Where to recycle your items

Find out how to reduce, re-use or recycle various types of waste and unwanted items locally.

See also Richmond and Twickenham Friends of the Earth's guide to sustainable living, and the South London Partnership's Zero Waste Map.

Recycling, reuse and waste reduction A-Z
Item	Details
Aerosol cans (empty)	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Air freshener and home care products	Air freshener and home care waste can be recycled at The Refill Larder, High St, Teddington TW11 9JB
Aluminium foil	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Batteries	Townmead Road Local battery retailers: find your nearest Selected local libraries (East Sheen, Ham, Hampton, Richmond, Teddington and Twickenham)
Beach plastics	TerraCycle partners with clean-up organisations to keep beaches free of rigid plastics. Check out the Beach Plastic Recycling Network on Facebook.
Bicycles	Donate to the Bike Project at Hampton Methodist Church
Cardboard	Houses and maisonettes: blue box Purpose built flats: mixed paper bin All: public recycling sites
Cartons (e.g. Tetra Paks)	Houses and maisonettes: blue box Purpose built flats: mixed paper bin All: public recycling sites
Cigarette waste	TerraCycle and JTI have partnered to create the Cigarette Waste Programme. All the waste collected through this free programme will be made into a variety of useful plastic products such as plastic lumber and boards that can be used for items ranging from construction holding, signage and table tops. Any remaining tobacco or paper will be composted, nothing will go to landfill.
Clothes	Find your nearest Traid textile bank, request a free Traid doorstep collection or find out more about textile recycling charity Traid.
Computers	You can donate unwanted computers to charities and good causes for re-use via: Re-use Network IT for Charities Alternatively, take them to The Re-use and Recycling Centre at Townmead Road, Kew (If we cannot send them for re-use their components will be recycled where possible).
Contact lenses	These can now be recycled at local branches of Boots and other participating opticians. Find participating opticians. Get full details.
Cooking oil	Recycle at Townmead Road Household Waste and Recycling centre
Drinks cans	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Electricals (all sizes)	Townmead Road (broken) Re-sell, charity, give away online (good condition)
Electricals (small)	Find your nearest electrical recycling points Libraries (excluding Kew and Hampton Wick) Bulky waste collections Recycle them for free at any Currys PC World store All electrical goods retailers must provide a free take back service for customers when they buy the same new item. This includes online retailers Recycle with textiles when booking a free home collection with Traid
Engine oil	Recycle at Townmead Road Household Waste and Recycling centre
Food tins (clean)	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Food and drinks cartons (clean and dry)	Houses and maisonettes: blue box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Food waste	Food recycling caddy (Houses, maisonettes and trial area purpose built flats) This portion planner provides guidance on how much food you need for each person for each meal. It's simple to use and calculates the typical serving sizes for you.
Furniture	Richmond Furniture Scheme
Garden waste	Garden waste collection service (charges apply) Home composting
Glass bottles and jars	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Light bulbs	Old style (incandescent) light bulbs and halogen bulbs: Cannot be recycled easily and should be wrapped and disposed of with general rubbish Fluorescent bulbs: Townmead Road
Nappies	Re-usable (or 'real') cloth nappies are kinder to the environment than single-use disposable ones so long as you do not wash/tumble dry them at high temperature. Real nappies are also cheaper than disposables in the long run, especially if you buy them second hand and use them for more than one baby. A baby goes through four to ten nappy changes daily, totalling approximately 1kg of disposable nappy waste every day. Across West London, babies produce at least 5,700 tonnes of waste resulting in overflowing of rubbish and recycling bins and up to £700,000 in disposal costs every year. If you're a Richmond resident, you can borrow a washable nappy pack at no charge from West London Waste Authority for three weeks to try out a wide range of washable nappies. Each pack contains everything you need to see whether washable nappies are right for you and for your little one(s). If you're interested in borrowing a nappy pack and making a positive environmental impact, please visit the West London Nappies website for further information and to apply. Get information and advice on buying new real nappies, second hand real nappies and real nappy laundry services from Real Nappies for London. Early potty training can reduce nappy waste.
Paper	Houses and maisonettes: blue box Purpose built flats: mixed paper bin All: public recycling sites
Pet food pouches	These can be recycled at selected stores of major supermarkets. Find one of these near you
Plastic bags and films	Larger stores of major supermarkets accept: All plastic bags, except biodegradable or compostable bags; bread bags; breakfast cereal liners; bubble wrap; delivery bags; dry cleaning bags; frozen food bags; magazine and newspaper wrappers; multi-pack wrapping; plastic marked as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) - resin ID code 4; toilet roll wrapping. Selected stores of major supermarkets also accept: Baby, pet food, detergent and cleaning pouches; biscuits and chocolate wrapping; cheese, fish and meat wrapping; cling film; crisp and sweet bags; plastic film lids; salad, pasta and rice bags. Enter your postcode to find your nearest soft plastic collection point. Click through to the store details to find out which soft plastics they collect.
Plastic bottles	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Plastic pots, tubs and trays (clean)	Houses and maisonettes: black box Purpose built flats: mixed container bins All: public recycling sites
Raw vegetable waste	Food recycling caddy Garden compost
Rubber bands	Deposit loose in any post box and Royal Mail will re-use them.
Shoes	Recycle pairs of shoes with clothes/textiles (must be tied together or separately bagged).
Textiles	Find your nearest Traid textile bank, request a free Traid doorstep collection or find out more about textile recycling charity Traid. Local textile banks accept clean and dry clothes (including underwear and pairs of shoes) and accessories such as handbags and belts, plus bed linen, curtains and towels. They do not accept carpets/rugs or stuffed items such as pillows, duvets and teddy bears.

Up to: Household waste and recycling

Updated: 10 March 2023

Stay up to date! Make sure you subscribe to our waste and recycling email updates.