Where to Recycle
Updated Apr 24 with new entries
You can recycle a huge range of waste items that aren’t necessarily allowed in your recycling wheelie bin – this page tells you how and where. The Amber Valley recycling page tells you what you can put in there (worth checking as it can change occasionally). Also some items you can take to your HWRC, but many of the solutions below are closer!
The lists are extensive but may not be comprehensive so we’ll keep adding to them as we discover more ways to eliminate waste.
Please get in touch if you know of any recycling points or information to add. We’ll try to make updates on a monthly basis. Similarly, please tell us if any information is incorrect or out of date – please relay any feedback via email to one of the people listed at the bottom of this page.
Unless specified, it is free to recycle items that are included here.
A number of these locations are operated with Terracycle, who provide “free recycling solutions for typically hard-to-recycle waste streams”. If you’d like to set up your own collection point their site explains how.
Click on the plus symbols below to expand the list of locations for each area:
Bags for Life
Do you have an excess of Bags for Life sitting around at home cluttering up your cupboards or car boot?
You can donate any Bags for Life, in good usable condition, to Hope for Belper. Either drop them off at Transition Belper’s Green Exchange/Repair Café or directly at the Hope for Belper hub (open every Tues and Fri from 12-2pm, Baptist Church, Bridge Street, Belper)
Batteries – household
Tesco, Gregorys Way, Belper – Co-op Whitemoor Lane, Belper – Midland Co-op, Strutt
Street, Belper – Telegraph News, 31a King Street, Belper – Superdrug, 26-28 King Street,
Belper – Morrisons, Belper – Aldi, Belper – Midland – No Match E-Cigs. 65 King Street, Belper – Babington, Hospital Belper – Co-op Duffield – Spa Store Ambergate.
Beauty, health, wellness and dental products, from any brand, that can’t be recycled at home
Boots, King Street, Belper How to recycle at Boots
Biscuit and cake wrappers but no sweets or chocolate.
Bras – Old or New
Gymophobics, 54 Bridge Street Belper DE56 1AZ Due to current Covid restrictions they ask that bras are put in bags with as much air squeezed out of them as possible. They don’t need to be in new condition as any that aren’t “serviceable” will be stripped down and the materials reused. It is done for the Charity Against Breast Cancer.
Bubble Wrap
Air Ambulance Charity Shop 35 King St, Belper DE56 1PX
https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/shop/wndlr-belper/
Cables – Phone charger cables, electrical cables and any other cable.
Repair Cafe 10-1pm Every fourth Saturday of the month at Number 28, the Market Place, Belper. These will be taken to Derby to be recycled. Please check the Facebook page for more details.
Cartons (Waxed) / Tetrapaks
Tetrapaks can be recycled at No. 28 on the Market Place on the second and fourth Saturday of each month between 10AM and 1PM. You will find a black bin to the left of the entrance steps. Before depositing please wash and flatten the cartons, leaving the lids on, as they are taken to Loscoe in the back of a car – unwashed Tetrapaks can get a bit smelly!
Cheese wrappers, Carex, L.O.L. Surprise, The Air, Home packaging
37 Hunter Road, Belper. DE56 0HF (Private Residence)
Place in TerraCycle box https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades
Cloth Nappies
These can be donated to the Belper Cloth Nappy Library so they’ll get lots of use!
You can contact them via Facebook, Belper Cloth Nappy Library | Facebook
Clothes – See ‘Rags’
Clothes hangers
Ironing Lady, Belper
28 – 30 New Road, Belper DE56 1US
Clothing, Footwear, Bags, Belts, Towels, Bed linen.
The Salvation Army (collection point), Morrisons, Belper
Belper Miners Welfare Car Park, Derby Road, Ripley
Confectionary Wrappers –All brands of plastic confectionary wrappers
Compost Bags
Little Eaton Garden Centre (Blue Diamond) Alfreton Road, Little Eaton, Derby, Derbyshire DE21 5DB
Contact Lenses
Belper Opticians 72 King St, Belper
Specsavers, 41 King Street, Belper. DE56 1PX
Disposable Vapes
The Co-Op, Strutt Street, Belper. Located near the tobacco counter
Egg Boxes
The Repair Café at Number 28, the Market Place, Belper. (Every 4th Saturday of the month from 10-1pm)
Glen Hens, 16 Belper Road, Kilburn, Belper DE56 0LP
Dev’s Chucks, Ashbourne Road, Belper
Hasbro toys and games
Belper Community Hall, Bridge Street, Belper DE56 1AB Place in the storage trunk which can be located at the back of the building.
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/hasbro-uk
Inhalers (used asthma)
Manor Pharmacy Whitemoor Lane Medical Centre, Whitemoor Lane, Belper. DE56 0JB
Morrisons Pharmacy, Belper
Boots Pharmacy, King Street, Belper
Ink and toner cartridges
44a Acorn Drive, Belper. DE56 1EL. Please place in a bag and post through letter box. If you post in a jiffy bag, that jiffy bag will be reused by the business.
Morrisons Belper – Box is located after the checkouts, near the Café.
Laptops
44a Acorn Drive, Belper. DE56 1EL
Please email pctuition@hotmail.co.uk to arrange drop off
All laptops will have hard drives securely wiped, any salvageable parts will be reused.
If the laptop can be made to work again it will be refurbished and either sold or donated.
Marigold Gloves/Marigold glove wrappers (in a bag)
Place in the old recycling box by front door
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/marigold-uk
Medicine Blister Packs
It is no longer possible to recycle these locally 🙁
Superdrug Pharmacy Derby-Eagle Centre, 21 Albion Street, Derby. DE1 2PR
** You can no longer recycle medicine blister packs here** St Peter’s Church in Belper, nor St John, The Butts, Belper. https://www.stpetersparishbelper.org.uk/recyclingatstpeters.htm
Mobile Phones
Oxfam shop, 74 King Street, Belper.
Oral care products; includes toothpaste tubes, plastic tooth brushes, electric toothbrush heads, packaging from these items and dental floss containers and outer packaging.
St Peter’s Church in Belper
Plant Pots – Plant Pot Exchange
Belper Community Hall, Bridge Street DE56 1BA (near the old library). Go in the gate and there are 2 crates on the left. Please leave clean pots and when taking pots/ modules or trays, wear gloves and sanitise the pots when you get them home. Please only leave unbroken pots to be reused.
NB you can put grey plant pots in your recycling bin if broken.
Rags
Please ensure items donated for rags are cleaned and put in a bag clearly labelled ‘RAGS’. Do not include duvets, cushions or pillows.
The following charity shops on King Street, Belper are accepting donations for rags: Air Ambulance, British Red Cross, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Headway, Mind, Oxfam and the RSPCA.
Scrap Metal
Phil – 07854 603714
B and P – 07933 545303
Terry Sisson – 07873 777796
If you are a registered scrap metal merchant operating in the DE56 area and would like to be included here please get in touch via the Contact page
Shoes
You can drop off old shoes at Wards Shoe shop, 36 King Street. Belper. The collection box is located at the back of the store. Any shoes that can be made good and reused will be, otherwise, they are used to make housing in developing countries.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, 6 King Street. Belper. DE56 1PS (they will also recycle handbags and belts)
Spectacles/glasses and frames
Specsavers, 41 King Street, Belper. DE56 1PX
Soft Plastics (with the Co-op Supermarket)
The Co-op 17 Whitemoor Lane, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0HB; The Co-op, 47 Strutt Street, Belper DE56 1UN; The Co-op, Town St, Duffield DE56 4GD; The Co-op, 1 Sandbed Lane, Openwoodgate DE56 0SF.
Soft plastics recycling is easy. Just follow these three steps:
- Clean it – First, rinse your packaging out.
- Scrunch it – Now, scrunch it up tight – if it pings back, it’s a useful indicator it’s soft plastic.
- Co-op it – Pop it into our soft plastics recycling unit at a Co-op near you.
All of the below items can now be recycled at your local Co-op:
General
- Thin plastic lids of all types
- Kitchen towel, toilet roll, nappy bag, cotton wool wrappers
- Pouches – microwave rice, pre-cooked mussels, petfood, etc
- Fruit & veg nets, bags and wrappers
- Plastic sauce sachets
Bags
- Ordinary carrier bags
- Bread bags
- Crisps, nuts, snacks bags
- Bags from:
- Cereal and porridge
- Dried goods – dried fruit, pasta, rice, sugar, pulses, etc
- Frozen foods and ice cubes
Wrappers & Film
- Chocolate and sweets bags and wrappers
- Biscuit wrappers
- Cling film
- Pizza wrapping film
- Bread product wrappers:
- Croissants
- Pancakes
- Naan bread
- Pitta bread
- Garlic bread
- Fresh pasta
- Wrappers from:
- Cheese, pastry, cakes, Yorkshire puddings
- baby wipes, etc
- Meat, poultry and joints
- Tea and teabags, ground coffee, etc
- Pies, pastries, sausage rolls,
- Household textiles, scourers, rubber gloves, etc
- Gift wrap, greetings cards, etc
- Flower wrappers
- Pet food wrappers
NO THANKS
- Compostable carrier bags
- Compostable and biodegradable bags & wrappers
- Plastic bottles (you CAN put these in your recycling bin!)
Soft plastics can also be recycled at Aldi in Belper.
Tetrapaks – see Cartons
Hidden Potential Recycling CIC
This is a Belper-based Waste Management Company that will collect a number of the above items directly from your door and sort them to be recycled (for a fee). You can find them on Facebook or learn more at their website
RECYCLING PLASTIC FILM & CARRIER BAGS AT SUPERMARKETS
For those who can’t recycle plastic film at home, some types of plastic films can be recycled at carrier bag collection points at the larger stores of most major supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Waitrose. See below for a list of recyclable plastic packaging.
For online shopping deliveries, many supermarkets also allow you to hand your unwanted bags back to the driver for recycling.
Morrisons accepts –
Plastic Carrier Bags, Plastic bread bags, Plastic cereal bags i.e. Porridge Oats (not inners from boxed cereals), Plastic wrappers and ring joiners from multipacks of can and rolls and kitchen towel packs, Plastic freezer bags, Plastic magazine and newspaper wrap (type used for home delivery only), Thin bags used for fruit and veg at supermarkets, Bubble wrap, low-densitry polyethylene (LDPE) – resin ID code 4, Flexible plastic multi-pack can holder/rings.
Can Recycling, Clothes Recycling, Glass Recycling, Paper and Card Recycling, Plastic, Recycling Water Filter
Sainsbury’s, Ripley
Carpets – Soil – Building rubble – Paint pots – Fluorescent light tubes – car batteries – old oil – old paint – wood – electrical items – drinks cartons Tetrapaks- Bulbs – small electrical items that can fit in the bag
LoscoeTip, Taylor Lane, Loscoe, Heanor. DE75 7TA
Loscoe household waste recycling centre – Derbyshire County Council
Mascara Wands
Please clean the wands with warm soapy water, place them in a Ziploc bag and post them to:
Linjoy Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue (Midlands), 15 Lincoln Road, Stapenhill, Burton on Trent DE15 9HP
Medicine blister packets
St John’s Chapel, The Butts, Belper – Please check BTC website for opening hours.
Superdrug Pharmacy Derby-Eagle Centre, 21 Albion Street, Derby. DE1 2PR
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/medicine-packet-uk
Pen recycling
St John’s Chapel, The Butts, Belper – Please check BTC website for opening hours.
Ryman – 40 St John St, Market Place, Ashbourne DE6 1GH and
Ryman – Lawn Primary, Norbury Close. Derby DE22 2QR also in Ilkeston and Nottingham https://www.ryman.co.uk/environment
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/bic-uk
Ryman – South Mall, INTU Derby, Derby, DE1 2PG
Baby food pouches, kids yogurt pouches, caps and Ella’s Kitchen snack packets
Derby QUAD, Market Place, Cathedral Quarter, Derby, Derbyshire DE1 3AS
All brands of plastic confectionery packaging
27 Wyndale drive, Ilkeston DE74JH (Private Residence) Place in TerraCycle box
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/confectionery
KP Snacks Nuts, Popcorn, Crisps and Pretzels Packet
38 Turned Avenue, Langley Mill, Notts NG16 4GE (Private Residence)
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/kpsnacks
Pet food pouches and flexible plastic bags
47 Wyndale drive, Ilkeston DE74JH (Private Residence)
Place in TerraCycle box and
73 Chesterfield Road, Matlock, DE4 3FS (Private Residence) Place in TerraCycle box
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/petfood-uk
Pet food pouches only
Lakeside Primary School, London Road, Alvaston, Derby. DE24 8UY and 6 Cultivation Road, Eastwood. NG 16 3HQ (Private Residence) Place in TerraCycle box
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/petfood-uk
Hiking Equipment – No Bags, but clothing and footwear
Cotswold Outdoor. Bridge Street
DE45 1DS Bakewell, Derbyshire
Burt’s Bees Personal Care
87 Deerlands Rd, Chesterfield. S42 6UZ Place in TerraCycle box
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades
Baylis & Harding pumps, caps and flexible tubes
Baylis and Harding, 61 Wild Street Derby DE1 1GP
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/baylisandharding-uk
Soft contact lenses and blister packs
Boot Opticians – Intu Centre Derby
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/acuvue
Bicycles
Life Cycle UK, Unit 3, 1 Canal St, Siddals Road, Derby
DE12RJ
Craft, paint and scraps
Play and Recycling Centre 6 -10 Werbugh Street Derby, DE22 3QG
Bra Recycling
Charity – Against Breast Cancer, Leathem House, 13 Napier Court, Barton Lane, Abingdon,
Oxon, OX14 3YT
https://www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/recycling/bra-recycling/
icollectclothes
A free and efficient clothing donation collection service to support your chosen charity is available to book to any working day of the week.
https://www.icollectclothes.co.uk/
Gillette Razors
All blades, razors and disposables products received in the official Freepost Gillette envelope will be accepted.
https://www.gillette.co.uk/recycle.list?
https://gillettevenus.co.uk/en-gb/recycle-razor/
Give Back Box
A number of companies operating online are working in partnership with Give Back Box. Under the Give Back Box scheme you’ll be able to recycle the cardboard boxes these companies use to deliver to you, while also donating to those in need. It helps that the process is so simple. All you need to do is fill your delivery box with unwanted clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, books – anything that you think will bring joy to someone’s life! Simply print off a label using the link below, drop the box at your nearest CollectPlus point and send it (free of charge) to your charity of choice. https://givebackbox.org.uk/Collection stores near your location
https://www.collectplus.co.uk/find-a-store
LEGO
Autism Bricks UK will take preloved LEGO® to restore and use in their products and services. If you have some LEGO® that you would like to donate, there are two ways you can do this:
LEGO® Drop off
The head office is located in Bradford City centre. You can drop off your donated Lego® from 09:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday. Please get in touch to organise this by calling 01274 789789 or email hello@autismbricksuk.org – or write to Autism Bricks UK, Onward House, 2 Baptist Place, Bradford BD1 2PS.
Post Your LEGO®
If you have a small or medium amount of LEGO® that you would like to donate, the most convenient way of doing this is by post or courier. The address is: Autism Bricks UK, Onward House, 2 Baptist Place, Bradford BD1 2PS.
Please include your details in the package so that they can say thank you!
Recycling Symbols Explained
https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-knowledge/packaging-symbols-explained
What do TerraCycle do?
TerraCycle offers free recycling programmes funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Anyone can choose a programme to join; start collecting in your home, school, or office; download free shipping labels; and send them the waste to be recycled. You can even earn rewards for your school or not for profit organisation.
Are you interested in becoming an agent for TerraCycle?
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/about-terracycle/recycle_your_waste
Waste and Resources Action Programme: https://www.wrap.org.uk/
Disclaimer
This list has been compiled to assist members of Transition Belper and HelpreupcycleDE56 to recycle and reuse as many items as possible. The list was up to date at the time of publication to the best of our knowledge.
A version of this list available on the Transition Belper Facebook page is updated regularly and a date and version number are included at the beginning of the document.
The compilers of this list are not responsible for updating copies that may have been shared elsewhere.
Compiled by
Lynne Henley – HelpreupcycleDe56only – lynne.henley@btinternet.com
Kendal Greaves – Transition Belper – ktgreaves@hotmail.com
Susan King – member of Helpreupcyclede56only – Susan_Jking@icloud.com