COBDEN STREET RECYCLING CENTRE

Batteries

Batteries don’t go in any of your bins at home. 

You can take batteries to a recycling centre.
Regular household batteries can also be recycled at most supermarkets or electrical stores.

Keep your bin crew safe

Please do not throw any batteries in any of your wheelie bins at home. This is because they are a fire risk and contain hazardous materials.

Does your item contain hidden batteries?

There are hidden batteries in many electrical items such as electric toothbrushes, toys, e-cigarettes, vapes, phones, laptops, and many more. You can recycle them by doing the following:

1. Don’t throw it in any of your bins at home!
2. Store your items properly until you can take them to a recycling point.
3. Take your items to the nearest recycling centre to dispose of them properly. Alternatively, visit Recycle Your Electricals to find your nearest electrical recycling point.

Choose to reuse

When next replacing batteries, why not buy rechargeable batteries instead? You can use them again and again, which will save you money and help you waste less.

Fluorescent tubes

You can take fluorescent tubes to a recycling centre.

Do not put them in your mixed recycling bin.

Recycling points are available at some supermarkets.

Light bulbs

You can take energy saving / LED  light bulbs to a recycling centre.

Incandescent light bulbs can’t be recycled, please put in your general waste bin.

Fridges and freezers

You can take fridges and freezers to a recycling centre. You can now donate fridges that are in good visual condition, with no items missing, to one of our 18 recycling centres across Greater Manchester to help stock our new Renew Market selling pre-loved household items at an affordable price – find out more here today.

Choose to reuse

If your large electrical item, such as washing machine, is still working and in a reusable condition, your local reuse organisation may be able to refurbish it and give it a new lease of life and a new home.

Often shops will collect your unwanted electricals when they deliver your new one – especially larger items like TVs, fridges and freezers (some retailers may charge to collect electrical items).

You can arrange a collection with your local council. Some councils may charge for this service.

Large electrical items

Any electrical items large or small can be recycled at a recycling centre.

You can now donate some large electric items that are in good visual condition, with no items missing, at one of our 18 recycling centres across Greater Manchester to help stock our new Renew shops selling pre-loved household items at an affordable price –find out more here today.

If you are replacing an electrical item, some retailers will collect your old electrical item when they deliver your new one.

Do not put electrical or battery powered items in any of your bins at home.

Small electrical items

Any electrical items large or small can be recycled at a recycling centre.

Do not put electrical or battery powered items in any of your bins at home.

If you are replacing an electrical item, some retailers will collect your old electrical item when they deliver your new one.

Ink cartridges and toners

You can recycle printer cartridges at a recycling centre.

You can also return used cartridges to the shop you purchased it from or mail the cartridges back to the manufacturer.

Choose to reuse

Most ink or printer cartridges can be refilled with a store-bought refill kit.

TV and monitors

You can now donate TVs and monitors that are in good visual condition, with no items missing to 18 recycling centres across Greater Manchester to help stock our new Renew Market selling pre-love household items at an affordable price – find out more here today.

You can recycle TVs (including smart TVs) and monitors at a recycling centre. Do not put electrical items in your bins at home.

If your TV or monitor is still working and in a reusable condition, your local reuse organisation may be able to refurbish it. Some charities will collect unwanted electrical items for free.

Often shops will collect your unwanted electricals when they deliver your new one – especially larger items like TV’s, fridges and freezers (please note that some retailers may charge to collect electrical items).

Hardcore and rubble

You can take hardcore and rubble to a recycling centre.

You are limited to the amount of rubble you can take in one visit. The limit is five (900mm x 600mm) rubble sacks per visit. Residents of Greater Manchester are able to dispose of rubble if they have carried the work out at home by themselves.

Soil

You can take garden soil to a recycling centre. Please transport it in robust sacks. You are limited to the amount you can take in one visit. The limit is five (900mm x 600mm) rubble sacks per visit.

Soil can’t go in your food and garden bin at home as it will affect the quality of the compost produced. This is because soil is a mineral and may also contain other potentially toxic elements like heavy metals.

Any garden waste produced by tradespeople or gardeners you hired to carry out improvements or maintenance to your garden is classed as business waste and can’t be disposed of at any of our recycling centres. Always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote.

If you are using using your own van, pick-up truck, twin axle trailer or you are hiring a van, you will need a van permit.

Timber and wood

You can take timber and wood to a recycling centre.

Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you hired to carry out improvements, repairs or alterations to your home is classed as business waste and can’t be disposed of at any of our recycling centres. Always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote.

Car batteries

You can take car batteries to a recycling centre.

If you buy a new battery from a garage, ask them to take the old one.

Do not put car batteries in any of your bins at home.

Engine oil

You can take used engine oil to a recycling centre. Make sure your engine oil is stored in a sealed container. Upon arrival, ask a member of staff to direct you to the right container.

Do not pour used engine oil down any drains. It can cause considerable environmental damage if it leaches into watercourses or groundwater.

• Don’t mix engine oil with any other substance – as this makes it difficult to recycle
• The government website Oil Bank Line can tell you more about recycling your oil

Tyres

Tyres can be recycled at a recycling centre.

Tyres are shredded and granulated at our partner site in Bury. They are turned into a crumb which is used in equestrian matting, playgrounds and sometimes for drainage. During the shredding process, some wire is removed and recycled.

If you have tyres replaced by a garage, they are responsible for disposing of the tyres correctly.

Scrap metal

You can take scrap metal to a recycling centre.

Do not put scrap metal in any of your bins at home.

Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you hired to carry out improvements, repairs or alterations to your home is classed as business waste and can’t be disposed of at any of our recycling centres. Always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote.

Aerosols

Recycle your aerosol cans in your mixed recycling bin at home.

Please remove the plastic lids and put them in your general waste bin.

Make sure your aerosol cans are completely empty before recycling. Do not pierce, crush or flatten them. Aerosols can be stored for a long time, so there’s no need to throw away a half empty can.

Aluminium cans

Recycle your empty aluminium cans in your mixed recycling bin at home.

Aluminium foil

Recycle clean aluminium foil and foil trays in your mixed recycling bin at home.

Recycling Tip

To check whether something is made of foil or not, do the scrunch test.

Scrunch the item in your hand:

• If it stays scrunched – its foil! Recycle it in your mixed recycling bin
• If it springs back – its plastic! Put it in your general waste bin

Glass bottles and jars

You can recycle glass bottles and jars (all colours) in your mixed recycling bin at home.

Please remove all lids from your bottles and jars and give them a rinse before recycling. Put the lids in your general waste bin.

Plastic bottles

Plastic bottles go in your mixed recycling bin. This includes bottles such as, cleaning product bottles, trigger spray bottles, shampoo and shower gel bottles, drinks and milk bottles.

Hard plastics

Hard plastics such as broken garden furniture, broken toys and hard plastic storage containers can be taken to the recycling centre.

Cardboard

Cardboard boxes and all others types of card can be recycled in your paper and card bin at home. Flatten them to save space in your bin.

This includes:

• Cardboard packaging (such as empty cereal boxes)
• Kitchen roll and toilet roll tubes
• Cardboard boxes
• Greeting cards (tear off any glitter)
• Clothes labels or tags

Make sure you remove all non-paper items like bubble wrap, plastic packaging and polystyrene and put them in your general waste bin.

You can take cardboard boxes to a recycling centre

Choose to reuse

Shredded cardboard makes great animal bedding.

Garden waste

Garden waste can be recycled at home in your food and garden bin or in a home compost bin

This includes:
• Flowers and plants
• Leaves
• Grass cuttings
• Hedge clippings
• Twigs and small branches
• Weeds (no Japanese Knotweed or Himalayan Balsam)

Please do not put soil in your food and garden bin.

You can take garden waste to a recycling centre, please separate soil from garden waste.

Cooking oil

You can take used cooking oil to a recycling centre.

Put the cooled cooking oil in an empty sealed container and place it in the cage labelled cooking oil at the recycling centre.

Alternatively, you can put your cooled used cooking oil into a bottle. Make sure the lid is on tight and put it in your general waste bin.

Never poor oil down the drain.

Paint and paint cans

You can take paint cans from home DIY projects to a recycling centre for safe disposal or you could donate leftover paint to a local reuse scheme.

Do not put paint cans and tins in your mixed recycling bin and paint must not be poured down the drain.

Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you hired to carry out improvements, repair or alterations to your home is classed as business waste and can’t be disposed of at any of our recycling centres. Always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote.

Choose to reuse

There are a number of community paint schemes which accept donations of leftover paint.

Carpet

You can take carpets to a recycling centre.

Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you hired to carry out improvements, repairs or alterations to your home is classed as business waste and can’t be disposed of at any of our recycling centres. Always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote.

Mattresses

You can take your used mattresses to one of our 20 recycling centres, most of them have a mattress recycling container, please ask an operative for further advice if you are unsure.

If you don’t have a vehicle to transport your mattress, your local council may offer a collection service for bulky items my area

Choose to reuse 

You can donate your mattress to some charities if it’s in a reusable condition.

Mattresses are notoriously difficult to recycle, as they are created using a range of materials including metal coils, cotton and wool fibres, springs, foam and other textiles, with little thought on how to recycle and reuse the product in the future. TFR Group has created a unique system to simplify mattress recycling, breakdown mattress materials into 19 different component parts, including steel, cotton, polyester, and foam. They have established this mattress recycling facility at our Salford Road site in Bolton and created 25 new jobs.

Furniture

You can now donate furniture at one of our 18 recycling centres across Greater Manchester to help stock our new Renew shops selling pre-loved household items at an affordable price – find out more here today. Please note upholstered furniture needs to have a fire safety tag.

You can also donate your furniture directly to a furniture reuse organisation or charity.  Some offer a free collection service.

If your furniture is not reusable you can still take it to a recycling centre for disposal. Your local council may have a collection service for bulky items.

Media (Books, CDs and DVDs)

You can now donate books, CDs and DVDs in good condition to one of our 18 recycling centres across Greater Manchester to help stock our new Renew shops, selling pre-loved household items at an affordable price – find out more here today.

You can take reusable second hand books, CDs and DVDs to a local charity shop. You can also take reusable CDs, DVDs, console games, blu-rays in their original cases and books to a recycling centre – put them in the media bank.

Please put damaged books in your paper and card bin at home.

Any damaged or incomplete discs, CD/DVD copies, cassette tapes that no longer work can go in your general waste bin or the general waste container at the recycling centre.

Textiles

Textiles in good condition can be reused, sold, passed onto friends and relatives or taken to charity shops.

You can take textiles to your local recycling centre and put in the textile bins.

Household chemicals

Household chemicals can be taken to a recycling centre.

Hazardous household chemicals can cause damage to health or the environment. Please follow guidance provided on the packaging on how to dispose of it safely.

Gas bottles

You can take gas bottles to a recycling centre.

Gas bottles can be refilled for further use or can be returned to the supplier.

Please do not put gas bottles in any of your bins at home as they may explode if they are crushed.

General waste

All these things can go in your general waste bin:

• Plastic pots, trays and tubs
• Plastic packaging
• Plastic bags
• Polystyrene
• Food and drink pouches
• Plant pots
• Pet waste
• Cotton wool and make up pads
• Nappies and sanitary products
• Tissues and used paper towels
• Wet wipes
• Wallpaper

Do not put the following items in your general waste bin:

• Batteries
• Clothes and textiles
• Electrical items

Your general waste does not go to landfill, it is used to make electricity.

You can take general waste to a recycling centre