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Waste and recycling

Recycle and reuse A to Z

Some items aren’t suitable for household recycling collections. Our A to Z explains where you can take many common household waste items for recycling or reuse.

This page is meant as a guide for household waste disposal only, not trade waste.

  • find out what you can recycle in kerbside collections
  • see Recycle Now for recycling bank locations for materials you can't recycle through household collections
  • see Pass it on to find your nearest charitable organisations, along with the range of items they accept, and whether they can collect your donations (from North Yorkshire Council)
  • make sure the items you donate for reuse are in good condition, clean and no parts are missing

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Aerosols

  • recycle empty aerosols in your household recycling collections and at local recycling banks - see Recycle Now for recycling bank locations
  • make sure aerosols are completely empty before you recycle them, but don't puncture or crush them

Aluminium foil

You can recycle aluminium foil which has passed the "scrunch test" as part of your usual kerbside recycling collections, or at our household waste recycling centres at Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC.

See Recycle Now for aluminium recycling bank locations.

See details about excess and additional recycling.

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B

Batteries (household and car)

  • Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC have special recycling containers for batteries
  • most retailers which sell household size batteries have in-store battery recycling containers
  • contact us for information about battery recycling schemes in schools

Bicycles

Biscuit wrappers

  • St Nicks accept sweet biscuit wrappers for recycling (multi-pack packaging or individual wrappers)

Blister packs

  • Check whether your local pharmacy recycles empty blister packs (medicine packets).

Board Games

Books

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C

Candles

St Nick's collect candle waste including wax melts, scented and colourful candles with jars at kerbside (only for properties with a St Nicks recycling collection).

Cans (metal drinks cans and food tins)

  • recycle cans in your kerbside recycling collections and at local recycling banks - see Recycle Now for recycling bank locations
  • see Think Cans to find out how you could get paid for recycling aluminium cans

See details about excess and additional recycling.

Card and cardboard

See details about excess and additional recycling.

Car oil

Carrier bags

Recycle plastic carrier bags at these supermarkets:

  • Sainsbury's, Monks Cross
  • Sainsbury's, Fossbank
  • Morrison's, Acomb
  • Morrison's, Foss Islands Road
  • Waitrose, Foss Islands Road
  • Asda, Monks Cross

Cars

  • GiveACar raise money for charities by accepting donations of unwanted cars, and recycling those that are ready for scrap

Cassette tapes

  • donate cassette tapes to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town

CDs

  • donate music/audio CDs to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town
  • make into bird scarers for your garden or allotment
  • CDs and DVDs (without their boxes or cases) can be posted to Revive Innovations Ltd where they are made into furniture. Read more about Revive Innovations.

Charging leads and electrical cables

St Nicks are able to recycle these.

Christmas cards

  • recycle in your household recycling collection or in local recycling banks; see Recycle Now for paper recycling bank locations
  • cut them up and reuse as gift tags
  • please note that cards which feature glitter, plastic or foam elements cannot be recycled with your card and paper

Christmas trees

Coat hangers

Coffee packaging

  • St Nicks accept coffee packaging for recycling

Coins (foreign and old)

  • donate to St. Sampson's Centre, Church Street, York; they accept coins for re-sale to raise funds. Deliver to the Centre from Mondays to Fridays, 10.00am to 4.00pm
  • SNAPPY accept donations of old UK coins and notes and any foreign coins and notes

Computers

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D

Drinks cartons

DVDs

  • donate DVDs to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town

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E

E-cigarettes

Electrical appliances

Electrical cables and charging leads

St Nicks are able to recycle these.

Envelopes

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F

Fabric

  • donate reusable fabrics such as 'dress weight' cotton, polyester and wool (but please no heavier fabrics, such as sheets or curtains) to Brunswick Organic Nursery for reuse
  • donate fabric to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town

Fire extinguishers

  • return any fire extinguishers you have rented for business use directly to the rental company
  • take empty fire extinguishers to Hazel Court HWRC for recycling (there is a charge for disposal)

Fluorescent tubes and energy saving light bulbs

Foil (such as aluminium foil and pie trays)

You can recycle aluminium foil which has passed the "scrunch test" as part of your usual kerbside recycling collections, or at our household waste recycling centres at Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC.

See Recycle Now for aluminium recycling bank locations.

See details about excess and additional recycling.

Furniture

All the charities named below offer free collections of good quality furniture for reuse:

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G

Garden waste

Glass

See details about excess and additional recycling.

Glass (cookware)

  • donate reusable items such as Pyrex or drinking glasses to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town

Glass (broken)

  • broken glass of any type can't be recycled; please dispose of it carefully in your waste bin

Glass (windows)

Glasses (spectacles)

  • many opticians accept old/unwanted spectacles for charity - ask at your local opticians
  • donate to St. Sampson's Centre, Church Street, York; they accept items for re-sale to raise funds. Deliver to the Centre from Mondays to Fridays, 10.00am to 4.00pm
  • Vision Aid Overseas accept spectacles for reuse in the Third world; drop them off at VisionCare Optometry in Acomb or leave in the wooden trunk outside 48 Main Street, Bishopthorpe, YO23 2RB

Greetings cards

  • recycle in your household recycling collection or in local recycling banks; see Recycle Now for paper recycling bank locations
  • cut them up and reuse as gift tags
  • donate to St. Sampson's Centre, Church Street, York; they accept greetings cards (not Christmas cards) for re-sale to raise funds. Deliver to the Centre from Mondays to Fridays, 10.00am to 4.00pm
  • please note that cards which feature glitter, plastic or foam elements cannot be recycled with your card and paper

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H

Hand tools

Hard plastic recycling

Hearing aids (working)

  • donate to Age UK
  • NHS hearing aids remain the property of the NHS; if you have an NHS hearing aid which you no longer need, please return to your nearest NHS hospital

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I

Ink jet cartridges

Many office outlets or larger stationers will accept used printer or ink jet cartridges for recycling. A number of larger employers will also have recycling collection points in their offices. Check with local stores or with your employer.

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J

Jewellery

Junk mail

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K

Kitchen waste

  • we do not offer any collections for kitchen waste - why not try home composting?

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L

Light bulbs

  • recycle energy efficient light bulbs at Hazel Court HWRC or Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC
  • 'old-style' light bulbs aren't recyclable, you should dispose of these safely in your waste bin
  • some shops which sell light bulbs also have recycling bins for them in-store

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M

Make up

Make up packaging which cannot be taken at kerbside can be recycled within Boots and Superdrug stores.

Mattresses

You can recycle used mattresses at Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe HWRC.

Medical equipment

Medequip collect medical equipment such as walking frames and crutches for reuse. These can be placed in designated bins at Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe HWRC.

Mobile phones

Do not dispose of mobile phones with general household waste, as this could cause a fire.

You can also dispose of mobile phones at Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe HWRC in the electronic items container.

Music scores and musical instruments

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N

Nappies

Nappies (disposable)

  • they cannot be recycled and need to be placed in your grey refuse bin. Whilst it is possible to recycle disposable nappies it is not a service available to householders at the moment. This service is being worked on by the recycling industry and it may be a provision that is available more widely in the future

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P

Paint

Paper - brochures, catalogues, newspapers

Pens

  • St Nicks accept all plastic pens, felt tips, marker pens and highlighters for recycling

Photographs

  • photographs generally can't be recycled; please dispose of them carefully in your waste bin
  • see Recycle Now > Photographs for suggestions about what to do with unwanted photographs

Pillows

  • natural materials such as cotton and feathers can be composted

Plastics

Plastic bags and plastic films

Recycle clean plastic carrier bags and plastic film (for example, bread bags) at many local supermarkets including:

  • Sainsbury's, Monks Cross
  • Sainsbury's, Fossbank
  • Morrison's, Acomb
  • Morrison's, Foss Islands Road
  • Waitrose, Foss Islands Road
  • Asda, Monks Cross
  • M&S York

A full list of locations is available at Recycle Now.

Plastic (mixed)

  • recycle certain plastics in your household recycling collection
  • recycle food trays, ice cream tubs, yoghurt pots, at recycling banks at Sainsbury's at Monks Cross and Foss Islands
  • note: these recycling banks are provided and serviced by Sainsbury's

Polystyrene

Postage stamps

Postcards

Printer cartridges

  • recycle through The Recycling Factory
  • many office outlets or larger stationers will accept used printer or ink jet cartridges for recycling and a number of larger employers will also have recycling collection points in their offices; check with local stores or with your employer

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R

Records (vinyl)

  • donate to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town

Reusable nappies

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S

Schools

Community Recycle is a scheme established by companies operating within the external school environment sector. They collect, coordinate and donate overstocked, unsellable items, returned goods and second-hand equipment to schools in across the UK.

The scheme ensures goods that would otherwise be left in storage or even go to landfill, are put to good use in the community, saving schools money and brightening up school grounds across the UK. The types of material currently include:

  • polycarbonate sheets
  • shade sails
  • post pads
  • outdoor furniture items

You can see more information or contact them through the Community Recycle website.

Scrap metal

Sewing machines

Shoes

  • donate to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town
  • see Recycle Now for shoe recycling bank locations

Shredded paper

We don't collect shredded paper as part of kerbside recycling collections.

  • dispose of non-glossy shredded paper in household compost; see Get Composting for information
  • dispose of shredded paper in local recycling banks; see Recycle Now for paper recycling bank locations

Soil

  • do not place this material into your household or garden waste bins as heavy items in the bin can make it potentially dangerous when moving and lifting the bin onto the vehicle; please take soil to Hazel Court HWRC or Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC

Swimming accessories

Roko Health Club York is accepting

  • armbands
  • flip-flops
  • floats
  • goggles
  • kickboards

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T

Telephone directories

'Tetra Paks' (food and drinks cartons)

Textiles

  • donate clean textiles such as clothing, bedding, curtains, blankets, bags, belts, hats to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town
  • see Recycle Now for textile recycling bank locations

Toys

Turf

  • do not place this material into your household or garden waste bins as heavy items in the bin can make it potentially dangerous when moving and lifting the bin onto the vehicle; please take turf to Hazel Court HWRC or Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC

Tyres (bicycle)

Tyres (car)

  • we don't accept any old car tyres for recycling; please contact your local car garage for safe disposal

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V

Vapes

Vinyl (records)

  • donate to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town

VHS tapes (videos)

  • donate to charity; see Charity Retail Association to find a charity shop near you, click 'Find a charity shop', then enter your postcode or town
  • we no longer accept VHS tapes (videos) for reuse; dispose of these safely in your waste bin

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W

Water butts

  • purchase a water butt from Get Composting to reuse rain water for your garden

Wood

Wool

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Y

Yoghurt pots

  • recycle clean yoghurt pots in your household recycling collection
  • recycle mixed plastic packaging such as yoghurt pots at recycling banks at Sainsbury's at Monks Cross and Foss Islands
  • note: these recycling banks are provided and serviced by Sainsbury's

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Also see

Waste, Highways and Environmental Services

Telephone: 01904 551551

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