The Complete A-Z Waste and Recycling Guide

You can take scrap metal to a recycling centre but please do not put scrap metal in your recycling bin at home. Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you have hired to make home improvements is classed as business waste and can't be disposed of at household waste recycling centres. We can help with skip hire for scrap metal.

Phone chargers must not go in your general waste bin at home. Cables, wiring and any other wires used to charge electrical devices, such as smartphones and iPhones, are classed as WEEE waste. The manufacturer of the charger may have a return policy for recycling old chargers.

Most, if not all councils have to offer a service for removing bulky waste items including sofas, 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 sofa delivered they might also offer a removal service for your old one. If it's still in good condition, you may be able to donate it to a charity shop.

Soil isn't accepted in household garden waste bins because the contents of the bins are used to produce compost. Adding soil to your garden waste bin can affect the compost that is produced because of contamination and other elements present in the soil. You can take it to the recycling centre providing it is bagged up.

You can take scrap metal, including steel to your local recycling centre but please do not put scrap steel in your recycling bin at home. Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you have hired to make home improvements is classed as business waste and can't be disposed of at household waste recycling centres.

Stones and large rocks can be heavy and difficult to dispose of when there is a large quantity. The ideal solution for the disposal of large amounts of rock and stones is hiring a builders skip. For industrial projects and demolition projects roll on roll off skip are better suited because of their larger sizes.

Straws have commonly been made of plastic, but recently we have been moving away from plastic straws in favour of paper straws. Plastic straws are harmful to the environment, wildlife and sealife. We suggest avoiding plastic straws where possible in favour of paper straws or reusable metal straws. Because of straws small diameter, it is unlikely they will be recycled as they tend to fall out during the process designed to remove small items of contamination.

Syringes are categories as clinical waste, and because of the risk of injury, needles and syringes have to be disposed of in 'sharps boxes'. These are yellow boxes made of hard plastic to ensure safe disposal. Get in touch with us for clinical waste disposal.