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City Of York Council

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Recycling and reuse A to Z

This is an A to Z of where you can take your household waste items for reuse or recycling.  If you are donating something for reuse, for example to a charity shop, please make sure it is in good condition and no parts are missing.

Batteries (household & car)  

See Household Waste Recycling Centres

Bicycles

  • Bike rescue www.yorkrecycling.net. Bike Rescue is a not-for-profit community interest company, which specialises in recycling bikes.  The project is open to the public at the following times:

    Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday 10.00am - 6.00pm Thursday 10.00am - 8.00pm

    Telephone: 07824 368998, Unit B4, Parkside Commercial Centre, Terry Avenue, York, YO23 1JP.

Books  

Bric-a-brac  

  • See charity shops for reuse opportunities
  • St. Sampson's Centre, St. Sampson's Church, Church Street, York, tel: (01904) 652247. They accept bric-a-brac, books, coins, jewellery, jig-saws, toys and wool for re-sale to raise funds. Spectacles and greeting cards (not Christmas cards).  Deliver to Centre - open 10.00am - 4.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday. For enquiries contact Tony Simons (warden).

Cans

  • See recycling banks
  • See kerbside recycling scheme
  • North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust. Collects newspapers, magazines, cardboard, aluminium cans, pots and pans and foil. Contact Mr Hasler for further details. tel: (01904) 416415.
  • St. Nicholas Fields Community and Recycling Scheme, Environment Centre, Bull Lane Tel 411821
  • Think cans www.thinkcans.com to find out how you can get cash for aluminium cans.

Card & Cardboard

  • North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust.  Collects newspapers, magazines, cardboard, aluminium cans, pots and pans and foil. Contact Mr Hasler for further details. tel: (01904) 416415. 
  • See Household Waste Recycling Centres
  • See Recycling banks 

Car Oil

Carrier Bags

  • Tesco, Clifton Moor (in store bank)
  • Tesco, Tadcaster Rd (in store bank)
  • Sainsbury's Supermarket, Monks Cross (in store bank)
  • Sainsbury's Supermarket, Foss bank (in store bank)
  • Morrisons, Front Street, Acomb(in store bank)
  • ASDA, Monks Cross (in store bank)

Cartridges (inkjet and toner)

CDs

Coins (foreign and old)

  • See charity shops
  • St. Sampson's Centre, St. Sampson's Church, Church Street, York, tel: (01904) 652247.   They accept  bric-a-brac, books, coins, jewellery, jig-saws, toys and wool for re-sale to raise funds. Spectacles and greeting cards (not Christmas cards).  Deliver to Centre - open 10.00am - 4.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday. For enquiries contact Tony Simons (warden).

Computers   

Don't dump that website

  • The majority of what is thrown away every day is probably reusable and only goes to landfill because most people don't know what else to do with it.  Don't dump that is all about helping people preserve the environment by keeping perfectly useful but otherwise unwanted items out of landfill sites. 
  • For more information or to join the network go to, www.dontdumpthat.com

DVDs

Electrical appliances 

  • See Household Waste Recycling Centres
  • Community Furniture Store  The York Community Furniture Store, Unit 29 The Raylor Centre, James Street, York, tel: (01904) 426444.  The Community Furniture Store supplies furniture and electrical goods to households in the York area offering discounts for people with proof of low income.  Collection can be arranged.   Not gas appliances. All soft furnishings must meet 1988 fire regulation and be in a reasonable condition. Alternatively deliveries can be made by prior arrangement directly to the store. Open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am - 4.30pm Saturday.

Fabric    

  • Brunswick Organic Nursery, Appleton Road, Bishopthorpe, York, tel: (01904) 701869.  They need carrier bags (for re-use in shop), dustbins (for making worm compost), timber (to make compost bins, raised beds, etc.), cotton or cotton mixed fabric for rag rugs. Brunswick Organic Nursery provides horticultural and craftwork opportunities for people with special needs.

Fluorescent tubes  

Foil (aluminium foil, clean milk bottle tops, pie trays etc)  

  • See Recycling Banks 
  • North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust.  Collects newspapers, magazines, cardboard, aluminium cans, pots and pans and foil. Contact Mr Hasler for further details. tel: (01904) 416415. 

Freecycle website

  • The York Freecycle group is open to all residents of York who want to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano or an old door, feel free to advertise it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. There's one main rule, though: everything posted must be free!
  • For more information or to join the network go to, www.freecycle.org or groups.yahoo.com/group/york_freecycle/

Furniture 

  • See Charity Shops
  • The York Community Furniture Store, Unit 29 The Raylor Centre, James Street, York, tel: (01904) 426444.  The Community Furniture Store supplies furniture and electrical goods to households in the York area offering discounts for people with proof of low income. Collection can be arranged. Not gas appliances. All soft furnishings must meet 1988 fire regulation and be in a reasonable condition. Alternatively deliveries can be made by prior arrangement directly to the store. Open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am - 4.30pm Saturday.

Games;

Garden waste

Greetings cards

  • St. Sampson's Centre, St. Sampson's Church, Church Street, York, tel: (01904) 652247. They accept bric-a-brac, books, coins, jewellery, jig-saws, toys and wool for re-sale to raise funds. Spectacles and greeting cards (not Christmas cards). Deliver to Centre - open 10.00am - 4.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday. For enquiries contact Tony Simons (warden).
  • Recycling banks for Christmas cards are provided at various locations during January. Further information will be available on this website nearer the time.

Hand tools

  • British Trust for Conservation Volunteers 7 Leake Street, off Lawrence Street, York, YO10 3BR. Used or new hand tools for outdoor conservation and carpentry use. Deliver between 9.00am - 5.00pm on Monday or Friday. Large quantities can be collected.
  • Tools for Self Reliance c/o 21 Neville Street, YO31 SNP, York.  Hand tools (except for gardening) and sewing machines, which are cleaned and refurbished by volunteers and then sent to village workshops in some of the world's poorest countries. Collections can be arranged, contact Mary Machen on tel:(01904) 655380 or Michael Potter on tel:(01904) 633080

Hearing aids (working)

Household goods

  • See Charity Shops
  • The York Community Furniture Store, Unit 29 The Raylor Centre, James Street, York, tel: (01904) 426444. The Community Furniture Store supplies furniture and electrical goods to households in the York area offering discounts for people with proof of low income. Collection can be arranged. Not gas appliances. All soft furnishings must meet 1988 fire regulation and be in a reasonable condition. Alternatively deliveries can be made by prior arrangement directly to the store. Open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am - 4.30pm Saturday.
  • North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust.  Collects newspapers, magazines, cardboard, aluminium cans, pots and pans and foil. Contact Mr Hasler for further details. tel: (01904) 416415

Kitchen waste

Mobile phones

  • Child Advocacy International www.caiuk.org
  • See charity shops
  • Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity, Freepost, London, 16281, London, WC1N 3BR, or request a bag on line at www.cmrecycling.co.uk.   Every working phone which is recycled is worth £6 towards the cost of this life saving service.

Music & musical instruments

Paint

Paper - including brochures, catalogues, shredded paper, office paper, junk mail, newspapers

  • See recycling banks (paper)
  • kerbside recycling scheme
    Scout groups which collect newspapers (and other paper): Bishopthorpe Scout Group, 1st Clifton Sea Scouts, 1st Copmanthorpe Scout Group, Dringhouses Scout Group, Elvington Scout Group, 1st Poppleton Scout Group
  • Find out how to reduce junk mail
  • See home composting

Plastic bottles

Postage stamps

Scrap metal 

Sewing machines

  • Tools for Self Reliance c/o 8 St Johns Crescent, York. Hand tools (except for gardening) and sewing machines, which are cleaned and refurbished by volunteers and then sent to village workshops in some of the world's poorest countries. Collections can be arranged, contact Mary Machen on tel:(01904) 655380 or Michael Potter on tel:(01904) 633080

Shoes  

Spectacles

  • See Charity Shops
  • St. Sampson's Centre, St. Sampson's Church, Church Street, York, tel: (01904) 652247. They accept bric-a-brac, books, coins, jewellery, jig-saws, toys and wool for re-sale to raise funds. Spectacles and greeting cards (not Christmas cards).  Deliver to Centre - open 10.00am - 4.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday. For enquiries contact Tony Simons (warden).

Telephone directories (not yellow pages)

Textiles  

  • See Recycling Banks 
  • See Charity Shops
  • Yorkshire Air Ambulance. To request a free textiles collection from your doorstep call freephone: 0800 043 4342, 8.00am - 8.00pm Monday to Friday.

Toys

VSkips

  • Get rid of your unwanted items without adding to unnecessary landfill.
  • Rummage for other people's throwaways.
  • Upload requests for items you want. Everything offered is FREE for collection.
  • For more information or to join the network go to, www.vskips.org

Videos 

Wellington boots (rubber)

  • Send old wellies to: Old Wellies, Mr R Hamington (Recycling Dept) Dunlop Footwear, Hazeldene Road, Liverpool L9 2BA

Wood 

Yellow Pages

  • Special Yellow Pages recycling banks are located at Hazel Court, Towthorpe and Beckfield Lane Household Waste Recycling Centres.  They will be available from 18th February until 25th April 2008.
  • Yellow Pages cannot be put in the normal paper recycling banks or in kerbside collections, this is because the dye and poor paper quality affect the normal recycling process.
  • See home composting

Documents to download