Where do Vacuum cleaner dust and hair go?

The contents of a vacuum are mostly textile fibres from carpets and clothes, and those are increasingly synthetic, which puts the whole lot outside composting and outside recycling. Human and pet hair on its own is protein and composts slowly but perfectly well, as do nail clippings. Bagless canisters should be emptied into a bag inside the bin rather than tipped loose, because dust escapes everywhere otherwise. Empty it outdoors if anyone in the house has a dust allergy. General waste is the answer under every scheme we know of, but the local list is still the one that counts.

How to prepare it

1. Empty a bagless cylinder into a bag inside the bin, outdoors if you can.
2. Compost hair from a brush separately if you want to.

What not to do

• Never put vacuum contents in the garden waste or compost; modern house dust is largely plastic microfibre.

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.