A-Z of recycling
Select a letter to begin
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Aerosols
Aluminium cans
- Please put clean cans in your green box or take to your local recycling centre (put them in with tins and cans).
Aluminium foil and foil trays
- You can recycle strong aluminium trays in your green box or a recycling bank for tins and cans.
- Attention: NO ‘sandwich’ type aluminium foil please.
Animal bedding (waste) – e.g. sawdust
- Please compost this in your own compost bin (not a green waste bin, as we cannot accept pet waste of any kind)
- Fabric or plastic bedding can be given to animal charities if in a good reusable condition.
Asbestos
- Small amounts of hard-bonded asbestos from a residential property will be accepted at a household waste and recycling centre.
- The maximum that will be accepted on any day is four sheets, or an equivalent amount so please check before you visit.
- All asbestos must be double-wrapped in plastic and sealed with tape prior to visiting the site.
- Do not break up Asbestos sheets as this could release the asbestos fibres which may be a hazard to health.
If you need to deal with more than a few sheets of hard-bonded asbestos or any fibrous asbestos you should contact a specialist contractor. If you need advice about dealing with asbestos on your own residential property please call the City Council on 01228 817 200 or phone a specialist contractor.
Ash
- Please leave ash to cool before bagging and placing in your household bin.
- Please do not place ash in your green garden waste bin.
- Small amounts of ash or cinders from an open fire can help to keep slugs and snails off your vegetable patch and wood ash can be home composted once cooled.
Batteries - Car
Batteries – Household
- Household batteries can be recycled at a household waste and recycling centre.
- Some larger retail stores also accept them.
- Use rechargeable or solar powered batteries, which last longer.
Bicycles
- There are a number of local second hand bicycle retailers and charities in Carlisle who may be able to recycle unwanted bicycles.
- If it is not reusable take it to your local household waste and recycling centre.
Biscuit tins (metal or plastic)
- Recycle metal tins in your green box and plastic ones in your green bag.
- Or take to your local recycling point.
Blankets and bedding
- Charity shops may accept blankets and some bedding in reusable condition.
- Animal charities may also be able to use them.
- If it is not reusable, take it to your local household waste and recycling centre.
Books
- Charity shops may accept books in good condition.
- Some recycling points at larger sites also have banks that will accept books.
Bottles and jars
- Put empty, clean glass bottles and jars in your green box or take to your local recycling point.
- Put empty, clean plastic bottles/containers in your green bag or take to your local recycling point.
- Please do not put recyclable material such as glass and plastic in your refuse bin
Bricks and rubble
Bubble wrap
- Not currently recyclable. Please place it into your household waste container.
Cans (Aluminium & Steel)
- Put clean, empty cans in your green box or take to your local recycling point. There is no need to sort the aluminium cans from the steel ones or to remove the paper.
Cards
- Cards with glitter or other embellishments cannot be recycled; please place them into your household waste container. Please tear off the back cover or insides of glittery cards for recycling.
- Put cards in your green bag or take to a local recycling point.
Cardboard
- Put cardboard (cereal boxes etc) in your green bag or take to a local recycling point.
- Save space by flattening cardboard and place cardboard boxes inside each other
Carrier bags
- These can be recycled at some of the major supermarkets (usually inside the store). A full list of sites in and around Carlisle that accept carrier bags and bread bags is available at recyclenow.com
- Try to reuse plastic bags where possible or choose reusable carrier bags.
- Do not put plastic bags in your green bag for plastic recycling as they have to be recycled separately.
Carpets
Cartons (‘tetrapak’ / juice or food cartons)
- Drinks and food cartons can be recycled in your green bag (with your cardboard and paper).
- Some supermarkets have special recycling banks for recycling cartons (labelled 'beverage cartons')
Catalogues
Cd's
- Some recycling banks at larger sites accept them but this can vary, so try to offer them to friends, charity shops or even look at websites that offer money back for them.
Cellophane / cling film / wrapping
- Not currently recyclable. place into your household refuse bin.
Ceramics/crockery/pyrex
- Please place any broken crockery or pyrex dishes into your normal refuse container. Reusable items can be donated to charity shops.
Christmas trees
- Support local good causes and check for a charity collection of trees in your area - Hospice at Home are collecting trees from a variety of Cumbrian postcodes on Wednesday 12th January 2022. Last year, the Charity collected over 1,100 trees, raising over £16,000 to provide vital hospice cover in Cumbria.
- Take trees to the household waste recycling centre
- Put next to your garden waste bin for collection (remove all decorations first) -check your collection dates
Clothes and curtains
- Charity shops accept clothing in good saleable condition. Old towels or duvets may be wanted by Animal Rescue Charities.
- Fabrics including curtains (good condition or not) can be placed into a local textiles bank or take to a household waste and recycling centre.
- Fabrics that can't be sold can be made into rags if recycled.
- Find a local clothing/textile bank near you using the postcode checker on the recycle now website.
Coffee grinds and filter paper
- Recycle these in your own home composting bin. Please do not place in your green garden waste bin.
Composting and home compost bins
Computers
Cookers
Cooking oil
- Not currently recyclable. Please pour waste cooking oil into an empty container and dispose of it in your household waste container. Please do not pour oil down your sinks / drains.
- Other oil (e.g., engine oil) can be disposed of at a household waste and recycling centre.
Crisp packets
- Crisp packets are recycled into products such as park benches and watering cans. You can take empty crisp packets to the following Supermarkets:
- Co-op - Denton Street, CA2 5EN, Blackwell Road, CA2 4EQ, Stonegarth, CA2 6PD, Central Avenue, CA1 3QB, Townhead Road, Dalston, CA5 7QS Warwick Bridge, CA4 8SA, Main Street, Brampton, CA8 1RS
- Sainsbury's - Church Street, Caldewgate, CA3 0QZ,
- Tesco - Victoria Viaduct, CA3 8AJ, Warwick Road, CA1 2SB
Crockery/ceramics/pyrex
- Please place any broken crockery or pyrex dishes into your normal refuse container. Reusable items can be donated to charity shops.
DIY waste
- Household DIY waste can be taken to a household waste and recycling centre. However, if you wish to take it in van or twin axle trailer then you will require a permit to do so. For further information and to obtain a permit please call 0300 003 1118 (permit scheme operated by Cumbria County Council).
- Please do not place into your household waste container.
Disposing of trade waste is an offence. If you are a business you must organise your own trade waste collection service and make sure that you:
- segregate, store and transport your waste appropriately and securely, making sure that you do not cause any pollution or harm to human health
- check that your waste is transported and handled by people or businesses that are authorised to do so
- complete waste transfer notes, including a full, accurate description of the waste, to document all waste you transfer, and keep them as a record for at least two years.
If a waste carrier takes your waste away, you need to check that they are authorised to accept it.
Duvets and pillows
- Not currently recyclable.
- Some animal charities may accept them for pet bedding or take them to a household waste and recycling centre for disposal.
DVDs
- Some recycling points have banks that accept these (usually in with books) or take them to a charity shop if they are in a reusable condition.
Egg boxes
- Put cardboard in your green bag or take to a local recycling point.
- You can also add them to your home compost bin to provide aeration and carbon.
- Plastic boxes can be recycled in your green bag or placed into a plastic bank at a recycling point.
Egg shells
- Crushed egg shells can be added to your compost bin as they contain lime which helps to reduce acidity.
- Please do not place any food items in your green garden waste bin.
Electrical Goods
- Some charities accept electrical goods in working order.
- You can take electrical items to a household waste and recycling centre for free disposal
- You can book a bulky waste collection online (charges apply) or contact Carlisle City Council customer services on 01228 817 200.
- Small non-hazardous electrical items (such as an iron or toaster) can be placed into your household waste container.
Envelopes
- These can be recycled in your green bag along with cartons and cardboard.
- Alternatively, take them to a paper bank at a recycle point.
Engine oil
Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes
- The Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Rome Street, Carlisle and Townfoot Industrial Estate, Brampton accept fluorescent tubes. Lightbulbs should be placed safely into your refuse bin or gull sack for disposal
Foil
- You can recycle strong aluminium foil trays in your green box or at a recycling point in the tins and cans bank. Please NO ‘sandwich’ type aluminium foil or any plastic-lined foil (such as crisp packets). Crisp packets (including those that are foil/plastic lined) can be recycled at several collection points in the district (see ‘C’).
Food Cartons – see cartons
Food Waste
- The average family wastes around £470 a year through buying and preparing too much food. Prevent waste by planning weekly menus, preparing suitable quantities, freezing excess food and home composting raw vegetable scraps.
- Do not put cooked food waste into your home compost bin as this can attract vermin. You can purchase special food waste digesters that do accept waste cooked food - these are available at the low cost of £15 or £20.
- Do not place any food waste in your green garden waste bin.
Fridges and Freezers
Furniture
Garden Waste
- Home composting your garden waste produces a great soil conditioner for your garden.
- All organic garden waste (waste that rots) can be placed in your green garden waste bin
- You can recycle garden waste at a household waste and recycling centre.
Gas bottles/cylinders
Glass
- Only domestic glass bottles and jars should be recycled. Place clean and empty glass bottles or jars into your green box or take them to a glass bank at a recycling point.
- Pyrex, green house glass, fish tanks or similar can be recycled at a household waste and recycling centre.
Greetings cards
- Cards with glitter or other embellishments cannot be recycled; please place them into your household waste container. Please tear off the back cover or insides of glittery cards for recycling.
- Put cards in your green bag or take to a local recycling point.
Hazardous Waste
- For information on the disposal of hazardous waste please contact Carlisle City Council on 01228 817200 or email: [email protected].
- Hazardous waste should not be placed into your household waste container.
Inhalers
- You can recycle the plastic outer casing in a green bag or in a plastic bank at a recycling point – place the empty cylinder into your household waste container.
Ink cartridges/printer cartridges and toners
- Some cartridges can be returned to the supplier for refilling.
- Some charities collect empty cartridges – check online for one near you.
- Alternatively place the empty cartridge into your household waste container for disposal.
Junk Mail
- You can substantially reduce the amount of unwanted junk mail you receive by contacting the mailing Preference Service and getting yourself excluded from most of the selected mailing lists. Log on to www.mpsonline.org.uk, write to MPS, Freepost 29, LON20771, London, W1E 0ZT or call 0845 7034 599. Always tick the box at the end of a charity appeal or other mailing if you do not wish your name to be passed to other agencies.
- You can also place junk mail in a green box or in a paper bank at a recycling point(no need to remove any clear plastic windows from envelopes, but please remove any outer plastic film
- Or shred junk mail and place it into a home compost bin.
Kitchen paper towels
- A small amount of kitchen paper can be put into your home compost bin.
Kitchen waste
- Vegetable/fruit peelings can be added to your home compost bin.
- Do not place kitchen waste into your green garden waste bin.
Light bulbs
- The Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Rome Street, Carlisle and Townfoot Industrial Estate, Brampton accept fluorescent tubes. Light bulbs should be placed safely into your refuse bin or gull sack for disposal
- Labels - you don't need to remove labels from tins (but if it easy to do this does help) - put them in with your paper recycling.
- Labelling on products - there are many different types of recycling symbols on products. They can be confusing, but all you have to remember is that we take any hard household plastic product (for example food trays, yoghurt pots, plastic bottles) but not 'soft' plastics, such as carrier bags (see C for how to recycle these).
- If you want to know what the labels on products mean please look at our recycling labels explained guide (document at the bottom of that page).
Magazines
- Magazines in good condition may be wanted in doctors', dentists' waiting rooms, hairdressers, nursing homes etc.
- Recycle them in your green bag or take them to a paper bank at a recycling point.
Mattresses
Metal (other than tins or cans)
- You can take scrap metal to a household waste and recycling centreto be recycled.
- If you use a scrap metal merchant to collect your unwanted metal, make sure they are legally compliant and that they have the appropriate ‘waste transfer’ paperwork in place or you could be liable if your waste is illegally flytipped.
Medical equipment and medicines
- Return NHS medical equipment back to the hospital that provided them.
- Some charities may accept medical equipment you have purchased for reuse.
- Unwanted medicines can be returned to any pharmacist for disposal.
Mobile phones
- Some charities collect and recycle old mobile phones.
- Freedom Mobiles is a non-profit comparison website, featuring all the mobile recyclers in the region for free.
Mugs/ceramics/crockery/pyrex
- Please place any broken crockery or pyrex dishes into your normal refuse container. Reusable items can be donated to charity shops.
Nappies
- Disposable nappies cannot be recycled and should be placed into your household waste container.
- A baby will need over 4,000 nappy changes. Disposable nappies can take up to 500 years to break down.
- Real Nappies are a much more environmentally friendly and cost effective alternative. For help and advice about real nappies contact Cumbria County Council’s helpline on 0300 003 1118 or email: [email protected]
Needles and syringes
- Dispose of as per instructions, usually by sealing in a container and returning to supplier.
- Do not place needles or syringes into any recycling or household waste container.
- If you find any needles or syringes on the street do not touch them and report it to Carlisle City Council customer services on 01228 817200 or email: [email protected]
Newspapers
Oil – see cooking or engine oil
Office Fittings
- Some charities may accept unwanted but reusable office furniture and fittings.
Paper
- Place in your green bag or in a paper bank at a recycling point, including envelopes and junk mail (remove any outer plastic covers, but no need to remove any clear plastic ‘windows’ from envelopes)
Paint
Photographs
- Photographs cannot be recycled – please place them in your household waste container.
Phones (mobile)
- Some charities collect and recycle old mobile phones.
- Freedom Mobiles is a non-profit comparison website, featuring all the mobile recyclers in the region for free.
Pizza boxes
- Place empty pizza boxes into or beside your green bag or in a cardboard bank at a recycling point.
Plastics (including polythene bags)
- Most hard household plastics can be recycled in a green bag or taken to a plastic bank at a recycling point where you can recycle items such as plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, food trays and tubs, including black plastic trays and lids.
- You don't need to check the 'code' on the product - you can recycle all hard household plastics (but not plant pots, cling film, polystyrene, bubble wrap or carrier/polythene bags)
- You can recycle polythene carrier bags and bread bags at special banks inside most major supermarkets - a list of local sites is available at recyclenow.com.
- There is no need to remove labels and you can leave the plastics tops on bottles (squashing the bottles first then replacing the lid helps to save space)
Polystyrene
- Not currently recyclable locally – please place into your household waste container.
Pottery
- Charities may accept certain items or place it into your household waste container.
Pyrex dishes/crockery/ceramics etc
- Please place any broken crockery/ceramics or pyrex dishes into your normal refuse container. Reusable items can be donated to charity shops.
Recycle Points
- Recycling Points are managed by Carlisle City Council. They are located conveniently all over the Carlisle area, often in supermarkets or village halls and provide a range of recycling facilities. Please note, we are not responsible for any clothing banks - please contact the provider listed on the banks. We are not responsible for the Household Waste and Recycling Centres - these are managed on behalf of Cumbria County Council.
- Recycling banks are emptied regularly, but you can report an overflowing bank by emailing; [email protected]
- Please do not leave general household waste at a recycling point as this is flytipping and you could be fined.
Shoes
- Some charity shops accept shoes in good condition.
- They can be taken to a clothing bank at our larger recycling points.
Spectacles
- Most opticians will accept old spectacles for reuse abroad.
Sawdust, Straw and Hay
- Not currently recyclable, but you can compost all these materials in a home composting bin.
- Do not place into a green garden waste bin.
Telephone directories
Textiles
- Take textiles and reusable clothes to a clothing bank at the larger recycling sites – remember to bag them first. Find a local textile site.
Toner cartridges
- Check the instruction leaflet as some can be returned to the manufacturers for recycling.
- Alternatively some charities may accept them for recycling.
Tools
- Some charities may accept tools in good working condition for reuse.
- ‘Tools for Self-Reliance’ are a charity that collects and refurbishes hand tools (except gardening tools), for free shipment to help others abroad. Contact the Carlisle branch on 01228 529369 for further details.
Towels
- Old towels might be wanted by local animal charities for use in their kennels/catteries. Otherwise please dispose of in general waste container.
Tyres
- Garages are responsible for the waste they create and they will dispose of the tyres you replace at their site.
- Alternatively you can recycle used tyres at a household waste and recycling centre free of charge.
Unwanted Mail
Vending cups
- Not currently recyclable in most cases (although some vendors will take them back for recycling) – try to take a reusable cup instead if possible. Some cafes will give you a discount for bringing your own cup.
Vegetable / cooking oil
- Cannot be recycled.
- Please pour used oil back into the container and dispose of it in your household waste bin or gull sack.
Wallpaper
- Wallpaper is not currently recyclable due to the vinyl or metal coatings, paste and textured materials.
- Please dispose of wallpaper in your household waste container.
White Goods
- Some charities accept unwanted white goods in a reusable condition.
- You can take white goods to a household waste and recycling centrefree of charge.
- Alternatively, Carlisle City Council will collect unwanted domestic items, such as fridges and freezers for a charge. You can book a bulky waste collection online or call customer services on 01228 817200.
Wood
Wool
- Not currently recyclable but it can be composted in a home composting bin.
- Take care to wash hands after handling raw fleeces.
Wrapping Paper
- Wrapping paper often contains plastic and/or metals so unfortunately it cannot be recycled.
- Please place wrapping paper into your household waste container.
Xmas Trees
Xmas Cards
- Cards with glitter or other embellishments cannot be recycled; please place them into your household waste container.
- Plain cards can be recycled in a green bag or taken to a paper bank at a recycling point.
Yellow Pages
- You can place yellow pages and other paper catalogues in your green bag for recycling or take it to a paper bank at a recycling point.
Zero Waste
- This may not be achievable, but we would like residents to recycle as much of their waste as possible - over half the contents of your household bin can be recycled!