Where do Televisions and monitors go?

A cathode ray tube is a leaded glass funnel — the lead is there to stop X-rays — and a single large CRT can carry two to three kilograms of it, which is why they are handled as hazardous electrical waste and why nobody wants them in a skip. Flat panels are less hazardous but the older LCD backlights use fine mercury lamps, and the boards are worth recovering. Every household waste centre takes televisions, and retailers take one back when they deliver a replacement. Do not break the screen: a CRT is under vacuum and implodes, and panel backlights shatter into fine glass. Councils differ on whether televisions are taken as kerbside bulky waste, so check yours.

How to prepare it

1. Take it whole to the WEEE point.
2. Wipe smart TVs by factory-resetting them and signing out of accounts.

What not to do

• Never smash a CRT — it is evacuated, it implodes, and the glass is leaded.
• Never leave a television at the kerb hoping someone takes it; that is fly-tipping.

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