Where do Cables, chargers and leads go?

A drawer of leads is a small quantity of high-grade copper wrapped in PVC, and granulation plants separate the two cleanly. Household waste centres take cables at the WEEE point or in the scrap metal skip, and scrap merchants will weigh them in. Chargers with a plug on are small electricals and go the same way. Do not strip cable by burning it — the PVC releases hydrogen chloride and dioxins, and it is both illegal and genuinely toxic. Some councils take cables in a kerbside small-electricals sack, which is worth checking before a trip.

How to prepare it

1. Bundle leads together so they do not tangle into the rest of the load.
2. Keep useful cables; a box of leads outlives most of the devices they came with.

What not to do

• Never burn cable to recover the copper — burning PVC produces hydrogen chloride and dioxins.
• Never put cables in the general bin when the WEEE cage is free.

Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

Other things that go to household waste recycling centre

• Leftover wet paint Household waste centre or a community paint reuse scheme. Liquid paint is not accepted in any household bin.
• Car batteries (lead-acid) Garage, scrap yard or household waste centre. Lead-acid is the most successfully recycled consumer product there is.
• Used motor oil Household waste centre oil bank, or a garage that accepts it. One container of it contaminates an enormous volume of water.
• Small electricals (kettles, toasters, hair dryers) Electrical waste. Household waste centre, a shop take-back point, or a kerbside small-electricals sack if your council runs one.
• Pyrex and heat-resistant glassware Never the glass bin. Ovenware is formulated not to melt like bottle glass, and one fragment can ruin a whole batch.
• Televisions and monitors WEEE recycling. Old CRT sets contain several kilograms of leaded glass.
• CFL energy-saving bulbs Household waste centre or a shop take-back point. They contain mercury and must not be binned.
• LED bulbs Small electricals recycling. No mercury, but they are electronics, not glass.
• Drinking glasses and wine glasses Not the glass bin. Tableware glass has a different composition from bottle glass.
• Smoke alarms Household waste centre or manufacturer return. Ionisation alarms contain a tiny sealed radioactive source.
• Crockery, mugs and ceramics Not glass and not recyclable at the kerb. Donate what is whole; broken pieces go to the household waste centre or general waste.
• Fluorescent tubes Household waste centre, intact. Mercury inside, and a tube that breaks in transit is a spill.
• Camping gas canisters and butane cartridges Household waste centre, as gas cylinders — not the metal skip and never a bin, whether or not they feel empty.
• Fire extinguishers Household waste centre or a fire equipment company. It is pressurised until a professional has discharged it.