Where do Smoke alarms go?

Ionisation smoke alarms contain about a microcurie of americium-241 sealed in a metal foil chamber — harmless in the device, and not something to be crushed, burned or dismantled. Optical (photoelectric) alarms have no radioactive source but are still electrical waste with a battery. Several manufacturers accept alarms back by post, and household waste centres will take them at the WEEE point; a few authorities accept them in general waste specifically because the source is small and sealed, which is precisely the kind of thing that varies by area and needs checking locally. Replace the alarm itself every ten years from the date printed on the back, not just the battery.

How to prepare it

1. Take the battery out and put it in a battery collection box.
2. Check the back for a manufacturer freepost return address.
3. Note the manufacture date — the whole unit is due for replacement at ten years.

What not to do

• Never open the ionisation chamber or try to remove the source.
• Never burn one; incineration is the one route that could release the americium.

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