Where Can I Recycle…

So, you’ve bought a new washing machine, television, microwave or hairdryer, but what should you do with your old one?

Electrical items are classed as hazardous waste and requires careful recovery of the materials used in order to protect people and the environment.

Electrical items shouldn’t be put into your rubbish bin and definitely not into your recycling bin.

There are several things you can do if you no longer want or need your old electrical or electronic items.

Remember, it is your responsibility to remove all personal data from your electronic items prior to recycling them. Some items may go on to be refurbished. More information on deleting your data can be found here.

This is a super convenient way of recycling your smaller items.  Larger, bulky items can be disposed off by your local council for a small fee.

Items will be collected weekly on your rubbish and recycling bin collection day.

Please place items in a tied weatherproof standard size carrier bag, or smaller, next to your rubbish or recycling bin by 6:30am for collection. You can put more than one bag out for collection.

Items must be:

• contained in the bag or they will not be collected
• separated by waste type and not mixed, for example, please place electrical items in one bag, batteries in another and textiles in another as the items are sent to different places for recycling or reuse

Please note:

• items that are in larger bags, such as bin liners and black sacks will not be collected
• bags cannot be returned and must be weatherproof, such as plastic to help keep the items dry in bad weather
• items can be placed in smaller bags
• this service is for Broadland residents only

What to do if my bin has been emptied but my bags are not collected?

If your items are not collected at the same time as your bin, providing you have not been left a note to say why the items have been left, please leave them out as a vehicle will return later that day.

Collections for communal bins

This service is initially for properties that have their own individual bins and not communal / shared bins. Trials will take place for these bins and residents will be notified in advance. If you do not have access to this service please continue to reuse items, wherever possible through friends, family, recycling centres, charity shops and online sites. If the items are not reusable they can be recycled at some drop off points such as Norfolk County Council recycling centres, textile banks and battery banks that are often in stores that sell batteries such as supermarkets. Alternatively for small items you can place them in your rubbish bin at home and for larger electrical items, such as white goods you can arrange for a bulky waste collection service or take to Norfolk County Council’s recycling centres for reuse.

 Small electrical items

Electrical items we can collect

We can accept items that fit in a carrier bag. Example items include:

• toasters and kettles
• games consoles
• torches
• cameras
• blenders
• cables and chargers
• small power tools
• hairdryers and straighteners
• electronic bags
• telephones
• electronic tablets such as iPads
• electronic toothbrushes
• LED lights, Christmas lights
• small bedside lamps
• irons
• shavers
• cameras
• calculators

This is not a comprehensive list but gives examples of the size and type of item we can collect.

Note: Please remove batteries from electrical items and place them in a separate bag for collection.

Electrical items we cannot collect

• We cannot accept items larger than a carrier bag, for example:
• Microwaves
• TVs and PC monitors
• white goods such as dishwashers, fridges and washing machines
• lightbulbs
• commercial items
• glass or ceramic items such as slow cookers and glass kettles

What to do with larger electrical items?
If larger electrical items are in working order and suitable for reuse these can be sold or given away for free. If the items are not suitable for reuse they can be taken to any of the Norfolk County Council recycling centres. If you are unable to transport items, you can pay for a bulky waste collection service.

What happens to the electrical items collected?
All of the electrical items collected are taken to Wiser Recycling in Thetford, Norfolk, which is an Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF). The items collected are reused wherever possible and where this isn’t possible, they are broken down and recycled.

Batteries

Battery types we can collect:

• household batteries AA, AAA, C, D, 6V, 9V
• mobile phone batteries
• button batteries including hearing aid batteries

Batteries we cannot collect:

• large batteries such as those designed for vehicles
• rechargeable batteries
• sealed lead acid/gel

What to do with car batteries that cannot be collected
Car batteries can be taken to Norfolk County Council recycling centres. They can also be taken to some garages for disposal and recycling. They cannot be placed in your rubbish bin at home.

What happens to the batteries collected?
The batteries are being recycled through the BatteryBack.org compliance scheme. There are different ways to recycle batteries depending on the battery type, such as alkaline, zinc-carbon and lead-acid batteries. Batteries are broken down to recover the raw materials, for example they may be shredded and heated at high temperatures. Materials recovered include plastic, iron, steel, nickel, cadmium and copper that can be used to make new batteries and steel

If your old equipment still works, there are several ways you can pass it on so someone else can make use of it.  Some charity organisations will accept electrical items.  There are numerous online forums and reuse sites that you could advertise it for someone to buy or give it away free.

Some older items may even have a higher value than you might expect due the resurgence in vintage items. You may be surprised who would want such items whether they work or not (eg TV production companies).

There are still people out there who can mend items!  Try to find your local ‘fix it’ person.  They may be a trade or a experienced person with knowledge of electricals.

To find out where you can repair, reuse or recycle your old electrical items visit our Bin Genie.

Norfolk Recycling Centres which have a Reuse Shop are now selling PAT tested electrical items.  This is a new scheme to keep working electrical items in use for longer.

So if you need a new hoover, TV or DVD player now might be a great time to come have a look. All items are professionally tested before sale and prices start from just £6.

Reuse shops selling electricals are Caister, Mayton Wood, Hempton, Dereham, Kings Lynn, Norwich North, Norwich South and Thetford.

Household electrical items (including light bulbs) can be recycled at all of Norfolk’s Recycling Centres. Please tell a member of staff if you are taking a working piece of electrical equipment along to your local recycling centre as as it may be suitable for reuse.

Some small items can be recycled online by sending them off in the post (e.g. mobile phones).  Search for mobile phone recycling. You may get a small payment even for an older phone.

Manufacturers have to minimise waste from electrical products and promote their reuse. If you are buying new electrical equipment, the supplier should offer collection for your old piece of equipment ensuring it is either reused or recycled correctly.

.

Click here to search for your nearest participating pharmacy or call 0344 800 8020

GP surgeries are no longer accepting sharps waste.

If you are unable to take your used medical sharps to one of the pharmacies on the list, please contact
your district council to arrange a home collection.

Only dispose of used sharps in specialist sharps bins.

A sharps bin is a specially designed rigid box with a secure lid, which is available on prescription (FP10 prescription form) that can be dispensed, along with medication.

Used sharps must not be placed in general household waste or recycling bins. 

Clinical waste:
Clinical waste including sharps waste produced at a domestic property is household waste.

Clinical waste includes: 

• Sharps (including needles, syringes or other sharp instruments).
• body fluids or other biological material (including swabs or dressings) containing or contaminated with pharmaceutical products or anything that maybe infectious.

Clinical waste must not be placed in either normal domestic or recycling waste.

Offensive waste:
Offensive waste is different to clinical waste,  This waste should be appropriately bagged and can be placed in normal domestic waste bins but must not be placed in a recycling bin.

Offensive waste is:

• Non-clinical waste that’s non-infectious and doesn’t contain pharmaceutical or chemical substances, but may be unpleasant to anyone who comes into contact with it.
• Offensive waste includes hygiene waste and sanitary protection like nappies and incontinence pads.
• If there are significant quantities of offensive waste generated that would result in difficulties being included within domestic refuse (non-recyclable), please contact your local council to inquire about additional collections or bins.

Healthcare providers who treat patients in their own home and produce clinical waste as a result of treating patients are under a duty of care to manage the waste they produce. The healthcare provider must make their own arrangements for such waste.

Care Homes/Nursing Homes should make their own contractual arrangements for the disposal of clinical waste; if it is as a result of community pharmacies providing an additional/enhanced service to the care home then the pharmacy should be making separate arrangements for the disposal.

For up-to-date information on the recent government announcement surrounding charges for DIY waste please visit Norfolk County Council

DIY type waste can be reused, recycled or disposed of at all main recycling centres operated by Norfolk County Council for a small charge using the
‘Pay as you throw’ service

Further details can be found here.

Should you wish to use a different service, the list below may help you.
(List created on 22/03/2018 using internet search. Norfolk Councils do not endorse any of these options over other skip and waste services which may be available.  The list is not exclusive).

Everyone (including householders) has a duty of care to ensure their rubbish is disposed of in the correct and legal manner. Householders are advised to check an individual’s or company’s Waste Carrier’s Licence before allowing them to remove waste from their property. Licence checks can be made with the Environment Agency here.  Householders should ask for a Waste Transfer Note which states the name and address of the point of disposal and keep it in a safe place.  Householders are responsible if their waste is fly tipped and could face a fine of up to £5,000 if found guilty of breaching The Waste (Household Waste Duty of Care) (England and Wales) Regulations 2005

North

G Haller Skip Hire Rosh Pinna, Fakenham Rd, Sculthorpe, Fakenham, NR21 9NE 01328 855802

Fakenham Skips www.fakenhamskips.co.uk 01328 862 659

Drury’s www.drurysenvironmental.co.uk 01692 405820

South

Baldwin www.baldwinskip.co.uk 01953 453 625

Pips Skips www.pipsskips.co.uk 01603 882100

Freedom Skips www.freedomrecycling.co.uk 01842 828888

East

Daves Skips  www.davesskips.co.uk 01692 406627

Carl Bird www.carlbirdltd.co.uk 01692 404603

Clems www.clems-skip-hire.co.uk 01493 653600

West

Skippy Skip Hire, www.skippy-skiphire.co.uk 01553 811 866

Baco-Compak (Norfolk ) Ltd www.bacocompakltd.co.uk 01553 630247

Glazewing www.glazewing.co.uk 01366 500 162

Central

Norman Wenn www.normanwenn-skiphire.co.uk 01603 881292

Pips Skips www.pipsskips.co.uk 01603 882100

AKS www.aksskiphire.co.uk 01603 789 555

Jays www.jaystotalwaste.co.uk 01603 744419

MPH www.mphgroup.co 01603 882220

PSH Environmental https://parkersskips.com/ 01603 721533

Having a baby is one of the most hectic times of life for any parent or carer and a child can get through around 2,000 nappies in its first year. Many of those nappies are thrown away in the wrong bin because people are in a hurry and have their hands full with their new arrival.

But every year, around 400,000 used nappies are put in recycling bins and end up at Norfolk’s recycling facility in Costessey, causing a big problem. This is where your recycling is hand sorted by our workers, who have to remove all those dirty nappies, which is extremely unpleasant and unhygienic.

Successful recycling relies on people making sure their recycling is ‘clean, dry and loose’ and nappies are certainly not clean or dry! Nappies in the wrong bin also costs money and time to deal with; which ends up costing council taxpayers more.

People don’t realise the problems nappies cause. Many people mistakenly think nappies, used or unused, can be recycled because they are made from paper pulp, but they can’t. The cardboard box disposable nappies are packaged in is recyclable, but the nappies themselves, in Norfolk, are not.

That’s why we want to remind people why it is so important to stop and think about whether they are putting the right things in the right bin. All of our councils and collection crews work hard to empty our bins and when they find a recycling bin contaminated with used nappies it can be soul-destroying.

So when you have finished with a nappy, please put it in your rubbish bin where it belongs.

For parents who wish to try alternatives, why not try washable, fabric nappies which are a modern version of the old terry towels. They are fun and funky and a great way to save money as well as reducing your family’s rubbish in the bin. To give them a try, there are several local outlets, all accessible through the links to the left.

For more information, please click here.

The History of Disposable Nappies

Whatever you think about disposable nappies, they are here to stay.  They were invented by a mum in Scotland to help her cope with bringing up small children. Advertised as “A really attractive garment, skilfully designed by a mother, to make the whole-time use of disposable nappies a practical possibility”. They offered an easier way to keep your baby clean and comfortable.  Valerie Hunter created the first “Paddi” after having her third child, Nigel, in 1947 and becoming fed-up with washing traditional nappies. The two-part garments were initially made out of old nylon parachutes, tissue wadding and cotton wool.

So the advent of disposable nappies created an easier way to keep your baby clean. However, a used disposable nappy is only good for one thing – your rubbish bin!