A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal

Empty aluminium aerosols can be placed in your green recycling bin, or put in one of the can banks at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. These items are used in metal smelters and made into new metal products. Please do not squash or pierce your unwanted aerosols.

Remember to wash and squash your aluminium cans. These can be placed in your green recycling bin. These items are used in metal smelters and made into new metal products.

Please try to reuse foil containers where possible, for example when freezing your leftover food. They also make great seed trays. Clean foil items can be placed in your green recycling bin and can banks at your nearest bring site or recycling centre. These items are used in metal smelters and are made into new metal products.

Please take your bottles of unwanted antifreeze to your nearest recycling centre and put them in the chemical waste container. Ask the site staff for help if you are unsure where this is.

If possible, please consider repairing your electrical appliances. If you are throwing out old and out-dated electrical equipment that still works, please donate it to a local re-use organisation or visit the Revive Leeds re-use shop at the Kirkstall or Seacroft recycling centres. They will re-use them, helping those in need. If you are replacing a broken appliance, the retailer supplying your new appliance should offer you a take back service. Alternatively you can take your broken appliances to your nearest recycling centre. Fridges and freezers, televisions and computer monitors should be put in the appropriate designated storage area. Ask the site staff if you are not sure where these are. All other appliances can be put in the electronic equipment container. Materials such as plastics and metals are recycled into new products.

You can take your asbestos to the Kirkstall recycling centre. This is the only site that accepts asbestos and it is by appointment only. Please note that there is a charge for this service. Further information can be found on the Kirkstall recycling centre page.

Wood ash can be added to your compost heap a little at a time and it contains useful pot ash for plant growth. Coal ash can be disposed of in your black rubbish bin. Please wait until it is cold and bag it up before putting it in your bin.

If your unwanted table is good enough to be used by others, 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 furniture in the reuse container at your nearest recycling site. If your table is not good enough to re-use, please take it to your nearest recycling site. Wooden, MDF and chipboard tables 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 table to your local recycling centre, you can book a bulky collection online.

You can recycle your unwanted telephone directories by putting them in your green recycling bin.

If you have a flat screen or portable television that is in good working order, 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 you are replacing a broken TV, the retailer supplying your new appliance should offer you a take back service. Alternatively, you can recycle your TV by taking it to your nearest recycling centre, where you can put it in the TV container.

Please see Cartons.

Please donate re-useable textile items such as clothing, bedding, curtains and towels to your local charity shop. If items are ripped or torn and not good enough to be used by someone else, they can still be recycled by taking them to your nearest bring site with a textile bank or recycling centre. These are reused and sold in charity shops or shredded and reprocessed into industrial strength blankets for protecting equipment during transport.

If you have any surplus tiles, these can be broken up and used in garden projects. You can dispose of tiles* by taking them to your nearest recycling centre and putting them in the Bricks and Rubble container. These will be used for cover and to create roads on landfill sites. *Restrictions apply for disposing of some types of rubbish at our household recycling centres including tiles. To find out more please see our guide to DIY waste disposal.

Try to re-use surplus timber wherever possible. Please remember that offcuts of clean timber can be used in wood burning stoves. You can take untreated and treated timber to your nearest recycling centre and put it in the timber container. Low grade wood is shredded and composted. Higher grade wood is sorted and processed for chipboard manufacture.

If your toaster still works, please donate it to a charity shop or your local reuse organisation. You can recycle your toaster by taking it to your nearest WEEE bank (see W for a list of WEEE banks) or 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 you are replacing a broken appliance, the retailer supplying your new toaster should offer you a take back service.