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Recycling A-Z Guide

Recycling A-Z Guide

A-C

Aerosols

Please make sure they are empty and place into your blue bin.

Aluminium Foil

• clean foil can be recycled in your blue bin,
• Foil bags used for food eg crisps are a mix of materials that are not currently recycled and should be placed in your green bin.

Asbestos

Please do not take this to Forthbank Recycling Centre or put in any of your bins. Visit the web page on the arrangements for the disposal of household asbestos waste.

Bathroom Products

• Aerosols, shampoo, bubble bath and moisturiser bottles can be recycled in your blue bin.
• Razors, toothbrushes, cotton buds, cotton wool and toothpaste tubes should be disposed of in your green bin.
• Anything contaminated with bodily fluids should go in your green bin.

Batteries

• Car batteries can be recycled at Forthbank Recycling Centre.
• Household batteries can also be taken to Forthbank or taken to local shops that have battery bins.

Bikes

• Recyke-a-bike is an independent organisation who recycles bicycles within Forth Valley.
• You can also take them to Forthbank Recycling Centre to by recycled. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.

Books

• Donate them to a local charity shop.
• Deposit them at Forthbank Recycling Centre where we now have a collection service on behalf of Better World Books, a socially conscious business and global online bookseller.

Carpets

Please fold or roll and take to Forthbank. Alternatively, book a bulky waste collection.

Cartons for juice and food

• Please rinse out and place in your blue bin.
• Take to Forthbank Recycling Centre and recycle in a blue bin there.

Ceramics and Crockery

• Quality items can be donated to local charities.

Chemicals including weedkiller and pesticides

These cannot be disposed of at Forthbank. Search the web on how to dispose of household hazardous waste to find details of companies that will safely and legally enable you to dispose of such waste.  

Children's Clothes and Toys

• Clothing can be passed onto younger children to grow into.
• Check to see if your childs school collects clothing through the Rag Bag scheme as a way of raising funds.
• Consider swapping clothes and toys with friends who also have children of a similar age.
• Larger toys, buggies and cots can be sold through adverts in newspapers, on auction web sites or Freecycled.
• Clothes can be taken to clothing banks that are situated at Forthbank Recycling Centre and at some of our other community recycling points.

Christmas trees

Christmas trees can be taken to Forthbank for composting. The Council does not provide a kerbside collection.

Confidential Paper Documents

Protect your personal information by shredding them and placing into your grey bin for recycling.

Cooking Oil/Fat

• Small quantities can be poured into a container with a lid and placed in your green bin.

E-G

Electrical Goods including televisions, fridges, hairdryers and toys

• When replacing household electrical goods such as washing machines and fridge/freezers, ask the retailer what facilities they have for picking up your old machine.
• If the item is in good working order try advertising it on Freecycle, the local papers or e-bay. Please note that many local charities are not in a position to take electrical equipment.
• Electrical items can be taken to Forthbank Recycling Centre or some charity shops may take them if they are suitable for use.
• You can also arrange a bulky waste collection.

Engine Oil

Take to Forthbank Recycling Centre for it to be recycled.

Fireworks

Take to Forthbank Recycling Centre for it to be recycled and ask a member of staff for assistance.

Food Packaging

• Food contaminated paper and card
  • Any food containers contaminated with burnt food and difficult to clean should be placed in your green bin.
• Clean plastic food trays
  • Recycle in your blue bin unless they are made of expanded polystyrene. Place polystyrene waste into your green bin.

Food Waste

• All food waste should be disposed of in your grey food waste caddy. More details can be found on our food waste collection page.
• As an alternative vegetable peelings, fruit waste, tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells can all be composted at home.

Visit the Love Food, Hate Waste web site for ideas on how to reduce food waste.

Furniture

• Alloa Community Enterprises (ACE) offer a free uplift service for furniture in good condition. 
• Furniture in good condition and able to be reused can be taken to ACE furniture donation station at Forthbank Recycling Centre.
• Furniture in poor condition can be taken to Forthbank Recycling Centre. Please use the wood and metal skips accordingly.
• Alternatively you can book a bulky waste collection.

Garden Waste

• You can compost this yourself at home. More information can be found on the Recycle Now website.
• Subscribe to the brown bin service.
• Take it to Forthbank Recycling Centre from where it will be composted.

Gas Cylinders

Ask your supplier if you can return it to them or alternatively take it to Forthbank Recycling Centre.

Glass

• Glass bottles and jars can be recycled and should be taken to your nearest community recycling point.

I-N

Ink Cartridges and Mobile Phones

• Ask your retailer if they have a 'take back' scheme in place.
• Check the manufacturer's web site to see if they have a scheme in place.
• If you have children, then the school they attend may collect these for recycling as a way of raising money.
• Many charities also do the same and often provide freepost envelopes for the purpose. They will usually tell you on their website.
• Mobile phones can also be taken down to Forthbank Recycling Centre where they can be placed in the small electrical item container for recycled or they can be recycled via a charity collection.

Light Bulbs including Fluorescent Tubes

Take to Forthbank Recycling Centre from where they will be recycled.

Mail (unwanted)

Unwanted mail (after the removal of any plastic inserts or wrappers) can be recycled in the grey bin.

Alternatively, you can cut down on the amount of unwanted mail by taking the following steps:

1. Write to sender telling them you no longer wish to receive these marketing materials.
2. Register with the Mailing Preference Service. This can be done by either calling 0845 703 4599, visiting www.mpsonline.org.ukor writing to:
   
   Mailing Preference Service
   Freepost 29 LON 20771
   London
   W1E 0ZT
   
   This service can stop unwanted mail that is delivered to a named addressee at your address - whether this is to you or another named person. The service can stop up to 95% of mail of this type. It cannot however, stop mail from companies with whom you already have dealings, mail that is addressed to "the occupier," or mail that is not addressed. Please be aware that by using this method, it could result in you no longer receiving some mail that you may still wish to receive.
3. Register to opt out of the Royal Mail's Door to Door service by contacting:
   
   The Royal Mail Door to Door service
   Kingsmead House
   Oxpens Road
   Oxford
   OX1 1RX
   Tel: 08457 950950
4. Opt out of the edited version of the electoral register as this version is available for general sale. It can be used by companies for marketing purposes.
5. Use online services. Ask companies who send you bills if you can use their online service.

For more information, you can visit the Citizens Advice Scotland website.

Mattresses

These can be taken to Forthbank Recycling Centre. Alternatively book a bulky waste collection.

Metals

• Food and drink cans and tin
  • These can be recycled in your blue bin, including the lids.
• Any other types of metal
  • Can be recycled at Forthbank Recycling Centre.

Nappy Waste and other Absorbent Hygiene Products

Bag all this material and place in your green bin. If you have a child still in nappies or require a larger green bin for medical reasons then please refer to our Additional Bin Capacity web page.

Reusable nappies may be an option worth considering. For more information contact Go Real Campaign, the real nappy information service.

P

Paper and Cardboard

All paper products including envelopes, newspapers, catalogues, yellow pages, cereal boxes can go in your grey bin.

Pet Waste

• Waste pet food can be put in your kitchen food caddy.
• Dog mess and cat litter should be bagged and put in your green bin.
• Hamster, guinea pig, gerbil and other small vegetarian mammals bedding consisting of hay/straw can be placed in your brown bin for composting.
• Chicken waste from coups must be placed in your green bin. The contents of the brown bin go through an open composting system that is not hot enough to kill all bacteria. Please do not put it in your brown bin. You can compost this waste in your own compost bin as long as you use it on your own land.

Plant pots and other plastic gardening packaging

Some garden centres offer plant pot take back schemes and recycle empty compost, soil and chipped bark bags. If not, they should go into your green bin.

Plastic bags, film and wrappings including cellophane, grease proof paper, bubble wrap and crisp bags

We do not offer a collection service for these materials, but most supermarkets now have recycling points for soft plastics. If not, they should go into your green bin.

Plastic bottles and containers

Recycle these along with the lids in your blue bin, but please make sure they are empty.

Polystyrene Packaging

Please put in your green bin. It cannot be recycled currently.

Check with the company when you order the item or who delivered to your door as they will often take packaging for larger items away. 

S-Z

Soil

Do not overload your brown bin with soil as it will become heavy and if we cannot move the bin safely we will not empty it.

Spectacles

Your optician will often take old spectacles back and donate them to Vision Aid. The Rotary Club of Alloa support the Rotary York's Ainsty SpecSort project which sorts and grades spectacles before sending them to Africa.

Sweet wrappings

Sweet wrappers are not made of paper. They have a coating and should go into your green bin.

Textiles

There are a number of options for all curtains, towels, clothes, shoes and bags.  These are:

• Your nearest community recycling point.
• School or community fund raising Rag Bag activity.
• Donate to a local charity shop. Animal charities may accept towels and blankets for the animals they care for.
• Forthbank Recycling Centre.

Tissues including paper hankies, kitchen towel and other absorbent hygiene products

Should be placed in your green bin as they are not currently recyclable.

Tyres

These are no longer accepted at Forthbank Recycling Centre. Residents should approach garages or tyre fitters for advice.

Wallpaper

Only lining paper can be recycled in your grey bin. Place all other types in your green bin.

It is difficult to sort out woodchip from flocked and vinyl papers.

Walking Aids

In partnership with NHS Forth Valley, Clackmannanshire residents can return walking aids to Forthbank Recycling Centre for refurbishment and reuse if in good condition.

Items accepted for recycling: Fischer sticks, elbow crutches, auxiliary crutches, metal walking sticks, quad sticks, tripods, zimmer frames, 3 wheeled walkers, 4 wheeled walkers, pulpit frames.

Unfortunately we cannot accept wooden walking sticks, folding walking sticks or wheelchairs.

Wood

Wood can be recycled at Forthbank Recycling Centre.