Where do Plasterboard and plaster go?

Gypsum plasterboard buried with biodegradable waste is attacked by sulphate-reducing bacteria, which convert the sulphate into hydrogen sulphide — the rotten-egg gas, toxic at concentrations well below those it reaches in a landfill cell, and a serious odour problem long before that. The UK banned gypsum from mixed-waste landfill in 2009 and US operators impose similar controls, so household waste centres keep a separate plasterboard bay and skip hire companies charge for it separately. Keep it dry, because wet board is heavier and harder to recycle, and separated cleanly it is genuinely recyclable back into new board. Charges, limits and booking requirements differ by site, so check your local rules before loading the car.

How to prepare it

1. Keep plasterboard separate from all other waste from the moment it comes off the wall.
2. Keep it dry and under cover.
3. Tell the skip company you have plasterboard; it is charged and handled separately.

What not to do

• Never mix plasterboard into a general skip or a wheelie bin — in landfill it generates hydrogen sulphide and it is banned from mixed disposal in many jurisdictions.
• Never burn it.

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.