Acceptable materials

Please ensure that your waste is separated before arriving at the site.

• Aluminium and steel cans (including empty steel paint cans).
• Bulky/rigid plastics.
• Cardboard/Greeting Cards (must be non-glittery).
• Car batteries (excluding electric vehicle batteries). Alternatively, these can be taken to a scrap metal merchant who may pay you for your battery).
• Carpets.
• Clean mixed plastic packaging, for example,  food trays and yoghurt pots (must be washed). Black plastic food trays and cling film type packaging are not acceptable.
• Directories/Yellow Pages.
• DIY engine oil.
• Domestic batteries.
• Drinks cartons/Tetra-paks.
• Energy saving light bulbs (recycled with fluorescent tubes).
• Flat glass.
• Fluorescent tubes: up to 5 in any 6 month period.
• Foil (clean aluminium foil only.
• Fridges/freezers (Commercial fridges/freezers/air conditioning units are not accepted as well as units from caravans/motorhomes/boats).
• Furniture.
• Garden/green waste (branches up to 250mm or 10 inches in diameter are accepted).
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Large electrical appliances, for example, cookers, microwaves, washing machines.
• Mattresses.
• Metal (including empty aerosol cans).
• Paper, newspapers and magazines (shredded paper must go in the paper bank. Wrapping paper or any paper containing glitter must not go in the paper bank).
• Petrol powered lawn mowers and strimmers (must be emptied of fuel).
• Plastic bottles.
• Printer cartridges.
• Small domestic appliances, for example, toasters, lawn mowers, hairdryers, computers, laptops (please ensure all personal data is erased before bringing your items to be recycled).
• Textiles.
• Timber.
• TVs/computer monitors.
• Vegetable oil.

Restricted and non-acceptable materials

Restricted

• Ash (must be cooled and well damped down).
• Certain hazardous waste, including items such as DIY engine oils, solvents, bleaches/chemicals (e.g. mercury thermometers) are accepted in restricted quantities.
• DIY waste: 0.5 tonnes in a 6 month period (limit excludes chargeable waste).
• Excess dustbin/black bag waste: acceptable by arrangement only, please contact your local district, borough and city council in the first instance.
• Fluorescent tubes: 5 in a 6 month period.
• Gas bottles.
• Household chemicals (eg pesticides, white spirit, bleach, oil-based paint): 5 litres in a 12 month period.
• NHS equipment.
• Noxious weeds.

Non acceptable

• Asbestos: chargeable at certain recycling centres (facilities available at: Bideford, Exeter (Exton Road and Pinbrook Road), Honiton, Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Tavistock, Tiverton and Torrington).
• Business and commercial waste. Commercial green waste and cardboard is acceptable at certain sites for a charge, by arrangement only. Find out more about the trade recycling scheme here.
• Commercial fridges/freezers/air conditioning units are not accepted as well as units from caravans/motorhomes/boats.
• Dead pets, pet faeces and soiled litter/bedding material. Your local vet will be able to help you with the cremation of dead pets. You may wish to consider a home composting facility for pet faeces or soiled bedding.
• Electric vehicle batteries.
• Fireworks (used/unused) – contact the manufacturer for disposal advice.
• Flares, explosives and ammunition – please contact your local coastguard (flares)/police station (explosives/ammunition) for disposal advice.
• Fly-tipped waste
• Ground/Air source heat pumps.
• Night storage heaters – only acceptable at recycling centres which accept asbestos, the unit must be double wrapped in tough plastic and sealed. Sites will only accept full appliances.
• Oil tanks/Heating oil tanks – please see a list of alternative service providers.
• Sanitary wastes (nappies sanitary towels).
• Sewage/contents of drains.
• Sharps/clinical items: please contact your local district, city or borough council.
• Railway sleepers/Utility poles.
• Vehicles, vehicle parts, boats, caravans, trailers. (fridges/freezers from caravans/motorhomes/boats are not accepted).

Chargeable waste

Further information about chargeable waste.

Site health and safety

Further information about site health and safety

Site user and vehicle restrictions

Further information about site user and vehicle restrictions.