A-Z of recycling

Aerosol cans – when empty, can be placed in the can recycling banks – please do not try to squash aerosol cans as they could explode!

Aluminium – Aluminium (and steel) cans and foil (including clean milk bottle tops and take away food trays) can be placed in the can recycling banks. Aluminium cans can be recycled in the new kerbside blue bin. Aluminium can be recycled over and over again saving natural resources and energy every time! To find out more about cans see The Material Facts.

Asbestos - can be harmful to health and must be handled carefully. If you require advice on the disposal of asbestos waste from your house, please call 01925 442527.

Baby clothes/toys - The north Cheshire National Childbirth Trust run 'nearly new sales' in March and October each year for baby's and children's clothes, toys and other equipment. For more information contact northcheshirenct@yahoo.co.uk or visit www.nct.org.uk

Batteries – are difficult to dispose of, so where possible, always use rechargeable batteries. You can recycle your household batteries at community recycling centres. Car batteries can be taken to the community recycling centres.

Blankets / bedding – old blankets and bedding can be taken to local charity shops or placed in the textile recycling banks. To find out more about textiles see The Material Facts.

Books – your unwanted books can be recycled at the Oxfam book banks located at the recycling sites and charity shops. They can also be passed on for sale at jumble sales or second-hand book shops.

Bric-a-brac – unwanted bric-a-brac such as toys, sports equipment, musical instruments, crockery, vases and ornaments can be donated to charity shops or passed on to local jumble sales.

Bottles – see glass and plastic.

Cans – see aluminium and steel.

Cards – old birthday, anniversary and Christmas cards can be recycled in the cardboard recycling facilities at some recycling sites and at the community recycling centres. Old Christmas cards can be cut up and used for gift tags the following year. Christmas cards can also be taken to WHSmith and Tesco stores for recycling in January – funds raised will be donated to The Woodland Trust

Cardboard – facilities to recycle cardboard are now located at some recycling sites in the borough and also at the community recycling centres. For a list of the facilities view the recycling guide. Cardboard can also be put into your home composter, as long as the contents of the composter are a good mix of materials then cardboard will break down well. Card can be recycled in the new kerbside blue bin.

Carrier bags - SNUB – Say No to Unwanted Bags! Use reusable shopping bags or re-use old plastic bags rather than accepting bags you don’t really need. Most supermarkets offer carrier bag recycling at their stores. Reusable cotton bags are now available to residents of Warrington, for your free bag call 01925 442604.

Christmas trees – the community recycling centres will accept Christmas trees (at the green waste or timber recycling points). Ask staff on site for more details and advice.

Clothes - see textiles.

Composting – Start making your own compost at home, there is lots of useful information about home composting on the composting page of this website.

You can also take you green waste to our three community recycling centres to be composted. If you have a green wheeled bin you can also place garden waste in this bin for composting.

Computer recycling – Computers, used ink and toner cartridges can be taken to the community recycling centres.

Cookers – see electrical equipment.

Crockery / cutlery – see bric-a-brac.

Directories – white page directories and Yellow Pages can be put in the cardboard containers at the community recycling centres all year round or in your blue recycling bin.

Domestic appliances – see electrical equipment.

Electrical equipment – A collection service exists to take away your unwanted cookers, washing machines, spindryers, fridges and freezers for recycling.

Bulky Bob's, who are a waste management and recycling social business, collect appliances on behalf of CREATE. The project safely recycles electrical appliances while at the same time, training people.

They can also be taken to any of the three community recycling centres for recycling.

Click on the link for more information about electrical equipment.

Engine oil – oil from your own private car can be taken to the community recycling centres and placed in the special containers.

Envelopes – re-use old envelopes by using gummed labels for the new address. Ask at your local charity shop to see if they will accept your old stamps.

Fluorescent tubes – can be taken to Gatewarth community recycling centres. For larger amounts contact www.mercuryrecycling.co.uk

Fridges and freezers – see electrical equipment.

Garden waste – The kerbside garden waste scheme collects garden waste from households in Warrington. If the service is available in your area and you would like to participate call customer care on 01925 443322.

Also see composting.

Glass – can be recycled at the community recycling centres and at recycling sites around Warrington.

Mixed glass can be recycled in the new kerbside blue bin.

To find out more about glass see The Material Facts or history of glass

Green waste - what is green waste and how you can recycle.

Greeting cards – see cards.

Hazardous waste - The following are potentially hazardous and should be handled carefully:

Oil
Paint and solvents
Pesticides and herbicides
Anti freeze
Brake fluid
Oven cleaners
Fluorescent light tubes
Wood preservatives
Battery acids
Stain removers

These materials should be taken to the community recycling centres.

If you have any concerns regarding potentially hazardous wastes, please contact the waste team at Warrington Borough Council – 01925 442654, or the Environment Agency on 01925 840000.

Ink cartridges – see computer equipment.

Jewellery – try your local charity shops.

Junk mail - This is often a waste of resources and you do not have to receive it. To stop unwanted junk mail call the Mail Preference Service on 0845 703 4599 or visit their website www.mpsonline.org.uk. Alternatively, recycle it in your nearest paper bank, BUT remember to remove all plastic packaging.

Knitting needles – try your local charity shops.

Kitchen waste – see composting.

Magazines – can be recycled in the blue bins. They can also be offered to doctors, hospital and dentists waiting rooms.

Medicine bottles – return to the chemists or pharmacy, they will safely dispose of unused medicine too!

Metals – see cans. Other metals can be taken to the community recycling centres.

Milk bottles - Do not put them in the bottle bank as they are made from toughened glass. Please rinse and return to your milkman. They can be recycled up to 30 times by the dairy!

Milk bottle tops – see aluminium.

Nappies – Over 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away every day!! On average each child will use 5,850 disposable nappies in their lifetime most of which end up in landfill taking up to 500 years to decompose. The alternative is to use washable, reusable nappies. For more information visit the reusable nappies page.

Newspapers – recycle in your blue bin or take to your nearest paper recycling bank.

To find out more about paper see The Material Facts.

Oil - engine oil can be taken to the community recycling centres.

Packaging – try and buy products with minimal packaging or packaging made from recycled material.

Paper – recycle in your blue bin or take your paper to your nearest paper recycling bank. Remember to use both sides of a piece of paper!

Paper and card - History of paper and ways in which you can reduce the amount of paper we use

To find out more about paper see The Material Facts.

Plastic – take your plastic bottles to your nearest plastic recycling bank. To find out more about plastic see The Material Facts or history of plastics. Plastic bottles can be recycled in the new kerbside blue bin.

Postage stamps– Ask at your local charity shop to see if they will accept your old stamps.

Question yourself – Is the bin the best place to put things you no longer need? Over 60% of the contents of your bin could be recycled!

Recycled products – Remember that we have to buy recycled products at the same time as recycling our waste – this means we can "close the loop" so there will always be a market for recycled material!!

A 'recycled product' guide is available from Waste Watch, listing retailers that sell items made from recycled products: www.wastewatch.org.uk

Shoes – take paired shoes to the shoe recycling bank. To find out more about textiles see The Material Facts.

Spectacles – try your local charity shops.

Stamps – see postage stamps.

Steel cans – steel (and aluminium) cans can be placed in the can recycling banks. Steel cans can be recycled in the new kerbside blue bin (30 September 2008 onwards).

To find out more about cans see The Material Facts.

Telephone directories –see directories.

Textiles – old clothes and shoes can be taken to local charity shops or placed in the textile recycling banks. To find out more about textiles see The Material Facts and textiles general information.