Where do Candle stubs and wax go?

Paraffin wax is a petroleum product and is neither recyclable nor compostable; soy and beeswax are no more recyclable, though they are at least biodegradable. Warm wax poured down a drain sets on the pipe exactly as cooking fat does, and it is harder to shift afterwards. Stubs are easily remelted into a new candle or a firelighter, which is the best available use. Glass candle jars clean up with hot water and a scrape and then recycle as ordinary container glass, with the metal wick sustainer picked out and put with metals. No scheme collects wax anywhere, and your local list will confirm it.

How to prepare it

1. Freeze a candle jar and the wax plug pops out.
2. Pick the metal wick base out and recycle the clean glass jar.
3. Remelt stubs into a new candle or into egg-box firelighters.

What not to do

• Never pour molten wax down a sink or a toilet; it sets in the pipe.
• Never put a jar with wax still in it into the glass recycling.

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 general waste bin

• Used cooking oil Let it cool, seal it in a container, and put it in general waste — or take it to an oil bank.
• Polystyrene and foam packaging General waste almost everywhere. It is recyclable in principle and collected almost nowhere.
• Incandescent and halogen bulbs General waste, wrapped. They are not recyclable glass and not electrical waste either.
• Crisp packets and snack wrappers General waste, or a supermarket soft-plastics bin where one exists. Not the kerbside recycling.
• Broken glass Wrap it thickly and put it in general waste, unless it is a broken bottle or jar — those can go in the glass bin.
• Dried-out paint and empty tins Once the paint is solid, many councils take the tin in general waste or as scrap metal. Check yours, because this one genuinely varies.
• Cling film General waste. It is excluded even from soft plastic collections almost everywhere.
• Till receipts General waste. Thermal paper is coated, not printed, and it should not go in with paper or compost.
• Wet wipes and makeup wipes General waste. Never the toilet, whatever the packet says about flushability.
• Dog waste Bagged in general waste, or a dog waste bin. Not the food waste caddy, and not the compost heap.
• Nappies General waste, bagged. There is no kerbside recycling route for them anywhere in ordinary use.
• Cat litter General waste, bagged. Clay litter is not compostable, and cat faeces carry a parasite that keeps it out of the garden.
• Medicine blister packs General waste in most places, or a pharmacy collection scheme where one exists.
• Greetings cards with glitter or foil Tear off the plain card and recycle that; the glittery part goes in general waste.