Where do Crockery, mugs and ceramics go?

Ceramic is fired clay with a glaze, and it does not melt at glass temperatures at all — a chip of it in a glass batch is a permanent stone in the finished container, which is why a single mug can cause more trouble than a bin of bottles. Household waste centres take crockery as rubble or general waste, and some crush it for hardcore. Whole plates and mugs are wanted by charity shops. Broken pieces need wrapping like glass, because the edges are just as sharp. Whether a local site wants crockery as rubble or as general waste varies, so ask on site.

How to prepare it

1. Donate whole crockery.
2. Wrap broken pieces and label them.
3. Crushed ceramic makes usable hardcore or drainage crock for plant pots.

What not to do

• Never put crockery in the glass bin — it will not melt and it ruins the batch.

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.
• 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.
• Mirrors Household waste centre. The reflective backing means it is not recyclable glass.