A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

If your unwanted hair appliance is in good working order, please donate it to a charity shop, local reuse organisation, or to the Revive Leeds reuse shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centres. If you are replacing a broken hair appliance, the retailer supplying your new appliance should offer you a take back service. Alternatively, you can recycle your hair appliance by taking it to your nearest bring site that has a WEEE bank (see W for a list of sites) or to your nearest recycling centre, where you can put it in the small electrical waste container.

Hardcore* and many building materials can be used again. Bricks, large pieces of stone, doors and windows can be sold to architectural salvage yards. Brick* and rubble* can be taken to your nearest recycling centre and put in the skips marked Bricks and Rubble. These materials are used for cover and roads on landfill sites. *Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling sites including hardcore, bricks and rubble. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

Hazardous waste should be dealt with appropriately. Please see Asbestos for more information on this. Please see Chemicals for more information on these. You can also contact the Environment Agency on 0870 850 6506 for advice on disposing of hazardous waste.

Help the Aged recycle hearing aids. Please ensure units are in working order and send them to: Hearing Aid Appeal Help the Aged FREEPOST, LON13616 London, EC1B 1PS.

Please see Chemicals

Please see Chemicals.

Please return used hypodermic needles to your doctor's surgery or health centre for safe disposal. DO NOT put these in your rubbish or recycling bin.

Try to re-use magazines by donating them to your friends, relatives, colleagues or your local doctor's surgery. They can be recycled in your green bin or at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. Recycled magazines will be made into new paper products.

Visit the medical waste page for more information on what we will collect and how to book collections.

Unused medicines should be returned to your doctor or pharmacist. Empty medicine bottles can be recycled in the green bin or bottle banks.

You can take scrap metal to your local recycling centre. Metal will be recycled into new metal products.

If your microwave still works, please donate it to a charity shop or your local reuse organisation. You can recycle your microwave by taking it to your nearest recycling centre, where you can put it in the small waste electrical container. The metal and plastic will be recycled into new products.

If your milk containers are made from glass, you should return them to your milk man. If they are made from plastic, they can be put in your green recycling bin, taken to your nearest bring site or recycling centre.

Some charities run postal collection schemes for unwanted phones. You will be able to find out more information on the internet. Most supermarkets and phone shops have collection facilities for unwanted mobile phones. You could also put them in your nearest WEEE bank (see W for a list of sites).

You can recycle your old style monitor or flat screen monitor by taking it to your nearest recycling centre, where you can put it in the television/monitor container. The metal and plastic will be recycled into new products.