Take any old Apple products back to an Apple store for recycling.  Our closest store is in Leicester.

Keep the lid on where the recycling symbol says 'lid on'.

B-buddies at Beaumanor Hall will accept any old bikes - they do not have to be ridable.  They will either do them up or use the parts.  They are a community interest company.

Most supermarkets have a large container to recycle carrier bags and soft plastics.  You can put in bread bags, bubble wrap and and packaging showing this logo.

Body shop accept their own brand cosmetics and L'Occitane accept their plastic bottles.  Boots and Park Road Tesco in Loughborough have a Maybelline collection box which accepts ALL make up brands and plastic tubes.  John Lewis also have a collection box for any brand.  Make sure as much residue is removed from the container as possible. 

Foil often gets lost in the recycling process.  Wash and dry it, then save it up and crush it tightly together until it is the size of a tennis ball.  It can then go into the green recycling bin. 

Most items that you don't want anymore someone else could use.  If you are on Facebook, use Marketplace to sell or gift your unwanted items.  Join groups like Facebook's Waste Not Leicestershire, Freecycle Loughborough or Charnwood Freegle to give away items for free.  SOFA in Loughborough and the British Heart Foundation take all good quality household items and can collect.  Exaireo take furniture and electrical items for their reuse project. 

Take inhalers to a pharmacy for recycling.

Intercare collect surplus medical items and send them to Africa.  Click here for a leaflet explaining what items they need.  Email Intercare. 

Oxfam collect old mobile phones and chargers in high street stores.  Intercare also collect mobile phones.  Alternatively, if it is a handset that is still in demand you can sell it on several internet sites.  From your phone settings find 'reset to factory setting' and wipe all content before you hand it in.

Exaireo take paint cans with unused paint to use in their reuse projects and to sell in their shop.

Take pens, highlighters, tippex and felt tips to Rymans the stationers.  They don't accept glue sticks.  Within the store there is a normally a card box with the Terracycle logo to deposit them. 

Take these to Superdrug stores and find the Marie Curie Terracycle collection box.  It is normally near the pharmacy area.  Make sure all pills are removed from packs. If you have left over medicine, hand it to the pharmacist for disposal

Dobbies garden centre, Rothley have a collection box for plant pots.  These are collected by Elho who make recycled plant pots.  If you belong to Freecycle or Freegle pots often go quickly when advertised.  

Most cartridges come with an envelope to return the old one.  These are then refilled and sold again.  if you have a home office or business Intercare accept various printer cartridges.  Click here to find out more. 

Try to repair the item by bringing it to one of our Repair Cafes.  Exaireo Reuse Project take electrical items which they will upcycle and sell on.  Click here for a leaflet on the electricals that Intercare will accept.  Charnwood refuse site has a container for small electricals to be recycled.  

Take soft plastics back to the recycling container at supermarkets.  At the time of writing we are unsure what supermarkets are doing with this waste but it builds a picture of the scale of the problem we are facing. 

Specsavers accept old glasses.  They do not take the case. 

Oakwood Pharmacy in Woodhouse Eaves has a box on the counter for stamps.  Alternatively, many charities collect used stamps.  Intercare and Oxfam being two. 

Curry's PC World will accept tech for recycling.  You do not have to have bought it there.  Charnwood refuse site have areas for different tech items.  There are now many charities accepting old laptops for upcycling.  Be sure to wipe all data before donating. 

If your items are still wearable and clean take them to any charity shop.  Or there is a collection bin in the Curzon Arms back car park.  There are textiles collection bins at Charnwood refuse sites.  Alternatively, H&M stores give a £5 voucher for a bag of any textiles.   John Storer House accept fabrics for craft workshops.  

If your fabric is A4 size or bigger, we would happily accept it to make morsbags.  If it is stained or discoloured we do not mind.  We will work around that to make a bag.  Curtains, table clothes, bedding are all acceptable.  John Storer will accept material for craft workshops.  

Charnwood refuse sites have a container for wood.  

Your junk is another person's gold!! You would be surprised what people take on reuse sites.  Join Facebook Marketplace, Freegle, Freecycle or Vinted and give away your items.  

Email us know and we will add it to the list.