wooden, MDF and chipboard wardrobes can be recycled in the timber skip. Other furniture should be put in the non-recyclable waste skip. If you are unable to take your furniture to your local recycling centre, you can book a bulky collection online.

If your washing machine is in good working order, you can donate it to a local reuse organisation. You can also take it to the Revive Leeds re-use shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centre. If you are replacing a broken washing machine, the retailer supplying your new appliance should offer you a take back service. Alternatively, you can recycle your washing machine by taking it to your nearest recycling centre, where you can put it in the electrical container. If you are unable to do this, you can book a bulky waste collection online.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). There are a number of containers around Leeds for the collection of small electrical items such as irons, kettles, mobile phones etc. Site locations are listed below:

• Asda - Holt Park
• Asda - Kirkstall Road
• Co-op - Kippax
• Crusader PH - Garforth
• Factory Shop car park - Garforth
• Fox and Hounds PH - Bramhope
• Headingley Taps PH - Headingley
• Leeds University - Lifton Place 
• Morrisons - Harehills
• Morrisons - Hunslet
• Morrisons - Rothwell
• Morrisons - Kirkstall
• Morrisons - Morley
• Morrisons - Wetherby
• Rawdon library - Rawdon
• Sainsbury's - Colton
• Sainsbury's - Moor Allerton
• Sainsbury's - Otley
• Sainsbury's - White Rose Shopping Centre
• Street Lane LS27 7HX - Gildersome
• Waitrose, Green Road - Meanwood

Please see Glass (sheet)

Please take your windows to your nearest recycling centre and put them in the general waste container.

Please see Timber

Please see Garden Waste

Please donate unwanted balls of knitting wool to your local charity shop. Any old or damaged wool can be composted in your compost bin/heap.

With the exception of the shiny metallic and glitter varieties, wrapping paper can be recycled in your green bin. To find out if paper is recyclable try the scrunch test, paper that is recyclable stays in a ball when it is scrunched.

You can put writing paper into your green bin.