A to Z of rubbish and recycling

Aerosols - can be recycled in your green recycling box, whether they are empty or not.

Aluminum cans and foil - can be recycled in your green recycling box (but please rinse beforehand).

Animal Bedding - we cant recycle animal bedding, put it in your brown bin.

Antifreeze - you will need to contact the City of London Hazardous waste service.

Asbestos - is hazardous waste, you'll need to contact the City of London Hazardous waste service. It must be handled with extreme care and disposed of at special landfill sites.

Ash - hot ashes should be placed in a metal bucket for at least 24 hours to cool down or fully dampened with water to make sure that it is cold and not live before taking it to be disposed of. Don't put any hot ash, charcoal, or similar materials from barbecues, fires, or log burners into the general waste container at Kimpton Park HRRC as it is a fire hazard. Please keep all cold ash contained in a bag when disposing of them.

Batteries - Batteries must not be placed in household waste or recycling bins as they can cause fires. Household batteries are collected every week if you place them in a tied carrier or clear bag next to your recycling bag/box. You can also recycle them in some supermarkets or recycle household batteries and car batteries at the Recycling Centre.

Body Shop items - can be returned to the shop for recycling.

Books - you can take these to a local charity shop, or to the Recycling Centre. If they're in poor condition you can put them in your green recycling bin. .

Bottles and jars (including plastic cleaning product bottles) - you can put plastic and glass bottles and jars (and their lids) in your green recycling box. Please put plastic lids back on flattened plastic bottles. You don't have to remove the labels, just remember to rinse out before recycling.

Bicycles - take these to the Recycling Centre.

Bubble wrap - if you cannot re-use it, put it in with your general rubbish, brown bin .

Cans - put these in your green recycling box. Just rinse out. No need to squash.

Car batteries - take these to the Recycling Centre.

Cardboard - you can recycle all cardboard, including cereal boxes and egg boxes. Squash the cardboard flat then put it in your green recycling bin, or leave it flat-packed beside the bin on collection day.

Carpets - recycle these at the Recycling Centre.

Carrier bags (plastic) - some supermarkets have carrier bag recycling bins, or you can save yours to use another day. Otherwise they need to go in your brown bin.

Cartons - put these in your green recycling box (they will be made into items like football shirts, pens, coffee cups, etc).

Catalogues - put these in your green recycling bin.

Chemicals - this is hazardous waste, you will need to contact the City of London Hazardous waste service.

China plates, ornaments, and crockery - you can donate these to charity shops. One or two broken items can go in the brown rubbish bin, large amounts of broken crockery should go to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Christmas trees - you can recycle your tree at the Reuse and Recycling Centre or check on the website for our kerbside collection.

Cling film - we can't recycle cling film. This should be put in your brown rubbish bin.

Coat hangers - these can be reused, please take them to a local charity shop or if from dry-cleaning take them back to the dry cleaners. If they are broken they can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Coffee cups (disposable) - we can't recycle the cup itself but the plastic lid and the card sleeve can be recycled in your recycling bin.

Coffee grounds - Compost at home or put in your food waste caddy.

Coffee pods - your manufacturer will have a scheme set up to collect and recycle these - check your packaging for more details. It is always better to reuse than to recycle - there are refillable coffee pods available for all major coffee machines. A joint recycling scheme for a number of coffee pod brands, called Podback, also provides a simple solution for returning coffee pods. Visit the Podback website to see how you can send your coffee pods back for recycling.

Compact Discs (CDs) - can be donated to charity shops or reused at the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Composting - Home composting is easy and more environmentally friendly than putting it out for a garden waste collection service. For more information on home composting, go to recyclenow or gardenorganic.

Cooking oil and fat - you should never pour cooking fat down the drain as it causes blockages. Put cooking oil and fat in your rubbish bin within a sealed container or mopped up by newspapers. You can also take it to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Corks - can be finely sliced and put in your home composter. Plastic corks can't be recycled so put them in your brown rubbish bin.

Cycles - take these to the Reuse and Recycling Centre

Duvets and pillows - We cannot take these items in the textiles collection. If they are still in good condition you may be able to take them to a charity shop, otherwise take them to the Reuse and Recycling Centre

DVDs and videos - take these to a charity shop or the Reuse and Recycling Centre

Egg boxes - put cardboard egg boxes in your compost bin or in your recycling bin. Plastic egg boxes can be recycled in your green recycling box.

Egg shells - can be put in your home composter.

Electrical goods and cables (eg computers, phones, toasters) - you can take electrical items and cables to the Reuse and Recycling Centre. If taking a computer, you must make your own arrangements for destroying any confidential information on hard drives as we cannot do this. 

Envelopes - you don't need to remove the plastic window - just put these in your recycling bin.

Engine oil containers - you can recycle metal containers at the Reuse and Recycling Centre, plastic containers should be put in the brown rubbish bin.

Fabrics - will be collected every week when placed in an tied carrier or clear bag next to the recycling bin/box. You can also take these to a charity shop or the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Flowers (cut) - put these in your brown rubbish bin, or if you've subscribed to the garden waste service they can go in your garden waste bin. They should not be placed in the food waste container.

Foil - you can recycle foil by putting it in your recycling box

Food waste - you can recycle cooked and uncooked food, meat and dairy, vegetable and fruit peelings, and leftovers through our food waste collection service. Some food waste like peelings can be home composted.

Freezers and fridges - you can take these to the Reuse and Recycling Centre, or you can arrange a bulky waste collection with us.

Furniture - if in good condition, you can contact a charity shop for collection. Otherwise you could contact us for a bulky waste collection or take it to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Garden machinery - Please ensure that all Lawn Mowers and household garden machinery are completely emptied of any oil and fuel prior to taking it to the Reuse and Recycle Centre.

Gas cylinders and canister - you need to return these to the retailer. If this is not possible you can take them to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Glass bottles, jars, and food containers - put these in your recycling box (but please wash them beforehand).

Glass: tableware, pyrex, mirrors, and window glass - you can't put these items in your recycling bin. The glass contains different materials from glass bottles and cannot be recycled into new bottles. If it fits in your brown rubbish bin, wrap it up and put it in there. Otherwise, take it to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Grass cuttings - you can compost these yourself or subscribe to our garden waste collection service. Otherwise, take them to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Greaseproof paper - this should go in your brown rubbish bin.

Kitchen knives - wrap well and put in your brown rubbish bin.

Lawn Mowers - Please ensure that all Lawn Mowers and household garden machinery are completely emptied of any oil and fuel prior to taking it to the Reuse and Recycle Centre

Leaves - you can home compost your leaves or subscribe to our garden waste collection service and we will collect them. Otherwise, you can take them to the Reuse and Recycle Centre

Light bulbs - tungsten light bulbs can't be recycled so put them in your rubbish bin. Fluorescent energy-saving bulbs (if intact) can be taken to the Reuse and Recycle Centre. If you break an energy-saving bulb, be careful. Government advice for handling damaged bulbs is:

Though the accidental breakage of a lamp is most unlikely to cause any health problems, it is good practice to minimise any unnecessary exposure to mercury, as well as the risk of cuts from glass fragments. If a lamp is broken, vacate the room and ventilate it for at least 15 minutes. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, but clean up using rubber gloves and aim to avoid creating and inhaling airborne dust. Sweep up all particles and glass fragments and place in a plastic bag. Wipe the area with a damp cloth, then add that to the bag and seal it.

Margarine tubs - put these in your recycling box.

Mattresses - you'll need to arrange for this to be collected. You can arrange for a bulky waste collection with us. Otherwise, you can take it to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Medicine - you can return medicine to your local chemist.

Metal - you can recycle cans in your recycling box, but scrap metal needs to go to the Reuse and Recycling Centre. Please do not put metal materials into your general waste bin.

Mobile phones - take these to the Reuse and Recycling Centre. Although, most phone providers will take these back in store for recycling.

Nappies - disposable nappies need to go in your brown rubbish bin. You may want to think about using reusable cloth nappies instead.

Newspapers - put them in your green wheelie bin for recycling.

Nitrous oxide canisters - these can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre. The canisters can be disposed of in the ferrous metal container which will be transferred for recycling.

Oil - you can recycle engine oil at the Reuse and Recycling Centre. Don't put engine and cooking oil down the drain.

Paint - you can recycle empty metal pots at the Reuse and Recycling Centre. You can put leftover water-based paint in your rubbish bin - open the lid and leave it to harden, then reseal and bin. If you have oil-based paint, it is hazardous waste, you'll need to contact the City of London Hazardous waste service.

Paper - magazines, catalogues, junk mail, letters, envelopes, birthday cards, Christmas cards, office paper and wrapping paper can all be recycled, so please put it all in your recycling bin. Shredded paper clogs up the machinery at the recycling plant. You can put shredded paper in your green wheelie bin for recycling, but only if you place it inside a paper envelope first. Alternatively, you can compost shredded paper at home. Be careful with plasticised or metallic paper as this can't be recycled.

Petrol - you'll need to contact the City of London Hazardous waste service.

Pet Food Pouches - these cannot be collected with your recycling collection. They can be taken to larger supermarkets to be recycled.

Photographs - please put them in with your rubbish.

Plastic containers and bottles - you can recycle all of these, except for plastic carrier bags.

Plastic plant pots and seed trays - put them in your brown rubbish bin.

Polystyrene packaging - we can't recycle this so you'll need to put it in your brown rubbish.

Postage stamps - put them in your green recycling bin.

Pots and pans - you can recycle these at the Reuse and Recycling Centre or take them to a charity shop.

Printer cartridges - you can recycle these at the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Razor blades - wrap well and put in your rubbish bin.

Rubble - you can take small quantities of soil and rubble to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Takeaway food containers - plastic and aluminium containers should be rinsed and put in your green recycling box.

Tea bags (or tea leaves) - Compost at home or put in your food waste caddy.

Tetra packs - put these in your green recycling box (they'll be made into items like football shirts, pens, coffee cups, etc).

Textile and shoe recycling - can be collected every week on your usual collection day. Place items in a tied carrier or clear bag next to the recycling bin/box. You can also take them to a charity shop, the Reuse and Recycling Centre or one of our textile recycling banks located across the borough.

Timber and wood - you can take this to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Tins - for biscuits and sweets, just put them in your green recycling box.

Toys - you can donate these to charity shops. One or two small broken items can go in the brown rubbish bin, large toys should go to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Tyres - these can be taken to garages within the borough that accept tyres for disposal, there is a fee that is charged. These cannot be recycled at the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Vapes - disposable vapes must be be put in any general waste or recycling bin as they cause fires. They can be returned to the retailer (all vape retailers must provide a take back scheme by law) or taken to Kimpton Recycling Centre. 

Wallpaper and coverings - we can only recycle non-vinyl wallpaper or wall coverings without a bactericide coating.

Yoghurt pots - put these in your recycling box.