A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

Consider donating unwanted magazines and comics to your friends and relatives, colleagues or your local doctors surgery. You may even find that some comics have resale value. They can be recycled in your green recycling bin or at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. They will be made into new paper products.

Try to avoid using peat based compost as rare peat bog ecosystems are destroyed to make it. Instead why don't you make your own compost from fruit and vegetable peelings, grass cuttings, garden prunings and more. We are unable to take compostable bags in brown bins because under testing we found they do not fully decompose in garden waste within 12 weeks. These bags can be home composted or should be put in your black household waste bin. You can find out more information about how to make your own compost and the compost bins we offer on the composting page.

Contact, a Leeds community interest company, are always looking for donations of unwanted computer equipment. They refurbish them for use by other not-for-profit and community organisations or recycle the materials. Their telephone number is 0113 242 4421. Computers from your home can also be taken to your nearest recycling centre. Please put them in the electronic equipment skip. Materials such as plastics and metals are recycled into new products.

Please remember that used cooking oil can be recycled and made into biodiesel. Please do not pour it down the drain. To recycle your cooking oil please take to your nearest recycling centre and put it in the used cooking oil container. It will be used to create bio-diesel or as a fuel in an energy from waste facility.

You can take broken crockery to your local recycling centre where you should put it in the rubble and inerts skip. It will be used for road building or surface cover on a landfill site. Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling sites including ceramics. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

Sawdust produced from untreated timber can be re-used as animal bedding. Small quantities can also be added to your compost bin/heap. It can be recycled in your brown garden waste bin, or taken to your nearest recycling centre and put in the garden waste container. Sawdust produced from MDF, chipboard or other treated timber should be bagged up and put in your black rubbish bin. Sawdust containing animal waste should be put in your black rubbish bin.

You can donate a wide range of items such as cards, papers and textiles to centres for use in community craft activities and projects. Scrap Creative Reuse Ltd is a social enterprise group which collects unwanted objects, rejects and damaged stock from businesses to distribute to community groups and schools. You can contact them on 0113 244 1576 or visit their website on the link below. Replay are a project by Leeds Play Network involving the collection of unwanted materials from businesses for use in children's craft activities. You can contact them on 0113 201 6790 or visit the Leeds Play Network website.

Please see Hypodermic Needles

If your shoes are good enough for someone else to use, please donate them to your nearest charity shop. If your shoes are not re-useable, please tie pairs together and bag them up before taking them to your nearest bring site with a textile bank or recycling centre. They will be repaired for re-use in developing countries.

We do not collect shredded paper in the green recycling bins. This is because we are unable to process it due to the small fibers which can interfere with the machinery creating costly maintenance issues. If you shred documents to protect against identity theft you can minimise the amount of shredded paper that you produce by only shredding the parts of documents that contain your personal details e.g. name, address etc.  We recommend that you place shredded paper into your home composter as it rots down quickly to create good garden compost. You can also use it as pet bedding. If you aren’t able to compost or reuse it then please place it in your black rubbish bin. It can't go in the green recycling or brown garden waste bin.

If your sideboard is in good condition, you can donate it to a local reuse organisation. You can also take it to the Revive Leeds re-use shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centre. If your sideboard is not good enough to re-use, please take it to your nearest recycling site. Wooden, MDF and chipboard furniture can be recycled in the timber skip. Other furniture should be put in the non-recyclable waste skip. If you are unable to take your furniture to your local recycling centre, you can book a bulky collection online.

If your unwanted sofa is good enough to be used by others and has a fire label, donate it to a local re-use organisation. You can also take it to the Revive Leeds re-use shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centre,. Alternatively, put your sofa in the reuse container at your nearest recycling centre. If your sofa is not good enough to re-use, please take it to your nearest recycling centre. Wooden, MDF and chipboard furniture can be recycled in the timber skip, and metal furniture in the scrap metal skip. Mattresses and other soft furniture should be put in the non-recyclable waste skip. If you are unable to take your furniture to your local recycling centre, you can book a bulky collection online.

Please see Glasses (Spectacles).

Many charities collect used postage stamps. Please keep a margin of paper around the stamps when you tear them off envelopes. Do a quick search on the internet to find a charity to support with your used postage stamps.

Please see Hypodermic Needles