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Although it would be wonderful to be able to recycle the entire contents of our bin, not everything we throw away is able to be recycled at the present time. Below is a reasonably comprehensive list of what can and cannot be recycled (please be aware that this list has a UK bias):

A

AEROSOLS
Not recyclable - try to avoid buying these. Where possible, buy pump-driven atomisers.

ALUMINIUM
Pie trays, milk bottle tops, yoghurt pot lids, and chocolate wrappers can be recycled. Clean the foil before recycling.

APPLIANCES
Kettles, toasters, TV's etc. Re-use by giving away to friends, donating to charity shops, or selling in local papers or second hand shops. Many contain steel and aluminium which can be recycled - take them to your recycling centre.

B

BATTERIES
Household Batteries: Are toxic and difficult to dispose of. Try to use rechargeable batteries or solar powered equipment, rather than single-use batteries. You can also buy solar-powered battery chargers. Ni-Cd (Nickel-Cadmium – a type of rechargeable battery) batteries should NOT be disposed of with normal household waste – hand them it at your recycling centre.

Lead Acid (car) Batteries: Can be recycled at recycling centres.

Silver Oxide Cells: Used in watches, calculators, and hearing aids. Jewellers may accept them because they have a recyclable silver content.

Mercuric Oxide Cells: Another type of small battery used in watches and calculators. They should NOT be disposed of with normal household waste. Hand them in at your recycling centre if a jeweller will not take them.

BEDDING/BLANKETS
Use as dust sheets, or cut them up as rags. Animal charities and vets can make use of them. Clean items can be put in a textile bank. Items in good condition can be given to charity shops.

BEDS
Social Services or local community groups can sometimes make use of these. Alternatively, take them to the recycling centre.

BICYCLES
Can be repaired, or sold second hand. Some cities have a bicycle loaning scheme. If all else fails, take it to the recycling centre.

BOOKS
Can be sold second hand, or given to charities and schools. Some areas have a book recycling bank.

BOTTLES
See Glass or Plastics

BUILDING RUBBLE
Re-use for another job. Non-commercial rubble can be taken to the recycling centre.

C

CANS
Aluminium and steel cans can be recycled. Wash and crush them down first. (The best way to distinguish between steel and aluminium is to use a magnet - steel is magnetic, aluminium is not.)

CARDBOARD

Cardboard can be recycled. Some paper banks and kerbside schemes DO NOT accept cardboard. It can also be torn into small pieces and composted, or can be used as a mulch for vegetable beds over winter.

CARPETS
Offcuts can be sold or given to schools. Old carpets in good condition may be used by hostels and social services.

CARRIER BAGS
Can be recycled, but please try to re-use them, or get long-lasting cotton bags. Some shops will take plastic bags to reuse or recycle.

CARTONS
Fruit juice or milk cartons are constructed of many layers of different materials, and therefore are hard to recycle. However, some paper recycling banks do accept them.

CHRISTMAS TREES
Can be taken to the recycling centre to be turned into compost. Try to use a living tree in a pot that can be put outside and used year after year, or use an artificial tree.

COAT HANGERS
Charity, second hand shops, and some dry cleaners will have a use for these.

COMPUTERS
If in good working order, these can be donated to schools, community groups or charities. Alternatively, sell through the local papers or second hand shops.

COOKING OIL
Do not pour down the drain, or into the tanks for engine oil at your recycling centre. Hand the container in at your recycling centre.

E

EGG BOXES
Playgroups and schools may find a use for these. Cardboard egg boxes can be used as seed pots, and are biodegradable, so they can be torn into small pieces and composted.

ENGINE OIL
It is ILLEGAL to pour this down the drain. There will be a bank at your recycling centre for this.

ENVELOPES
Re-use these by using 'new address' labels, but they can also be recycled. Try to purchase envelopes made from recycled paper.

F

FIZZY DRINKS BOTTLES
Buy glass bottles where possible. 'PET' and 'PVC' bottles can be recycled in a plastics recycling bank. See Plastics.

FURNITURE
Voluntary groups, social services, and charities can take these, or you can sell them in the local paper or second hand shop.

G

GARDEN WASTE
See Organic Waste.

GLASS
Re-use where possible. Sometimes bottles can be returned. Glass bottles and jars can be recycled, but the colours must be separated. Blue glass can go into the same bank as green glass. Mixed-coloured glass cannot be recycled. Remove the lids and tops (these may be made of a recyclable metal). NON-recyclable glass includes window glass, light bulbs, Pyrex/Visionware cooking dishes, and glass crockery items such as wine glasses and tumblers.

GREETINGS CARDS
Turn them into gift tags or recycle them.

H

HAZARDOUS WASTE
Includes Oil, paints and solvents, old medicines (return these to the pharmacist), pesticides, anti-freeze, brake fluid, oven cleaners, furniture polish, stain removers, fluorescent lights, CFL's (low energy light bulbs), wood preservatives, and asbestos. Anything you think may be hazardous should be taken to the recycling centre and handed to the site agent. Explosives or fireworks should be handed in at a police station.

I

ICE-CREAM CONTAINERS
Re-use for freezing food, lunch boxes, or storage. These CANNOT be recycled in a plastics bank.

J

JARS
Re-use for storage or preserving, or recycle in a glass recycling bank.

JUNK MAIL
Can be recycled, but why receive it in the first place? You can ask not to receive it by contacting the Mail Preference Service (www.mpsonline.org.uk)

K

KITCHEN FOIL
Re-use where possible. Clean foil can be recycled, along with milk bottle tops, foil containers etc. Metallised plastic can sometimes look like foil - scrunch it in your hand - if it springs back, it's plastic.

KITCHEN ROLL
Use rolls made from recycled paper. Can be torn up and composted.

L

LIGHT BULBS
Try to buy energy-efficient bulbs as they last longer and save energy. Light bulbs cannot be recycled.

M

MAGAZINES
Can be given to waiting rooms or recycled in paper banks. Pages of magazines or brochures that DO NOT TEAR ACROSS THE PAGE may be covered in a film of plastic and CANNOT be recycled.

MEDICINES
Should be returned the pharmacist.

METAL
All metal can be taken to a recycling centre and placed in the scrap metal bank. Alternatively, a local scrap metal merchant may be willing to collect it.

MILK BOTTLES
If possible, buy milk in returnable glass bottles. Plastic milk bottles can be recycled. See Plastics.

MOBILE PHONES
A number of organisations and charities collect these to be sent for use in third world countries, or to be stripped down for spares to repair other phones.

N

NAPPIES
Disposable nappies are a major environmental problem because they take a very long time to break down naturally, and are only used once! They are also made from non-renewable materials. Terry towelling nappies are able to be used again and again, and can be made of natural materials. If you use disposable nappies, choose unbleached and dioxin-free varieties.

NEWSPAPER
Can be recycled, or used to light fires, or to protect surfaces during DIY jobs. Some kennels and animal charities use newspaper for bedding.

O

ODDS AND ENDS
Give to a charity shop or have a car boot sale.

OIL
See Engine Oil or Cooking Oil.

ORGANIC WASTE
Kitchen scraps, tea bags, coffee grains, etc. Can be composted in your own garden (if you have one).

Composting is a biological process. The fertiliser that is the end result of composting can only be as good as the ingredients you added initially. The first list below contains the ideal ingredients to add to your compost bin, the second those you are better off leaving out:

Ideal Ingredients:

· Raw vegetable peelings and fruit
· Egg shells (crushed)
· Tea, tea bags or coffee granules
· Shredded paper or soft card
· Straw or hay (chopped and moist)
· Grass cuttings, plant trimmings and flowers
· Hair and fur
· Small amounts of leaves
· Chicken, pigeon or horse manure
· Animal bedding

Ingredients to avoid:

· Meat or fish (cooked or raw)
· Cooked or baked foods
· Dairy products
· Persistent weeds
· Coal ash
· Dog or cat mess
· Nappies or used tissue
· Coloured or shiny paper

Alternatively place your organic waste in the green waste container at the recycling centre.

P

PACKAGING
Try to buy products packaged in recycled or recyclable materials. Don't buy overpackaged items.

PAINT
Dispose of paints at recycling centres.

PAPER
All types of paper can be recycled.

PLASTICS
Re-use plastic containers where possible. Many plastics can be recycled. Check that the type of plastic can be recycled before you buy, and especially before putting it into the recycling bank. Plastics that can be recycled include:

PETE/PET - Polyethylene Terephthalate - fizzy drinks, mineral water, cooking oil and cordial bottles
HDPE - Polyethylene - Opaque bottles, containers for items such as washing up liquid, detergent, shampoo, milk and fruit juices.
PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride - containers for mineral water, toiletries, cooking oils. They are clear and have an obvious seam running through them.
Polystyrene, including burger and chips trays, margarine and yogurt pots CANNOT be recycled.

Plastics can be identified by looking for the recycle symbol, usually indented into the material. Common symbols are shown below; the abbreviation for each type is shown beneath the symbol.

PLASTIC BAGS
Plastic carrier bags can sometimes be recycled – check at your recycling centre. Alternatively, some shops will take them to reuse or recycle. Try to re-use them as much as possible. Shops tend to put any item you buy in a fresh plastic bag - ask them not to, and use the bags you already have.

PRINTER CARTRIDGES
Many types can be recycled. There are several organisations and charities that will recycle them.

R

REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS
If in safe, good working order they may be taken by Social Services, housing associations or charities. If the appliance is no longer safe or doesn't work, it will need to be taken to the recycling centre. Old fridges and freezers contain CFC's which contribute to ozone layer depletion and they must be disposed of carefully.

S

SHOES
Textile recycling banks and charity shops will take these - if in pairs!

SPECTACLES
These can be re-used. Some opticians and charity shops act as collection points.

T

TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES
See Yellow Pages.

TEXTILES
Can be re-used or recycled. Some charity shops will accept them, alternatively place in a textiles recycling bank. Please wash and put in a plastic bag before handing them over.

TOILET ROLLS
The quality of recycled toilet paper today is as good as non-recycled. Always buy recycled toilet paper if available.

TYRES
Old tyres can be used in the garden - they can be used for potato or strawberry growing, or for creating a miniature raised flower bed. Farmers use them to secure plastic coverings over silage pits. They can be recycled into more tyres, adhesives,
wire and pipe insulation and other rubber goods. They are also ground up and added to asphalt paving, which increases the life of the paving by 4 or 5 times.

U

UNDERLAY
Can be used as insulation in the attic or around exposed water pipes.

W

WOOL
Charity shops, voluntary groups etc will take this. It can also be placed in a textile recycling bank.

Y

YELLOW PAGES
These can be shredded for use as animal bedding, or they can be recycled. Check before putting them in the paper recycling bank or kerbside box, as they contain a large amount of yellow dye.

YEW CLIPPINGS
The leaves contain a cancer-fighting compound called Taxol. Specialist companies will purchase and collect these.