Waste and recycling information

Fizzy drink bottles, milk bottles, shampoo bottles, any bottles made of PET (usually has a code 1 printed on base of bottle) or HDPE (usually has a code 2 printed on base of bottle).  "Soft" plastic items like food trays, yoghurt pots and margarine tubs should also be placed in this container for recycling (not applicable at Whetstone, which takes plastic bottles ONLY).  No plastic bags, plastic toys, plastic furniture, other hard plastics, polystyrene or plastic wrapping.

Bottles made from PET  (polyethylene terephthalate) are shredded into flakes and made into fibres. This is then used to make items like fleece clothing, duvets, pillows and fillings for anoraks.

HDPE  (high-density polyethylene) bottles are flaked or pelleted. These are sent to factories and made into drainage pipes, wheelie bins, compost bins, kerbside collection boxes or plastic wood garden furniture.

New technology is also being developed to enable old bottles to be made into new bottles.

Any hard plastics such as plastic toys, plastic furniture, drainpipes etc.  No "soft" plastics like plastic bottles, yoghurt pots or plant pots.  No electrical items, polystyrene, plastic bags or metal.

Plastics must be sorted prior to mechanical recycling. At the moment in the UK most sorting for mechanical recycling is done by trained staff who manually sort the plastics into polymer type and/or colour. Technology is being introduced to sort plastics automatically, using various techniques such as X-rays. Following sorting, the plastic is either melted down directly and moulded into a new shape, or melted down after being shredded into flakes and then processed into granules called regranulate, which can be used in the production of hard plastic items such as garden furniture, wheelie bins, compost bins and drainage pipes.

Any type of plastic carrier bag.  No plastic wrapping.

Plastic bags cannot be recycled at the Whetstone RHWS at present.

Plastic bags are recycled in a mixed plastics process to make garden stakes, garden furniture, flower pots and new plastic bags.

Any type of video, cassette or CD.

Ask site staff about recycling these items as they need to be placed in a special container.

Tapes and CD's and their packaging are broken down into their constituent parts and recycled in their individual material streams e.g. cardboard.  The plastic is recycled and manufactured in the production of burglar alarms and street lighting.

All types of metal including iron, steel, aluminium, copper etc.  This includes metal with plastic attached, for example cooking pots and gas cookers.  No gas bottles, oil drums, engines, batteries or fridges.

Metals can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of their properties. All types of metal can be recycled even if there is some plastic or wood attached, examples include cooking pots, washing machines and ironing boards. Many objects contain valuable metals, such as copper, zinc and magnesium that have great reuse value. Millions of tonnes of scrap metal per year are recovered by processors and consumed by secondary smelters, refiners, ingot makers, fabricators, foundries and other industries.

All types of clean food and drink tins and cans are accepted for recycling.  No oil drums.

Cans are sorted, baled and taken for crushing into large blocks, and sometimes shredded for reprocessing. Melting removes all inks and coatings before metal is made into blocks (ingots), which can be huge, 2 x 8 metres and 60cm thick, and weigh as much as 20 tonnes. Each one contains about 1.6 million drinks cans. Ingots are sent to mills where they are rolled into sheets from 0.006mm to 250mm gauge. This rolling adds strength to the pure aluminium which is then used to manufacture new aluminium products such as car parts and cans.

Aluminium foil includes any type of clean aluminium foil such as food trays, cooking foil, pet food containers and take-away food containers.  No tins or plastic wrapping.

Foil is recycled separately from cans because it is made from a slightly different alloy of metal. It is similar to the aluminium can process, without the de-coating or shredding. Ingots are much smaller, about a metre long, from which more foil is made, or a range of products such as light-weight car parts.

All clothes, blankets, handbags and paired shoes can be recycled at RHWS's.  No pillows, quilts or other waste are acceptable.

Wearable textiles and shoes are sorted and sent mainly to countries in the developing world. Specialist textile recyclers can sort textiles into about 140 different grades. In woollen garments, the fibre is reclaimed to make yarn or fabric. Cotton and silk is reclaimed to make wiping cloths for a range of industries such as automotive and paper manufacture. The remaining textiles are sold to the flocking industry where the items are shredded to make fillers for furniture padding, roofing felts and car insulation.

All types of cardboard are acceptable including cereal packets, boxes, and corrugated card.  No paper, magazines, plastic or polystyrene.

Cardboard is taken to the paper mill for recycling where it is pulped and the new material is then used in the production of new cardboard. A variety of card packaging types can then be produced such as boxes, brown paper and corrugated materials.

Any type of paper is acceptable such as newspapers, envelopes, magazines, junk mail and leaflets.  No cardboard or plastic wrapping

Paper is taken to the paper mill and mixed with wood pulp. Machinery breaks up the fibres and the resultant liquid passes through a de-inking process. The pulp is then screened, cleaned and enters a papermaking machine where excess water is pressed out and paper sheets are made. The paper is now ready to be printed on. This paper is used to make newsprint, although other uses include computer paper, toilet paper and note pads.

Glass bottles and jars only.  No Pyrex, crockery or sheet glass.

Glass can be used in the production of new glass bottles. Recycling glass into new containers has four environmental benefits – energy saving, lower emissions, reduced landfill and a reduction in quarrying.  Excess green glass is used for aggregate in the construction industry and in the new road material ‘glasphalt’.

The glass has to go through several processes to be recycled, from visual checks to high-tech laser separation to remove stones and ceramics.  Once the glass is thoroughly cleaned it has a final visual check before it can be transported to the glass factory ready to be made into new glass containers.

Any type of glass that is not a bottle or a jar.  Window glass, fish tanks, mirrors, crockery and Pyrex are all acceptable.

This type of glass undergoes a similar process as bottles and jars do when they are being recycled.  Once it has been recycled it can be made into more glass containers.

Any type of garden waste such as tree prunings, grass cuttings, leaves, shrubs, plants and small trees are acceptable

Garden waste is taken to one of several composting sites where it is shredded and arranged into windrows (large toblerone shaped heaps about 3m high and 10m long). The heaps are turned regularly to allow aerobic digestion, and after 12 to16 weeks the compost is ready. It is then screened to remove large particles (which are put through the process again) and used for land improvement or bagged ready to be sold at garden centres and Leicestershire’s Recycling and Household Waste Sites.

Any type of cell battery is acceptable including lithium and mobile phone batteries.

Batteries contain a range of metals.  Batteries collected for recycling are separated into plastics, acid and metals. The metals are then cleaned and processed through heat treatment which allows the various types of metals contained within the battery to be recovered.

Any fluorescent tubes and energy saving light bulbs.  No other type of light bulbs are acceptable for recycling at RHWS's.

Ask staff on-site for information about recycling these as the bulbs need to be placed in a separate container.

The light tubes collected are taken to a licensed processing site to be safely treated. The mercury and phosphor powder are separated and collected for recovery, as are the glass and aluminium end caps, and other components that contain copper. The glass is then taken to a glass company to be processed back into bottles.

All types of domestic fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers can be deposited for recycling at Recycling & Household Waste Sites.

Recycling and Household Waste Sites in Leicestershire will continue to take domestic fridges and freezers delivered by householders. They are processed using the appropriate equipment and recycled without releasing harmful gases into the environmment.

All mobile phones are accepted either with or without battery and charger.

If mobile phones are of a suitable quality they can be re-used, otherwise they will be broken down into their separate components for recycling.

Microwaves, vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, hi-fi's, music systems, electrical DIY and garden equipment, and any other type of small electrical equipment can be deposited at RHWS for recycling.

After checking for hazardous components, the mechanical processing is applied. In this process, ferrous and aluminium material is initially separated. This is followed by the separation of the copper based concentrate in which all precious and other non-ferrous metals are present. During the initial and the final stages of the process plastics are also separated from the metal fractions. These plastics are then sent for recycling which upgrades the plastic into separate groups of polymers with sustainable markets; allowing recycling and recovery across the different Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment categories.

Washing machines, electric cookers, dishwashers and tumble dryers.  No fridges, gas cookers, TV's or scrap metal.

After checking for hazardous components, the mechanical processing is applied. In this process, ferrous and aluminium material is initially separated. This is followed by the separation of the copper based concentrate in which all precious and other non-ferrous metals are present. During the initial and the final stages of the process plastics are also separated from the metal fractions. These plastics are then sent for recycling which upgrades the plastic into separate groups of polymers with sustainable markets; allowing recycling and recovery across the different Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment categories.

Any type of TV or monitor including plasma and LCD.

After undergoing visual and electronic testing the units are disassembled and processed.  Plastic, wood, metal and glass components are separated and recycled to re-enter manufacturing process as raw materials.

The CRTs (Cathode ray tubes) are then sent down dedicated lines that break the tube down and separate a mixed leaded/unleaded glass cullet (pieces of broken glass) free from metallic and organic contaminants.  This material is then reprocessed to manufacture new CRTs.

All types of car battery can be deposited at RHWS's for recycling.

Car batteries contain lead acid, they are separated and treated the same way as household batteries.

Used engine oil only.  No cooking or vegetable oil.

The oil is tested for quality, metal content and PCB's (PCB's are carcinogenic organic compounds).  It is rare to find PCB's in oil but the company must provide a PCB free analysis sheet.  When being processed the oil is heated and large particles are reduced in a shake and filtration system, followed by centrifuging for purification and clarification.  Refined oil is used by steel works as start up fuel.  The steel works depot uses approximately 70-80 tonnes of start-up fuel per hour.

Chipboard, kitchen units, flat packed furniture, and MDF can all be recycled.

Chipboard is biodegradable so will contribute to green house gas production if allowed to rot in landfill sites. Chipboard can be used as mulch to prevent soil erosion and a composting agent to improve airflow and decomposition.

Solid wood, fencing, floorboards, sheds, chipboard and MDF can all be recycled.  No green waste, laminates or trees.

Wood is biodegradable so will contribute to green house gas production if allowed to rot in landfill sites. Wood can be used as mulch to prevent soil erosion, as a composting agent to improve airflow and decomposition, for pet bedding or shredded and used in the manufacture of chipboard.

Vegetable and cooking oil is collected on site to be recycled to make bio-diesel.

The oil is filtered to reduce the size of large particles and then goes to a micro-brewery where glycerol is removed from the oil and replaced with methanol.  This mixture goes through filtration again and then is ready to be used as bio-diesel.

Domestic paint tins half full or more and of a reusable quality.  Please note that only the RHWS at Whetstone can accept paint.

At present the paint collected is sorted and made ready for re-use before being collected by charities and other organisations in need of paint.  Any unusable paint is taken away to be used in cement kiln furnaces for fuel.

Any materials that cannot be recycled.

Everything disposed of in this container will be sent to landfill and not recycled. Waste that is sent to landfill breaks down and can produce a toxic liquid and methane gas, which contributes to global warming.

With increasing waste produced each year, existing landfills are rapidly filling up. Recycling of materials reduces the need for new and ever larger landfill facilities. Help protect the environment – only throw away materials that cannot be recycled or re-used.

Cement bonded asbestos only, for example drainpipes, sheds or garages, corrugated asbestos roofing sheets.  All attachments such as wood or metal must be removed please.  Asbestos should be bagged in clear plastic bags (available from builder's merchants and DIY shops) before taking to the RHWS.

When on-site ready to desposit your asbestos ask staff for the location of the asbestos bin.

Please be aware that asbestos is only accepted at Coalville, Kibworth, Melton Mowbray, Sileby and Whetstone.  A permit will need to be obtained to dispose of asbestos, please contact Waste Management on 0116 305 7240.

Asbestos is a hazardous substance and needs to be treated with care. After collection from the RHWS it is disposed of in a hazardous landfill site.

Hardcore and rubble are deemed as construction waste by both the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992.  This includes bricks, turf, soil, paving slabs, ceramics and tiles, in fact any waste that comes from home improvement, repairs or alteration.  

As this type of waste is not legally defined as household, CA Sites in Leicestershire can only accept a limited amount of six bags (around 25kg per bag) per six months for each householder.

Items that were previously fitted to the property are limited to four items per 6 months for each category (i.e. 4 x doors, 4 x windows, 4 x radiators, 4 x fitted units). Bathroom suites and fitted kitchens are limited to one of each per 6 months.

No plastic bags, asbestos, drainage pipes, wood or plaster board should be included in this type of waste.

Hardcore and rubble received at RHWS's is sent to landfill, where it is used to form a protective cover to prevent landfilled waste blowing away and creating litter.