A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

Photographs and photographic paper cannot be recycled due to the plastic laminate on them being difficult to remove at paper pulping plants. If plastic is mixed into the process the recycled paper become unusable. Please dispose of these items in your black bin.

Please see bedding and blankets

Some garden centres offer plastic plant pot takeback schemes. Contact your local garden centre to check. 

You can take plasterboard* to your nearest recycling centre. Please put it in the container for plasterboard. Plasterboard is used as a soil conditioner and blended with organic waste in the manufacture of compost. *Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling centres including plasterboard. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

All the following types of plastic bottles found around the home can be recycled in your green bin: drinks bottles, cooking oil bottles, milk bottles, skincare and soap bottles, bleach bottles, washing up bottles.

Caps, lids, pumps and triggers can all be left on as they will be recycled too.

See 'carrier bags'.

Please try avoid using plastic cups by using drinking glasses instead. They can be put in your green recycling bin if the cups are made from plastic types 1 (PET/PETE), 2 (HDPE/PE-HD), 4 (LDPE/PE-LD) or 5 (PP).  These numbers can be found in a triangle on the cup. 

See also Plastic trays, Plastic bottles, Plastic yogurt pots. Please try to buy loose fruit and vegetables and meat and fish from shops that don't over-package their goods. A large proportion of plastic packaging is difficult to recycle. 

Stretchy carrier bags, bread bags, fresh or frozen fruit and vegetable bags, and tearable cereal, salad, pasta and rice bags, as well as cling film, plastic film lids, baby and pet food, coffee, detergent and cleaning pouches can all be recycled in your green bin. Check out our plastic recycling page for all the other plastic items that can be recycled in Leeds. 

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.
 

All your plastic fruit, meat and vegetable trays (except those made of black or brown plastic) can be recycled in your green bin.

See 'plastic packaging'.

See yogurt pots.

Plastic products labelled as biodegradable or compostable cannot currently be recycled in your green recycling or brown garden waste bin. This type of plastic should be disposed of in your black general household waste bin. Biodegradable and compostable plastics must be dealt with separately to non-biodegradable plastics such as food containers, drinks and shampoo bottles, as they cannot be recycled in the same way. Although the garden waste from your brown bin is composted, compostable plastic bags do not break down quickly enough in the process, resulting in a poor quality compost.

You can put the following types of plastic in your green recycling bin - types 1 (PET/PETE), 2 (HDPE/PE-HD), 4 (LDPE/PE-LD) and 5 (PP). These numbers are be found in a triangle on plastic items. These items include plastic bags, plastic shampoo bottles, soft drink bottles, detergent bottles and plastic milk containers.

Caps, lids, pumps and triggers can all be left on bottles as they will be recycled too.

Please try to re-use polystyrene chips if possible or pass them on to someone who will. Polystyrene can’t be recycled, so dispose of small amounts in your black household waste bin. Larger pieces can be broken down or placed in the general waste skip at your local household waste recycling centre.

If your bottles are plastic or glass, you can wash them (squashing plastic ones) and put them in your green recycling bin.