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.

It can be difficult and dangerous to dispose of unwanted paint. It should not be poured down the drain or put in your black rubbish bin. You can donate unwanted paint and varnish that is still useable to your local recycling centre and put it in the distinctive pink Seagulls paint collection container. The paint will be donated to Seagulls, a local community paint re-use organisation.

Paper can be recycled in your green bin, at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. Please note that we are not able to accept shredded paper for recycling (please see shredded paper).

There are three recycling centres in Leeds where you can take your paper containers with metal ends such as hot chocolate, gravy granules, coffee and Pringles for recycling - Kirkstall, Wetherby and Yeadon.

Hot drinks paper cups are used in high street coffee shops, fast food outlets and supermarkets. These cups are lined with several layers of polyethylene (plastic). Because of this they are not suitable for recycling along with normal cardboard. Why not try a reusable cup? You can recycle your paper coffee cups in the recycling on the go bins for coffee cup in the city centre.

Peat bogs are rare habitats that are being destroyed to produce peat, so try to avoid buying or using it. If you have unwanted peat, it can be added to your compost heap or spread on your garden.

Please see Chemicals

Photographs and photographic paper cannot be recycled due to the plastic laminate on them being difficult to remove at paper pulping plants. If plastic is mixed into the process the recycled paper become unusable. Please dispose of these items in your black bin.

Please see bedding and blankets

You can take plasterboard* to your nearest recycling centre. Please put it in the container for plasterboard. Plasterboard is used as a soil conditioner and blended with organic waste in the manufacture of compost. *Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling centres including plasterboard. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

All the following types of plastic bottles found around the home can be recycled in your green bin: drinks bottles, cooking oil bottles, milk bottles, skincare and soap bottles, bleach bottles, washing up bottles.

Caps, lids, pumps and triggers can all be left on as they will be recycled too.