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Sharps

Shopping bags

Shredded paper

Please put it in a paper envelope. This will help our recycling machines to turn the paper into new products more easily.

Skips

A range of skip companies are available, and we recommend that you obtain several quotes from different sources. Skip and Bin is a price comparison website that could be used in addition to other sources.

Smart shopping

Around a third of all the food we buy ends up being thrown away and most of this could have been eaten. It's not just peelings, cores and bones, but rather excess food from cooked meals, and food that ends up passing its use by date.

If we stopped wasting food which could have been eaten, it would have the same impact on reducing carbon emissions as taking 1 in 5 cars off UK roads.

Here are a few tips to be a smart shopper:

shop more carefully. Use a shopping list - only buy the things you really need (you'll save money too!)
avoid over packaging - Do you need to buy items individually wrapped? Is the wrapping made from recycled materials?
buy local produce where possible
avoid 2 for 1 offers - think, will you get through the additional product before it's used by date?

look out for recycled products - toilet rolls, tissues, bin bags and paper products
buy refill items where possible - washing powders, fabric conditioners and refillable cartridges
take your own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket - the UK gets through 8 billion plastic bags every year
get a compost bin or wormery to compost food scraps.

There are more useful hints and tips from Love Food Hate Waste.

Straws

Please put plastic and paper straws in the household rubbish.

Sunglasses/spectacles

See glasses.

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Takeaway food containers

If the container is made of plastic, you can clean it and place it in your recycling. Please put polystyrene containers in the rubbish. The best action for the environment is to find an alternative use for the containers such as storing small DIY parts.

Textile recycling

Your unwanted clothing and fabrics can be reused or recycled by putting them in one of our on-street Scope textile recycling bins.

Place your clothes, shoes, belts, bags, sheets, curtains and tablecloths together in the bin, ensuring all material is clean. All items suitable for reuse will be sold at a Scope charity shop in London. Items unsuitable for reuse will be recycled.

See the list of textile recycling bank locations are listed.

Timber and wood

Wood can be taken to the household waste recycling centre at Smugglers Way recycling. Alternatively, you could hire a skip. You can arrange a bulky waste collection. Small amounts of small items such as wooden spoons and chopping boards can be put in the household rubbish.

Tins

See cans.

Tissue paper

Tissue paper is not recyclable, please put it in your household rubbish.

Toilet paper

See loo rolls and tissue paper (above).

Toothbrushes

Please put your used, non-electric toothbrushes in your household rubbish. Remember you can recycle your electric toothbrushes using our on-street small electrical appliances recycling bins.

Toys

Most charity shops and other organisations will accept toys in good condition. Alternatively bring them to the Mobile Recycling Centre for reuse or recycling.

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Unaddressed mail

See junk mail.

A-Z of Recycling

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