A - Z of recycling

A

Abandoned vehicles

We have powers to deal with abandoned or burnt out vehicles. You can report it online.

Aerosols

Recycle empty aerosols in your can bin at your local Recycling Point. If you have a green bin at the kerbside, aerosols can also be recycled here.  Please do not pierce, crush or flatten before recycling.

Aluminium cans

See Cans

Aluminium foil

Clean aluminium foil, metal food trays and foil milk bottle tops can be recycled in the food and drinks can bin at your local Recycling Point or in your green bin at the kerbside if available.

Animal bedding

Due to contamination from pet waste please do not put animal bedding in the brown bin. Put in your landfill bin or if your pet is vegetarian in your home composting unit.

Area waste strategy

See Waste Strategy

Asbestos

Asbestos is a hazardous material that must be dealt with safely. Fife Council cannot accept asbestos waste at our sites. Householders should contact a waste management company licensed for asbestos disposal to dispose of this kind of waste.

Ashes

Bag fire ash and once cool, place in the landfill bin. Please do not place any hot ashes into the bin as this could lead to a fire. Please do not put ash in the garden waste bin because it will not aid the composting process.

Appliances

See Electrical Equipment.

B

Bags

See Plastic Bags.

Batteries

Batteries can be recycled at all Recycling Centres, at most large supermarkets and electrical outlets.

Bathroom suites

Ceramic bathroom suites can be recycled at your nearest Recycling Centres.  They can also be uplifted as part of the Bulky Uplift service.  Cast iron baths are too heavy for the Bulky Uplift service.

Bicycles

Donate bicycles a bicycle charity such as Freecycle and Freegle (external websites). Otherwise  Recycling Centres can take bicycles in the metal skip.

Bin collections

You can find out what services we offer by visiting our homepage at www.fife.gov.uk/wasteaware

You can find out your bin collection uplift dates by visiting www.fife.gov.uk/bincalendar

Bin liners

All empty plastic bin liners can be put into the green bin.

Biscuit tins

Recycle metal biscuit tins in the cans and plastic packaging bins at Recycling Points. Plastic or metal biscuit tins can be recycled in the green bin at the kerbside, if supplied.

Blister packs (medication)

Empty blister packs from medication can not be recycled in your green plastic bin. It's a composite of plastics and foil, which can not be separated easily. Please put these in your landfill bin.

Bones

Bones from meat or left over food can go into the brown bin if you are on the new 4 bin service. They cannot be home composted.

Books

Donate books in good condition to charity. If your books are not in a good enough condition to be reused then you can recycle them in your paper and cardboard bin.

Bottles

See Glass bottles or Plastic.

Brake fluid

See Engine Oil

Bric-a-brac

Take unwanted items or bric-a-brac to local charity shops or sell them at car boot sales. Local scout or guide groups may also like to receive such items for their fund raising jumble sales.

Bricks

See Rubble.

Broken glass

Please do not recycle broken glass items such as ceramics or window glass.  Wrap these items up in newspaper or place them inside a box and then dispose of them in the landfill bin.

Broken glass bottles and jars can still be recycled at Recycling Centres. Please be careful not to injure yourself while placing broken glass in the bottle bank.

Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap can be reused to wrap fragile items. If you can't reuse it, you can recycle it in your green cans & plastics bin.

Building waste

See Rubble.

Bulky waste

See Special uplift.

Business waste

Businesses must have a waste collection contract and separate their waste.  You will find registered waste carriers at SEPA or through a short internet search.  Fife Council also offers a Commercial Waste Collection Service.

D

Disposable nappies

See Nappies.

Donate

There are many ways to donate items that are still in good condition and can be reused by someone else.  Here are some of the ways:

Charity Shops – many local charity shops will take clothing, entertainment and bric-a-brac

Furniture Reuse – several organisations in Fife collect furniture to be refurbished and reused.

Online swap shops – sites such as Freegle, Freecycle and others are available for you to donate to other people.  One person’s trash is another person’s treasure

Selling online – there are many sites online that allow items to be sold on again for reuse

Drinks cans

See Cans

Drinks cartons

currently not recycled.

Duvets and pillows

See Clothing and Textiles.

DVDs and videos

Unwanted DVDs and videos cannot be recycled. Donate to charity shops or given away online. See Donate above.

E

Egg boxes

Recycle cardboard egg boxes in your paper and cardboard bin or compost at home. Plastic egg boxes can be recycled in your green bin.

Eggshells

Place eggshells in your home composting unit or in your food and garden waste bin if supplied.

Elastic bands

Rubber elastic bands cannot be recycled, so keep them for reuse or if broken place in your landfill bin.

Electrical equipment

Recycle electronic and electrical equipment at your nearest Recycling Centres. You will find containers for:

• Fluorescent tubes and energy efficient light bulbs
• Fridges and freezers
• Large electrical items e.g. washing machines and cookers
• Small electrical items e.g. hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, microwaves, kettles
• Televisions and monitors

Consider donating working electrical equipment to a local furniture charity.  See Furniture Reuse for more information.

Energy efficient light bulbs

Recycle energy efficient bulbs at your local Recycling Centres or dispose in your landfill bin. If disposing of light bulbs in your landfill bin please place the light bulb into the packaging from your replacement light bulb, or wrap the bulb up in newspaper or bubble wrap.

Envelopes

Recycle envelopes with your Paper and cardboard. Padded envelopes cannot be recycled and should go in your blue landfill waste bin.

Engine oil

Take engine oil to one of our 11 Recycling Centres. Please do not dispose of engine oil in the drains.  Brake Fluid can also be recycled in the Engine oil container.

F

Fabrics

See Clothing and Textiles.

Fat

Please do not dispose of fat down the drains.  To dispose of fat please place it into a sealable container and leave to solidify.  Once solid, seal the container and dispose of it in your landfill bin.

Fireworks

Soak fireworks thoroughly before bagging. Once soaked, put fireworks into your blue landfill waste bin or take to the Recycling Centres for landfill disposal.

Fluorescent tube lights

See Electrical Equipment

Foil

See Aluminium Foil

Food

Food waste is collected alongside garden waste in your brown bin, where supplied.

Fridges and freezers

Recycle fridges and freezers at the Recycling Centres or arrange for collection via the Bulky Uplift Service.

If the unit is still in working order you could consider donating it to a local furniture charity.  See Furniture reuse below.

Fruit & vegetable peelings

Place fruit and vegetable peelings in your brown bin if provided, or compost in a home composting bin.

Furniture

Donate furniture and electrical items to charity.  There are two main furniture charities in Fife.

• Furniture Plus
• Castle Furniture

You could also consider donating your furniture or electrical goods.  See Donate for more information.

G

Garden waste

Garden waste can go into your garden waste bin or to your local Recycling Centres.

You can also compost your garden waste at home.

Gas cylinders

You can recycle empty gas cylinders at one of your local Recycling Centres.

Unfortunately, we cannot take full cylinders. You should try contacting the supplier for advice, as they may be able to take it for reuse. Further info can be found on the Recycle Now page.

Glass bottles and jars

You can recycle glass bottles and jars at a local Recycling Centres.  The metal lids can be recycled in the cans and plastic packaging bin.

Glass panes

Panes of glass cannot be recycled in the glass bottle and jar bins.  Please take glass panes to your local Recycling Centres to dispose of the items safely.

Glasses

See Spectacles.

Grass

See Garden Waste.

Greeting cards

See Cards.

H

Hangers

Hangers can be reused but if you have too many you can offer them to your local charity shop.  Broken hangers can be recycled in your green bin.

Hazardous Waste or Chemical Waste (Including Petrol / Diesel)

Fife Council do not collect or accept hazardous or chemical waste. You should contact a licensed contractor, who will levy a charge for this service. Please dispose of hazardous / chemical waste responsibly and do not place it into drains or waste bins.

Home Composting

See Composting.

Hoover dust

Hoover dust cannot be recycled so please place this in your landfill bin.

Houseplants

Houseplants can be composted in a home compost bin or in your brown garden waste bin.

Household chemicals

Please follow the manufacturer’s instructions to dispose of household chemicals.  Empty chemical containers can be recycled if given a quick rinse out.

Household waste

In Fife we provide various methods for collecting household waste.  Use the links below to find out more about the recycling services that we provide at the household.  Visit our Household Waste Collections page to see the services we offer for residents.

Four bin service

• With this service you can recycle plastics, cans, food waste, garden waste, paper and cardboard at your home.

Bulky waste uplifts

• This is for bulky items that will not fit in your landfill bin. Arrange for collection through our Bulky Uplift service.

Sack collections

• We provide a sack collection where there is no space to store bins or if we cannot access your area with a refuse collection vehicle. We collect 2 sacks per week from these households. We cannot provide recycling collections to these properties.

Recycling in flats

• Recycling facilities have been delivered to some flatted properties in Fife. This is provided following an assessment of the flats.

Collection dates

• Find your Bin Collection Dates.

Reduce & Reuse

• Reducing and reusing waste is better than recycling it. Visit the Reduce or Reuse pages for more information.

I

Ice cream tubs

Recycle ice cream tubs in your green cans and plastics bin, if supplied or in cans and plastics recycling bins at Recycling Centres. If you do not have a green bin please place these in the landfill bin.

Ink-jet cartridges

Many charities and organisations can make use of these cartridges.  A quick internet search should show you the way.

J

Jars

See Glass Bottles and Jars.

Juice cartons (Plastic)

Plastic Juice Cartons can be recycled in your green bin.

Junk mail

See Unwanted Mail.

K

Kitchen waste

See Cooked Meat or Fruit and Vegetables

L

Labels

You do not need to remove labels from food and drinks cans, plastic bottles or glass bottles and jars.

Landfill

Landfill is the term for the site where your household waste is sent too. All waste in your landfill bin goes to one of Fife's two landfill sites at Wellwood, by Dunfermline, and Lower Melville Wood, by Ladybank.

The waste goes into a hole in the ground and is then covered over with soil.

Laser toner cartridges

Some organisations can recycle these if you place them in the post.  A quick internet search will highlight some organisations that can do this.

Leaves

See Garden Waste.

Letters

See Paper and Cardboard.

Light bulbs

Normal light bulbs cannot be recycled and should go in your landfill bin. Energy-efficient light bulbs can be recycled. See Electrical equipment for further information.

M

Magazines

Magazines can be recycled in your paper and cardboard bin at the kerbside, at some Recycling Centres.

Margarine tubs

Recycle margarine tubs in the green plastics and cans bin and in cans and plastics recycling bins at Recycling Centres.

Mastic

Mastic is a plant resin, with a hard glue or gum-like texture. Although it's an organic material, we cannot guarantee it will break down properly in our composting process. Please dispose of this in your landfill bin.

Mattresses

Mattresses cannot be recycled at this current time. Mattresses cannot be recycled at this current time. Dispose of mattresses at a Recycling Centres or arrange a Bulky Uplift.

Medicine

You can take your unwanted medicines back to the chemist where you bought it.

Metal

Metal tins and cans go in your green bin or in the food and drinks can bin, at your local Recycling Point. Take scrap metal to a local Recycling Centres.

Microwaves

See Electrical Equipment.

Milk bottles

Plastic milk bottles can go in the green bin at the kerbside, if supplied and in cans and plastics recycling bins at Recycling Centres.

Mirrors

If they are not broken then a local furniture charity may wish to use them. See Donate.  Broken mirrors should go into landfill skips at our local Recycling Centres.

Mobile phones

Fife Council does not recycle mobile phones but many other organisations do.  A quick internet search will highlight many options.

Motor oil

See Engine Oil.

N

Nappies

Reusable nappies are a cheaper alternative to disposable nappies. They reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill and better for the environment. You can find out more about the Fife Real Nappy Library at Go Real.

Newspapers

Recycle newspapers in your paper and cardboard bin, at some Recycling Centres.

O

Oil

See Engine oil or Cooking oil

P

Packaging

You can recycle plastic bottles, film, wrappers, bags, tubs and food trays in household green bins or in cans and plastics bins at Recycling Centres. For a list of plastics you can recycle visit www.fife.gov.uk/4bins.

Paint

Paint cannot be recycled but some local charity organisations reuse paint. If you need to dispose of paint, please leave the lid off and allow the paint to harden and then replace the lid. Or mix the paint with sand or cat litter to solidify the paint. Then this can go to your local Recycling Centres for disposal.

Paper and cardboard

Recycle all your paper and cardboard in your paper and cardboard bin at home, at some Recycling Centres.

Pet waste

Place pet waste in your landfill bin. Please do not place pet waste in the brown bin, even if your pet is vegetarian, as this cannot be composted.

Photographs

Photographs cannot be recycled, please dispose of unwanted photographs in your landfill bin.

Plastic

You can recycle plastic bottles, tubs and food trays in household green bin or in cans and plastics bins at Recycling Centres. For a list of plastics you can recycle visit www.fife.gov.uk/4bins.

Bioplastics are not made from plastic, these are compostable materials and cannot be recycled with other plastics. Please put these into your blue landfill waste bin.

Plastic bags

Save money and help the environment by reusing your old carrier bags or use a reusable bag.

Plastic bags, including shopping bags, bread bags and salad bags can go into the green bin to be recycled.

Polystyrene packaging

Polystyrene cannot be recycled. Please put in your landfill bin.

Polythene wrappers

Polythene wrappers can go in your green bin for recycling.

Postage stamps

See Stamps.

Printer cartridges

Fife Council does not collect printer cartridges for recycling but many companies do.  A quick internet search will show you some of these companies.

Pyrex glass

Pyrex glass cannot be recycled in the glass bottle bank bins.  Please place any Pyrex into the landfill bin.

R

Radios

See Electrical Equipment.

Razor blades

Do not recycle razor blades due to the danger they would pose when processed.  Please wrap these in a tissue or newspaper and place them into your landfill bin.

Recycling - general information

Fife Council offer Recycling Services through Household Collections, Recycling Centres.

Recycling - bags and containers

We provide recycling bins both at the household and at various locations around Fife.

For information on recycling at the household please visit our Household Waste Collection pages.

Rubble

At the Recycling Centres you can recycle soil, brick, stone and rubble. Please do not place rubble in the landfill bin as this will cause damage to the vehicle.

S

Shopping bags

See Plastic Bags.

Scrap metal

Recycle scrap metal at one of Fife's 11 Recycling Centres.

Shredded paper

Recycle shredded paper can in the paper and cardboard bin at your home, at some of our Recycling Centres.

Please wrap shredded paper in newspaper or in a cereal box to reduce the chance of this spilling onto the street.

Shoes

Paired shoes can be recycled at the textile banks located at Recycling Centres in Fife.

Smoke Alarms

Please recycle smoke alarms in the small electricals container at one of our 11 Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Soil

Please do not place soil into your garden waste bin at the kerbside. It can make the bin too heavy to lift and has no benefit to the composting process.  Recycle soil at your local Recycling Centres.

Special uplift

We offer a Special Uplift service to collect bulky waste from the household.  For further information please visit Bulky Uplift.

Spectacles & sunglasses

Old glasses can be given to charity or given in to some opticians for reuse or recycling.

Stamps

Many charities collect stamps for a charitable cause.  You can also leave the stamp on your envelope when you recycle it.

Staples

Staples can be left on your papers and magazines when recycling. These will be removed during the recycling process.

Steel cans

See Cans.

T

Takeaway food containers

Reuse plastic takeaway food containers where possible. Unneeded takeaway food containers can be recycled in your green bin.

Tea bags

Compost tea bags in the home compost bin or in your food and garden waste bin where supplied.

Telephones

Some charity shops may wish to sell unwanted telephones but they can also be recycled at Recycling Centres.  See Electrical Equipment for more information.

Telephone directories

Recycle telephone directories along with paper and cardboard. See Paper and cardboard.

Textiles

See Clothing and Textiles.

Tiles

Recycle tiles at your local Recycling Centres.

Timber and wood

Take timber and wood for recycling to your local Recycling Centres.

Toilet paper

The cardboard tube out of toilet paper can be recycled.  See Paper and Cardboard

Toys & games

Toys and games cannot be recycled. Donate toys to younger children in the family, charity shops and even some doctor’s surgeries and hospitals.

Tyres

Tyres cannot go to landfill by law. Most tyre companies will dispose of your old tyre when replacing it, but there may be a small charge for this.

TV monitors

See Electrical Equipment.

U

Unwanted mail

Unwanted mail can be unwelcome to some residents.  Visit the Scottish Government's page on reducing the amount of junk mail you get, for advice.

V

Vegetable peelings

Compost fruit and vegetable peeling at home or through your brown bin. See Composting for more information.

Videos and DVDs

Give DVDs and videos to local charity shops or maybe your local school could make use of them.

W

Wallpaper

Wallpaper cannot be recycled as it is often a mixture of paper, plastic and glue.  Please place used wallpaper into your landfill bin.

Waste strategy

Fife Council is committed, along with all other local authorities in Scotland, to the Scottish Governments Zero Waste Strategy.

White goods

See Electrical Equipment.

Wrapping paper

Wrapping paper often comes in two forms, a paper and plasticised version. If the wrapping paper is easy to tear it can be recycled along with all other paper and cardboard. Plasticised wrapping paper is more difficult to tear and goes into the landfill bin.

You can still recycle the paper wrapping if it has sticky tape attached.

X

Y

Yellow pages

Recycle yellow pages and other telephone directories along with all other paper and cardboard.

Yoghurt pots

Recycle yoghurt pots in the green bin, if supplied, or in cans and plastics bins at Recycling Centres.

Z

Zero Waste

We collect a wide range of materials for recycling and have one of the highest recycling rates in Scotland. We want to continually improve on this figure and have set out our plans in our Zero Waste Plan.  You can also look at the Scottish Governments Zero Waste Plan for more information.