A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

Bubble wrap is useful in the garden as it can be used to protect plants from frost. Bubble wrap can be recycled by putting it in your green recycling bin or taking it to your nearest bring site or recycling centre. It is recycled into new plastic products.

Bricks and other building materials can be cleaned and used for a wide variety of projects around the house or garden for example paths, edging, raised beds, compost heaps or barbeques. Bricks* and rubble* can be taken to your nearest recycling centre and put in the skips marked Bricks and Rubble. These items will be used for roads and surface cover on landfill sites. *Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling sites including bricks and rubble. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

Please consider donating large furniture items that are in reasonable condition and working electrical appliances to local re-use organisations (please note mattresses and three piece suites will need a fire label). Many of these organisations will come and collect them from your home. Freecycle is also another way to pass your unwanted items to others who may need them. If your unwanted items are not suitable to be used again, you can take them to your nearest recycling centre. If you are unable to do this, you can book a bulky waste collection online. These items will be recycled where possible.

Donate cameras in good working condition to your local charity shop or drop off at your local household waste recycling centre's reuse container. Broken cameras can be recycled at your local recycling centre's small electrical items bank.

Rinse and squash all cans (steel and aluminium) and recycle them through your green recycling bin. These items are used in metal smelters and made into new metal products.

You can take your diesel and petrol car batteries to your nearest recycling centre. Contact your car manufacturer or dealer for advice on recycling electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Cardboard sheets can be used in the garden as a mulch to suppress weeds or ripped up can be added to your compost heap. It can also be shredded and used for animal bedding. All cardboard such as brown card, cereal boxes, egg boxes and toilet roll tubes can be placed in your green recycling bin. Larger corrugated cardboard boxes should be flattened and deposited in the cardboard skips at your nearest recycling centre. This is recycled back into cardboard products such as packaging materials, cat litter and more.

Remove any glittery or metallic parts from cards and recycle the rest in your green bin. You could reuse glittery or metallic parts by making them into gift tags. These items are recycled back into cardboard products such as packaging materials and cat litter.

Why not hire an industrial steam cleaner or use a local carpet cleaning firm to clean and spruce up your carpet so you can continue to use it? If you have a homemade compost heap, pieces of carpet are ideal as an insulating material to place on the top of the heap to keep the heat in. Unwanted carpets and rugs can be sold or given to charity shops. As a last resort unwanted carpets should be taken to your nearest recycling centre and placed in the general waste skips. These will be sent to landfill for disposal.

Remember to take out a shopping bag or a few carrier bags with you so that you do not need to accept any more. Save money by using carrier bags as bin liners at home. 

Stretchy carrier bags, bread bags, fresh or frozen fruit and vegetable bags, and tearable cereal, salad, pasta and rice bags can all be recycled in your green bin.
 

If your car is beyond repair, you should take it to a local scrap metal merchant for disposal. Please note that scrap has a value so shop around for the best offer.

Food and beverage cartons (Tetra Paks) are used to carry products such as milk, soft drinks and fruit juices and can be recycled in your green bin. The fibre from the cartons is recycled in to coreboard which is then converted into industrial tubes and cores. The plastic is recycled into new polymer products such as children’s play mats and the aluminium is used in products such as breeze blocks.

If your unwanted CDs are pre-recorded and still work, you can donate them to your local charity shop. There are also many online companies that offer a CD recycling service.

Cereal wrappers, salad, rice and pasta bags can all be recycled in your green bin. 

As a general rule, if plastic wrap, bags or packaging is stretchy or tearable and not foil-lined, then it can be recycled in your green bin.

Large supermarkets usually provide collection containers at the front of the store for plastic packaging that cannot go in your green bin, for example, the foil-lined crisp bags and chocolate wrappers.
 

If your unwanted chair is good enough to be used by others, donate it to a local re-use organisation. Armchairs must have a fire label to be re-used. You can also take it to the Revive Leeds re-use shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centres or to your nearest recycling centre where you can put it in the re-use container. If it is not good enough to re-use you can take it to your nearest recycling centre for disposal. Wooden furniture can be recycled in the timber container. If you are unable to do this, you can book a bulky item collection online