The Complete A-Z Waste and Recycling Guide

Magazines and catalogues, including telephone directories, can be recycled in your paper and cardboard bin at home along with many other paper products. You don't need to remove staples from magazines before putting them in the bin, but if there's any plastic packaging, this usually goes in your rubbish bin.

Most, if not all councils have to offer a service for removing bulky waste items including mattresses, but the services they offer do cost, and they're often not cheap. If you have a large enough vehicle to transport it, you can take it to your local tip. If you're getting a new mattress delivered they might also offer a removal service for your old one.

Medicine is categorised as clinical and will need to be stored in a yellow clinical waste bag, labelled and securely sealed. You can request a clinical waste collection on the Governments website, but there may be a charge for these services. Read more on gov.uk

The majority of metals that you encounter in everyday life can be recycled. Only radioactive metals like Uranium and Plutonium and toxic metals such as Lead and Mercury can't be recycled. Small household items, including tins, drinks cans, food tins and aerosol cans, can go in your recycling bins at home. For larger pieces of scrap metal, you can take these to your local recycling centre. As a waste management company, we also offer scrap metal recycling. Any scrap metal from paid construction work is classed as business waste, and you will either need a skip or a registered waste carrier to remove it.

Microwaves, because they are electrical products are classed as WEEE waste, and you cannot put these in your bin at home. To recycle a microwave, you can take it to your nearest recycling centre, where you can put it in the electrical waste receptacle. The metal and plastic will be recycled into new products. If you are getting rid of a microwave that still works, rather than taking it to a recycling centre, please donate it to a charity shop.

Mixed paper and cardboard can go in your recycling bin at home for standard collection. Mixed paper and card is also regularly produced in commercial environments and in business. Commercial wheelie bin hire is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for recycling your paper and cardboard. For larger quantities, REL skips and roll on roll off skips are other great choices.

Mobile phones, including modern smartphones, include many valuable recyclable materials such as glass and Copper. For example, the most common materials in the latest iPhone 11 range are recyclable, including glass, aluminium and stainless steel (Pro models). Even if the phones no longer work, there are still a lot of useful materials and elements. You can take old phones to your local recycling centre. For working mobile phones, you could give them to a friend or family member, donate them to a charity shop, sell them or make use of manufactures trade-in schemes for a discount of your next device.