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Address:
The Guildhall
Frankwell Quay
Shrewsbury
SY3 8HQ
 
Telephone:
01743 281000
 
email:

A to Z of Recycling   

Aluminium

Aluminium is made from Bauxite, a finite resource, recycling reduces the need for mining and refining which reduces pollution. All Aluminium (tin foil, pie trays, milk bottle tops, T-lghts, deodorant, and fizzy drinks cans) are collected by the Councils kerbside recycling service.

Batteries

Globally, 15 billion cells are landfilled each year - to reduce this use rechargeable batteries. The least environmentally damaging batteries are Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries.  All types of dry-cell battery can be collected by the Councils kerbside recycling service.

Car batteries contain especially polluting metals and sulphuric acid, so must be taken to Battlefield for professional disposal.

Bicycles

Bicycles contain useful metal that can be recycled at the Battlefield Household Recycling site. Better still innovative recycling schemes will repair and reuse them.

  • Stafford Bicycle Recycling Project
    T: 01785 619684
    E: skean@staffordbc.gov.uk

Books

The obvious place to donate your books is your local charity shop but there are other places that except them. The Household Recycling Centre at Battlefield has a book bank for books that are suitable for resale. There is also a book bank at Morrisons on Whitchurch Road, it is emptied by the British Heart Foundation who sell them on. A relatively new idea is to register your book on a book sharing website such as bookcrossing and leaving it in a public place for somebody to pick up. Register it with the Bookcrossing website and you are given a unique ID number. Then just label the book and release it for someone else to read - give it to a friend, leave it on a park bench, donate it to charity, or simply "forget" it in a coffee shop. You can track its progress and see how many people get to share it.

Building materials

Look in Yellow Pages for Reclamation Specialists / Architectural salvage yards

Cans

All types of metal cans and food tins will be collected by Shrewsbury's kerbside recycling scheme, or take them to Battlefield Household recycling centre.

Cardboard

You can put cardboard out for composting as part of your garden waste collection service.You can post cleaned, flattened drinks cartons for recycling (you pay postage) to:

  • The Liquid Food Carton Manufacturers
    1 Bridgeman Rd., Teddington TW11 9AJ
    T: 02089 776116

Cards

The local hospital takes used cards, which are reused, for art-based therapy.

  • Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
    Headway House, Mytton Oak Rd, SY3 8XF
    T: 01743 261457

Cars

Abandoned vehicles are an eye sore and a safety issue too. Report them to the Council by calling 01743 281000. You can get cars recycled at:

  • Salop Car Breakers
    Unit 6/7 Monkmoor Industrial Estate, Shrewsbury
    T: 01743 242108

Chemicals

Even household chemicals contain some very hazardous chemicals.   They must be disposed of safely at the Battlefield site, please hand them to an assistant in person, don't just leave them lying around!

Clothing

Local charity shops will ensure that not only will the clothes be reused but that the money goes to a good cause too.  In Shrewsbury, old clothes and shoes can be put out for recycling with the fortnightly kerbside collection service or taken to bring banks sites.

Coins

Many charities collect old currency, British and foreign.

  • RNIB
    Philanthropic Road, Redhill, RH1 4DN
    T: 01737 778808

Compost

The Council cannot accept food waste for its green waste recycling! Food waste should be composted at home, anything organic will rot down again and create useful soil improver for the garden.

  • Original Organics Ltd.
    Unit 9, Langlands Business Park, Uffculme, EX15 3DA
    T: 01884 841515
    W: Original Organics

A local farmer is selling Tiger worms which speed up composting

Computers

It's obviously wasteful to landfill valuable PCs but it also harms the environment too as they're loaded with lead, arsenic and mercury. Repair and recycle them at:

  • UK IT Recycling
    Unit 2, Duncote Mill, Walcot, Telford, TF6 5ER
    T: 01952 740200
    E: enquiries@ukitrecycling.com
  • Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme
    294 Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury, SY2 5TF
    T: 01743 246668

Fluorescent lights

Every year 80 million fluorescent lights are sent to landfill sites in the UK - despite the fact that each lamp contains enough Mercury to pollute 30,000 litres of water beyond a safe level for drinking. IKEA outlets will accept any used low energy light bulbs, as will Battlefield HRC.

Fridges

To avoid release of ozone destroying gases all fridge's must be disposed of professionally at Battlefield HRC. For a small charge, the Council will collect fridges and freezers from your door.

Furniture

There are some excellent projects in Shropshire, which collect unwanted furniture and recycle it for disadvantaged people in need.

  • South Shropshire Furniture Scheme
    T: 01694 724464
  • Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme
    T: 01743 246668
  • Bridgnorth Furniture Scheme
    T: 01746 766751
  • North Shropshire Furniture Scheme
    T: 01939 234222
  • Oswestry Furniture Scheme
    T: 01691 658800

Glass

By weight, around 10% of our household rubbish is glass. So recycling glass massively reduces waste and also saves energy. In Shrewsbury glass is included in the fortnightly doorstep recycling scheme. Alternatively you should use the bottle banks. Blue glass should go in green bottle banks. A useful tip is that if you have broken the glass container of your cafetiere, Woolworths sell individual replacements.

Green waste

Bag up all grass cuttings, leaves, twigs etc. they will be collected fortnightly from your house by the Council and used as soil improver on a local farm.

Hearing Aids

Hearing aids can be cleaned and passed on to developing nations. Post them to:

  • Help the Aged (Hearing Aid Appeal)
    FREEPOST LON13616, London, EC1B 1PS

Ink-jet and laser cartridges

Don't throw them away, your local school or charity could use them to raise much-needed funds.  They are refilled while you wait at:

  • Cartridge World
    15 Conway Drive, Telford Estate, Monkmoor
    T: 01743 365252

Junk mail

Like all paper it can be recycled, however better still avoid getting any.

  • The Mailing Preference Service
    Freepost 22, London W1E 7EZ.
    T: 0171 766 4410

Metals

Value can be recovered from almost all metals at scrap metal merchants.

  • John Dowley and Sons
    Upper Battlefield, SY4 3DB
    T: 01939 210246

Mobile phones

Mobile phones must be disposed of professionally as they contain very hazardous chemicals. Fortunately many charities accept phones for recycling.

  • AGE Concern
    3 Mardol, Shrewsbury, SY1 1PR
    T: 01743 233123

Nappies

Last year nearly 6% of Shropshire's waste was disposable nappies! Reusable terry towel nappies can prevent this waste, and you could save about £800 during the early years of a baby's life.

Oil

Motor Oil is hazardous to human health and the environment. It can be recycled at the Battlefield HRC.

Paint

An estimated 75 million litres of paint (enough to fill 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools) is stored in UK garages. To avoid putting this hazardous product in landfill, why not donate it to local artists or charities?

  • Community Re>Paint (Birmingham)
    2-10 Queens Head Road, Handsworth, B21 OQG
    T: 0121 551 5115

Paper

Recycling paper reduces demand for wood pulp and therefore trees, and it also uses fewer chemicals and less energy so it's better for the environment. In Shrewsbury all paper is part of the fortnightly doorstep recycling service. Try to avoid using so much paper, for example try reading newspapers online and donate good quality magazines and papers to doctor surgeries etc.

Personal Stereos

  • Linda Wilson
    T: 01746 712352
    reuses them to enable children with communication difficulties to appreciate the countryside.

Plastics

Plastic is one of the most environmentally damaging materials. It's made from our ever-decreasing supply of oil, its production creates carcinogenic Dioxins and it doesn't break down when discarded. Whilst recycling is a better fate than landfill, the ultimate answer is to stop using so much. The Council provides bring banks for plastic bottles.  Other useful contacts include:

  • Polyprint Mailing Films
    Rackheath Industrial Estate, Norwich, NR 13 6LJ
    T: 01603 721807
    Accept clean plastic wrappings (remove paper labels first) for recycling
  • The Bin Company
    T: 08456 023630
    W: The Bin Company
    Supplies the biodegradable Biobag - made from cornstarch

For more detailed information on plastic recycling: -

  • Recoup
    1 Metro Centre, Woodston, PE2 7UH
    T: 01733 390021
    W: Recoup

Spectacles

Most opticians accept old spectacles, or they can be posted for reuse to:

  • Vision Aid Overseas
    12 The Bell Centre, Manor Royal, Crawley, RH10 2F2
    W: Vision Aid Overseas
    T: 01293 535016

Shoes

Shoes are accepted for recycling at the Council's bring banks, better still, they can be repaired at:

  • Ron Moorcroft Shoe Repairs
    44 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1XF
    T: 01743 243020

Stamps

Stamps are collected to raise money for charity, send them to:

  • Samaritans
    Swanhouse, Coleham, SY3 7BJ
    T: 01743 369696

Textiles

If they are made from organic materials, when clothes are landfilled they rot and produce greenhouse gases. To avoid this, textiles can be recycled to make rags for industrial cleaning or preferably donate old clothes to charities that them. Contact:

  • Seconds Out
    Bomere Heath, Shrewsbury, SY4 3AP
    T: 01939 290272

Tools

Some charities repair tools and send them out to developing nations, contact:

  • Tools for Self-Reliance
    T: 01588 660392

Tyres

Contact:

  • Ecology Tyres Ltd.
    Prees Green, Whitchurch, SY13 2EA
    T: 01948 841311

Vegetable Oil

Avoid disposing of this down the sink. It can be mixed with breadcrumbs and reused as bird feed. If you produce large quantities, it can be used to make valuable biodiesel, for free collection, contact:

  • Ebony Solutions UK
    Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 2SX
    T: 01606 301222

Water Filters

All parts of the Brita Cartridge are 100% recyclable and can be sent to Brita free of charge, however they do ask that cartridges are returned for recycling a few at a time.

  • Brita
    PO Box 276, Bicester, OX26 4WZ
    W: Brita
  • T: 01932 793939

Wood

Recycling wood means that fewer trees need to be harvested, contact:

  • Stanhope Recycling
    Yard 22, Halesfield, TF7 4QX
    T: 01952 581425

Christmas Trees

Real Christmas trees will be collected as part of the Council's green waste recycling service, they are shredded to create compost.

Yellow Pages

Look for wheeled 'Eurobins' at the supermarkets, or contact: