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Aerosols
Aerosols can be recycled with your mixed recycling. Make sure they are empty and put them in your recycling bag, box or bin for collection.
Aluminium foil and lids
See foil.
Asbestos
See hazardous waste.
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Bank holidays
Waste and recycling collection arrangements do not change for bank holidays except on Christmas Day when there are no residential collections.
Keep an eye on the Westminster Reporter, e-newsletter and website for details if your normal collection day falls on Christmas Day. The Micro Recycling Centres will be open 8am to 8pm on Christmas Day.
There are no changes to collections at Easter.
Batteries
Westminster residents can recycle household batteries (lead and dry cell) at local libraries and City of Westminster Housing estate offices.
Selected schools also have a battery collection container for use by their pupils and parents.
High street retailers that sell batteries such as Boots, Tesco and Sainsburys also accept batteries for recycling.
Instead of buying normal batteries, why not buy rechargeable batteries? They last longer and are better for the environment.
Car batteries can be recycled at the household waste recycling centre at Smugglers Way or ask your supplier to take the old one back.
See also mobile phone.
Bicycles
You can sell or give away your bicycle through websites such as Freegle, freecycle or eBay. You can also take it to the household waste recycling centre at Smugglers Way or use the bulky waste service. Look at the re-cycle website to see if there is a charity you could give it to.
Bin liners
You can now buy recycled bin liners in most supermarkets.
The council delivers clear recycling bags twice a year to resident. These bags are used for the doorstep mixed recycling collection service. If you run out, you can order more.
If you already have a recycling box, you can continue to use it for your mixed recycling collections.
If you would like a recycling box please call us on: 020 7641 2000.
Blister packs
Blister packs, such as the packaging commonly used for pills, tablets and disposable contact lenses, should be put in your household rubbish. Blister packs generally have a plastic pocket section (for example, for pills) covered with a plasticised aluminium seal. The materials from this type of packaging cannot be separated at our recycling facility.
Terracycle run a blister pack recycling scheme through Superdrug pharmacies.
Books
Bottles and jars
Bottles and jars can be recycled. Just put them in your recycling bag, box or bin for collection. Please rinse before recycling and include bottle tops and jar lids.
Find out what else can be recycled.
Bras
You can take bras to one of our on-street Scope textile bin.
Bravissimo run their own bra recycling scheme where you can drop off old or unwanted bras at their Covent Garden or Oxford Circus shops.
Find out more about the Bravissimo scheme.
Bubble wrap
We can't recycle bubble wrap at the moment, but it can be easily reused to wrap up valuables which are going in storage or being posted. If you cannot reuse it put it in with your rubbish.
Bulbs
See light bulbs.
Bulky household waste
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Cans
Cans and tins can be recycled. Just put them in your recycling bag, box or bin for collection but please rinse them out first.
Find out what happens to your recycling
Carboot sales
Capital Carboot Sale Pimlico is held at Pimlico Academy, Lupus Street, Pimlico, SW1V 3AT every Sunday from 11.30am-2.30pm.
You can also bring the following items to be recycled: cardboard, plastic bottles, textiles (clothes and shoes), books, small electrical appliances, and DVDs/ CDs.
Cardboard
Please remove any plastic bags, bubble wrap and polystyrene from your cardboard packaging and squash the cardboard flat. It can then be put in your bag, recycling box or bin to be recycled.
If you have boxes that are too large to fit in your container or you have quite a few, flatten and bundle together and place beside your container for collection.
Please only put clean cardboard in the mixed recycling. Put any cardboard with grease or food on it, such as pizza boxes or sandwich containers, in the general rubbish.
Carpets
We cannot take carpets for recycling. Please do not leave carpets out with your normal rubbish for collection as you could be fined. Find out about bulky waste collections
Cartons
You can recycle cartons in your mixed recycling. Remember to rinse and squash your cartons, and screw the lids back on before recycling.
The cartons will be sorted from the other items at the Materials Recovery Facility
CDs
CDs and DVDs in working order can be donated to your local charity shop.
Cereal boxes
Flatten down the cardboard and add them to your recycling bag, box or bin for collection.
China plates and ornaments
If these are unbroken, you can donate these to a charity shop. Otherwise please put these in your rubbish as they cannot be recycled. Be careful to wrap up any sharp edges.
Children's toys
See toys.
Christmas cards and paper
Old cards and paper can be re-used for making present tags or paper chains. Otherwise, you can recycle them by putting them in your recycling bag, box or bin for collection. Remember - metallic paper cannot be recycled so try not to buy it!
Christmas recycling and rubbish collections
Check to see if you are affected by any changes to your residential recycling and rubbish collection day over the festive period.
Civic amenity sites
See the household waste recycling centre at Smuggler Way website.
Cling film
Sorry, we can't collect cling film for recycling. Reduce the amount of cling film you use by storing sandwiches and food in sealable plastic containers.
Clinical waste
For advice or help with residential or commercial clinical waste issues, such as used needles or sharps, you can contact us on 0800 358 0514.
For needles and syringes located on the public highway, contact the Environment Action Line on 020 7641 2000.
Clothes
All your unwanted clothing, in good or poor condition, can be taken to an on-street Scope textile bin.
See textile recycling .
If you have more than 20 bags, please contact Scope directly for a pick up.
Coffee cups
Disposable coffee cups cannot currently be recycled as they can cause problems with our sorting machines and contaminate the paper stream. Please put your disposable coffee cups in your household rubbish. Why not reduce the number of coffee cups you use by using a reusable coffee cup?
If you are out and about in Westminster look out for our disposable coffee cup recycling points.
Coins
Most charities have a scheme where you can donate your unwanted foreign currency.
Composting
Composting in Westminster is easy. Discounted composting bins are available to all Westminster residents.
Computers
If your computer is in good working order you could try selling it using local classified advertisements or online on eBay. If you can't sell it you could give it away within your community using Freegle or freecycle.
Laptops can be recycled using SocialBox.Biz who provide homeless and vulnerable people with refurbished laptops and computer training.
Take care when disposing of old computers to ensure all personal information is removed to avoid identity theft and fraud. We advise disposal of computers via take-back schemes. Computers, IT equipment and flat screen monitors up to 16" screen size can be taken to one of our small appliances recycling bins.
As the bins are located on streets, security cannot be guaranteed so please take extra care to remove all data. See electrical goods for details.
Old-style CRT computer monitors are classified as hazardous waste. See electrical goods for details.
Also see printer cartridges.
Contact lenses
Johnson & Johnson Vision and TerraCycle run a free recycling scheme for contact lenses and contact lens packaging. For further information please go to their website.
Contamination
Non-recyclable items placed in a mixed recycling container are known as 'contamination'. If large amounts of contamination are found in a recycling container or lorry, its entire content will often be disposed of as rubbish rather than processed for recycling. Common 'contaminants' include food waste, garden waste, plastic films, polystyrene and black bags.
Corks
Natural corks can be used to make a notice board or, if sliced finely, can be put in a compost bin. Plastic corks cannot be recycled.
Crisp packets
Crisp packets are not 100 per cent recyclable and should be put in your household rubbish, not your mixed recycling
Walkers and Terracycle operate a crisp packet recycling scheme. You can find your nearest crisp packet recycling point via their website.